Every member of the British royal family is a celebrity of sorts.
All qualify as notable historical figures.
Just by being born.
Some become more notable than others though.
Star quality is notoriously hard to define.
I think the most important part of its creation is story.
I think that's a defining human characteristic and major public figures with (good, interesting, compelling, perhaps horifying) stories are those who are likely to become stars. And long-term features on the the collectibles market.
Here are 5 reasons I think Diana fits that bill.
1 - The Fairy Tale
If stories are a defining feature of stardom then a fairy tale is perhaps the perfect stardust.
The stories we tell and are told about stars aren't neccessarilly completely or even very true but they serve a purpose for us.
So while Diana wasn't exactly of humble origins she was shoehorned into that template for our consumption.
Driving around London in a mini, wearing jeans and sweaters, having a job of all things!
Of course, her beauty and likeable (if rather shy) public persona helped to bring people in.
Her wedding shut the country down. People bought into it.
And from the start, Diana's story (as it was packaged) was engaging to lots of people.
Even fragments of wedding dress fabric are hugely valuable today.
2 - The tragedy
There is no escaping the effect of premature death in the collectibles market.
It has an immediate and observable effect, not least because it immediately ends the supply of new items like autographs associated with a public figure.
John Lennon. James Dean. Marilyn Monroe. John F Kennedy...
This stuff is hardly secret.
And it's by no means a finished story. There are conspiracy theories and genuine controversies enough to keep people looking at
3 - The currency
In August 1997 I was in my mid-20s and more interested in football and beer than anything else. I didn't care a jot for the goings on in the royal family.
And yet, I can still tell you where I was when I heard that Diana had died.
As I was on my way to a holiday in France, where she died, it was quite a surreal few days.
Visitors' books in Catholic churches were full of entries from heartbroken British tourists. Mother Theresa - an actual Catholic saint who died a few days after Diana - barely rated a mention.
When I went home it was to London, which seemed completely transformed.
Commentary in 2024 on modern celebrity culture, parasocial relationships, public expressions of emotion, the understanding of and sharing of grief all has to consider Diana's life and death as transformational moments.
And her children are still very much with us, still in the media every day. Not to mention her ex husband of course.
The image, narrative and truth of Diana's life are all fascinating.
4 - The Substance
Diana was a celebrity.
But she wasn't vacuous or empty.
The affection with which she is still regarded by the LGBTQ community is real, and based on the really radical things around HIV she did in her lifetime.
The ability of a millionaire princess to affect actual material change might be somewhat limited, but Diana was a huge mobiliser of public opinion and was willing to use that power.
We also have to consider the extent to which her public/private life was genuinely engaged with by her fans.
You can sneer about this stuff if you like, but Diana was a real and very relatable person - obviously loving meeting stars, smiling with genuine warmth at dull public appearances - to billions of people.
They wanted to know her and felt they did to an extent.
5 - The glitter
When we report on items from Diana's past being sold today for high figures we are most often talking about clothing.
Diana had a genuine interest in fashion. And the frame (she was extremely tall) to carry off wearing the best designer clothes.
Stars can be all shapes and sizes, but the biggest look the part too.
Diana did that in spades and her role as a fashion leader is now key to her collectibility.
Her life was a series of indelible images, but this smiling photo shows her on the way to a landmine charity event. Picture by John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com.
Buying collectible stars today
If you want to buy with an eye to investment you need to spot value before the rest of the world does.
I'm not suggesting you should look for people you think are going to die young.
But, you could do worse than look for stars with whom audiences develop very deep and apparently meaningful relationships.
It's those stars who are likely to attract long-term value.
How you spot them is another matter.
We have some lovely memorabilia from stars who have already stood the test of time.
