Inside Princess Diana's Final Year Before Her Tragic Death at 36: Including Her Last Vacation With Her Sons and Her Final Words

Princess Diana's final year highlighted her dedication and devotion as the People's Princess and mother to her two children, Prince William and Prince Harry.

OK! looked back at the remarkable moments that defined her last months as the world remembers her on the 28th anniversary of her death.

Princess Diana visited the English National Ballet HQ in South Kensington, London, on August 28, 1996. On the very same day, she finalized her divorce from Prince Charles after 15 years of marriage.

Princess Diana was all smiles in a group photo that also featured Anna Wintour, designer Ralph Lauren, Hillary Clinton and Katharine Graham. They posed for the cameras before the scheduled breakfast for the Nina Hyde Center for B----- Cancer Research.

The royal attended the Nina Hyde B----- Cancer Benefit Gala Dinner in Washington, D.C., in a white lace gown with a halter neckline.

Princess Diana spoke with famous cardiac surgeon Dr. Christian Barnard during an October 12, 1996, event in Rimini, where she received a humanitarian award.

In a black-and-white photograph taken in October 1996, Princess Diana was seen shaking Mohamed Al-Fayed's hand before attending the Heart of Britain book launch.

Princess Diana looked elegant in the purple dress she wore when she visited the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney, Australia, as part of her three-day fundraising trip.

"I found Diana both regal and radiant, and yet, very down to earth – easy to talk to, interested in people and patients, compassionate and knowledgeable about heart disease," Bob Graham, the former executive director of the institute, said of the royal.

The professor added, "I remember I said to her, 'Don’t people get intimidated Princess, when you go and talk to them?' And what she said was very insightful. She said to me ’If I stand on the edge of the bed or stand next to them, they never relax. But if I sit down and hold their hand, within five minutes they've forgotten who I am and they start to talk'. I thought that was very, very nice."

Despite her busy schedule, Princess Diana made sure she also had time for her kids. In December 1996, she was photographed driving her car to attend Prince William's Carol Concert at Eton College.

In January 1997, Princess Diana visited Angola as a guest of the International Red Cross. She met the landmine victims at the Orthopedic Center, as well as people at the Red Cross Center in the country.

"There couldn't be a more appropriate place to begin this campaign than Angola because this nation has the highest number of amputees per population than anywhere in the world," Princess Diana told the journalists when she arrived at the airport, per BBC.

During the same 1997 trip. Princess Diana famously walked across active minefields to support the international ban on landmines.

"By visiting Angola, we shall gain an understanding of the plight of the victims of landmines, and how survivors are helped to recover from their injuries," she said at the time. "We'll also be able to observe the wider implications of these devastating weapons on the life of this country as a whole."

Princess Diana continued, "It is my sincere hope that by working together in the next few days, we shall focus world attention on this vital – but until now, largely neglected – issue."

In 2022, HALO USA's Executive Director Chris Whatley said Princess Diana's walk "became a front of mind issue."

"It took the convening power of Princess Diana to do that, to put it on the world stage to create that public momentum that allows for the political support, the rallying that continues to this day," he told People.

Wearing an iconic blue lace dress, Princess Diana stole the spotlight at the Royal Gala Premiere performance of Lord Attenborough's film In Love and War.

Princess Diana attended another award show in March 1997.

In April 1997, Princess Diana touched the public's hearts when she visited the Royal Brompton Hospital in West London to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Week. In one photo, she sat on the bed and posed with one of the patients, Nicky Welsh.

Princess Diana waved at the crowd before boarding a helicopter at Leicester University.

While in Washington, D.C. in June 1997, Princess Diana went to Christie's Auction House, where several of her dresses and gowns were auctioned off to raise money for AIDS and cancer charities.

A few weeks after celebrating her 36th birthday, Princess Diana went to St. Tropez, France, where she vacationed with Prince William and Prince Harry. They stayed at Mohamed Al-Fayed's home and spent time on his yacht.

In August 1997, Princess Diana undertook a three-day visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Princess Diana marked her final official engagement in Bosnia, where she met landmine victims Malic Bredoric and Zarco Beric.

In the wee hours of August 31, 1997, Princess Diana was declared dead in a hospital following a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris. Her boyfriend at the time, Dodi Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul, died on the spot after the vehicle collided with a support column.

French doctor Frederic Maillez, who witnessed the "tragic night," told the Associated Press he feels "a little bit responsible for her [Princess Diana's] last moments."

"She was unconscious," he said. "Thanks to my respiratory bag (...) she regained a little bit more energy, but she couldn't say anything."

Firefighters soon rushed Princess Diana to Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital after she was recovered from the wreckage. According to BBC, initial medical reports stated the royal princess suffered from a broken arm, concussion and cuts to her thighs, but it was confirmed she also had massive chest injuries.

Doctors attempted to clamp a ruptured blood vessel near her heart, but they pronounced her dead at 4 a.m.

Doctors Bruno Rioux and Philippe Pavie issued a statement, "The Princess of Wales was the victim of a high-speed car crash tonight in Paris. She was immediately taken by the Paris SAMU emergency services, which carried out initial resuscitation. On her arrival at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, she had massive chest injuries and hemorrhaging, followed rapidly by cardiac arrest.

"An emergency thoracotomy revealed a major wound on the left pulmonary vein," they added. "Despite closing this wound and two hours of external and then internal cardiac massage, circulation could not be re-established and death occurred at 4 o'clock in the morning."

In a 2015 interview with The Independent, firefighter Xavier Gourmelon revealed Princess Diana's last words when she momentarily regained consciousness: "My God, what has happened?"