Princess Diana Wax Statue Showcased In Unlikely City
PARIS (AP) — Princess Diana One of Europe’s oldest wax museums returned to Paris in wax on Thursday as it unveiled a new figure of the British royal in a so-called “revenge dress”, decades after her tragic death in the city.
Museum officials said the statue was commissioned in Paris after the director of the Grevin Museum visited London and was impressed by the Diana likeness at Madame Tussauds, prompting him to commission his own version of the statue.
Grevin’s life-size and extremely convincing figure of the late Princess of Wales is dressed in a replica of the black, off-the-shoulder, body-hugging gown. cocktail dress Diana wore it to the Serpentine Gallery event in London in 1994.
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For Paris, this commemoration carried extra weight: Diana – “Lady Di” to the French, who still used that nickname affectionately despite spending most of her public life as a princess died after car accident This death, which took place in a tunnel along the River Seine in 1997, helped immortalize him in the Parisian imagination; It still survives among the flowers and handwritten notes left at unofficial memorials.
Museum officials said the opening took place on the 30th anniversary of Diana’s explosive interview with BBC “Panorama”; Observers said the interview damaged the monarchy and the Queen’s standing.
Some observers sarcastically noted how far away the museum’s newest royal guest was positioned from the wax statues of her famous ex-husband and mother-in-law.
High-heeled shoes, a pearl necklace around her neck and a small bag held in both hands completed the statue. Tabloids later dubbed the outfit the “revenge dress” and the museum turned to this symbolism.
French novelist Christine Orban, who wrote “Mademoiselle Spencer,” a novel imagined from Diana’s perspective, said the figure was long overdue.
She called the black dress a turning point Diana’s story.
“The dress is very important for her liberation because in the royal family, black is only worn at funerals and such a sexy dress for the Princess of Wales is not very common,” he said. “So she decides to put on her high heels and Louboutins and head to the Serpentine Gallery to make an impression and take a photo.”
Founded in the 19th century, Grevin’s opulent halls have long been filled with political leaders, artists, pop culture figures and, yes, British royalty. Diana is the latest in a steady stream of star power additions that the museum has used to replenish the collection and increase visitors to the site, which has attracted around 700,000 visitors annually in recent years.
News of the opening spread throughout Paris before most people even had a chance to visit.
“It brought back that night in the tunnel, even though I was a kid at the time,” said Julien Martin, 38. “Paris never completely let go of Diana, so it made sense for a major wax museum to eventually do so.”
“I wasn’t alive, but for my generation she seems like the first modern princess; dazzling but also vulnerable,” said 24-year-old student Lina Ben Amar. “When tourists come to see celebrities in wax, he’s one of the first people they call.”
Diana will be in good company. Curators placed her next to another prominent royal who died in Paris, albeit centuries ago: Marie Antoinette.
