This book intervenes in debates over the significance of Diana, Princess of Wales by offering a critical account of her media iconicity from 1981 to the present. It outlines the historical development of representations of Diana, analysing the ways in which the Princess has been understood via discourses of gender, sexuality, race, economic class, the royal, national identity, and the human. The book then goes on to assess the issues at stake in debates over the 'meaning' of Diana, such as the gender politics of cultural icon-making and deconstruction, and conflicting notions of cultural value.

JUDE DAVIES is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Cultural Studies at King Alfred's College, Winchester. He has published articles on various elements of contemporary culture, and on American literature

Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: Why a Cultural History Historicizing the Signs of Diana Diana, Royalty and Femininity The Ambivalent Femininities of Diana Narratives A Life in Images The Mourning for Diana and the Question of National Transformation Epilogue Bibliography Index