Diana, 10 years on: full coverage

“We watched her bloom from a shy, young beauty into an elegant woman whose confidence and style were matched only by her warmth and compassion for those less fortunate.

“Now, on the 10th anniversary of her untimely passing, you can honour the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales with this magnificent commemorative collectible plate.”

With these words from the Franklin Mint, the bone-china buying, stamp-collecting world of Dianabilia was declared truly back in business.

A Perrier with the Princess

Peter Stothard, former Editor of The Times, recalls a discussion with Diana about memos, mistresses and the media

Multimedia

• Interview on the latest revealing Diana biography

BACKGROUND

• The explosion of vileness that followed her death

• Why I could not mourn Diana

Related Internet Links

• Diana - 10 years on

She was the People’s Princess and they remember her by buying the People’s Souvenirs.

Take Alan and Joan Berry, stalwarts of the most militant band of Diana’s admirers, the Diana Circle, which once lodged a formal complaint to try to stop the Prince of Wales marrying Camilla Parker Bowles.

The Berrys have been accumulating plates and figurines since Diana’s death but the anniversary has generated a bumper crop of souvenirs. “We have added some new plates to our collection,” said Mr Berry, from Camberley, Surrey. “We get them from well-known designers and manufacturers. We wouldn’t get them from some cheap market.”

It is a triumph for freedom of expression that the Franklin Mint is able to produce such tributes at all. After the death of the Princess of Wales, her memorial fund began a disastrous bid for exclusive rights to her image. A six-year wrangle ensued with the Beverly Hills-based souvenir company, branded by the fund as “vultures feeding on the dead”. And the British Patent Office declared that the Princess’s face belonged to the world.

The Mint is advertising its platinum-bordered plate as “a must-have heirloom to pass along to future generations”. It costs $29.95 (£15). The Mint’s customers can also buy a selection of tribute dolls. A seated Diana ($195) based on an official portrait photograph by Patrick Demarchelier is the souvenir company’s bestselling doll, ahead even of Scarlett O’Hara and Marilyn Monroe.

At Royal Doulton, whose factory in Staffordshire the Princess visited in 1984, her image is more popular than ever. When she married 25 years ago, the potters produced 1,500 copies each of two figurines in her image. There are 10,000 copies of a new anniversary design, in a flowing purple evening dress, each costing £149.99.

Mike Poulson, the potter’s marketing manager, said that sales of souvenirs remained “slightly stronger” than those of the Queen. “The very fact that we are still doing commemorative items tells you there are marketing opportunities,” he said.

Gibraltar has issued commemorative stamps, and the Falklands and British Virgin Islands, special coins.

Souvenir shops in London are competing with their window display tributes. At La Mode Souvenirs in Piccadilly, mugs, teapots and egg cups are flying off the shelves. The owner said: “Especially all the American tourists like to buy the Diana ashtrays.”

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