August 31 marks 23 years since Princess Diana was killed in a car accident. Like most big events, you probably remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when it happened. I was a surly 11-year-old in an Ottawa hotel room with my family, capping off an East Coast road trip. My brothers were roughhousing on one of the double beds and my mom had flipped on the TV: “Diana is dead.” We all stopped. My mom was crying, I started crying. It felt like losing a friend. This woman who we admired from afar for her compassion and willingness to go against the grain, was gone in such a sudden and tragic way. We grieved for her boys, her family and friends. The other people around the world, like us, who looked up to her as a beacon of hope in a superficial world.

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Her loss is still palpable. I think about her when I see Royal portraits. How she’s missing out on the admirable way her sons live their lives, their kind-hearted wives and, of course, being a grandma.  I think about her iconic looks a lot, too. I’m so inspired by her compassion and how she looked so damn good doing charity work. There were many lewks, but we pared down a few of our faves. Let’s keep her in mind when we stand up for what we believe in, and when we get dressed in the morning.

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