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The Early Life of Princess Margaret
Princess Margaret was well-known for her glitz and beauty, her passion for nightlife, the arts, and her regular media appearances. She battled throughout her life to strike a balance between her obligations as a member of the British Royal family and her independent spirit and artistic temperament. Despite being the subject of rumours, tabloid speculation, and scandal, the Princess' romantic relationships were crucial in modernising Royal love. Coming of age at a unique time when celebrity culture and tabloid journalism were beginning, her status as the younger sister to the Queen of the Commonwealth and her natural beauty made her one of the most famous faces in the world. People who came into contact with her could be perplexed by her swings between frivolity and formality. She was a glamorous, charming and informal individual who stood out amongst Royal stereotypes.
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Wallis Simpson: Kingmaker
Wallis Simpson was an American socialite who had been married twice when she met Edward, Duke of Windsor (then the Prince of Wales), at a party. She became Edward's mistress, leading to the "abdication crisis" in which he stepped down as king in order to be with her. Hearsay and conjecture have clouded the assessment of the Duchess of Windsor's life. There is no document which proves directly that she was anything other than a victim of her own ambition, who lived out a great romance that became a great tragedy. The Duchess is reported to have summed up her life in a sentence: "You have no idea how hard it is to live out a great romance."
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The Untold Truth: Dodi and Diana
After years of speculation, Diana, Princess of Wales, divorced Prince Charles in 1996. The following Summer, she began dating Dodi Al-Fayed - the son of Mohamed Al-Fayed - who owned Harrods department store in London and The Ritz Hotel in Paris. Diana met Mohamed Al-Fayed in 1986 at a polo match against Princes Charles. Eleven years later, Mohamed invited Diana and her children on board his yacht in St. Tropez. This is where the brief affair began. The relationship between Diana and Dodi is shrouded in mystery. Conflicting accounts hinder the actual knowledge of how she felt. Was she falling in love, was she trying to make her former lover, Hasnat Khan, jealous or was it all for show?
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Fame Kills: George Michael
In the early hours of Christmas morning, 2016, George Michael died at his home in Goring-on-Thames, aged only 53. He was found dead, lying in bed, by his then partner Fadi Fawaz. No cause of death was immediately determined. Throughout his career, George Michael was known for both his chart-topping hits and his turbulent personal life. Brushes with the law and tales of his drug use increasingly made more impact than his musical output. There are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the singer's death. Health scares dogged the last decade of his life. But it was ultimately fame that led the singer to his downfall.
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Fame Kills: Prince
"On Wednesday, April 20th, 2016, Doctor Michael Schulenberg treats Prince again for withdrawals. Later that night, a representative of Prince contacts a Californian addiction specialist Dr Howard Kornfield. He is asked to intervene with the megastars crippling opioid addiction. The doctor cannot make room in his schedule and sends his son Andrew on an overnight flight to Minneapolis. Andrew Kornfield and longtime friends Kirk Johnson and Meron Kekure arrive at Paisley Park Mansion the following day. They go looking for the superstar. To their horror, they find the lifeless body of Prince on the elevator floor. Prince never held back, always giving his all. His life was a party, but parties aren't meant to last. "
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Dressing Like Diana
Diana, Princess of Wales once admitted that when she married Prince Charles at age 20, her wardrobe consisted of only one long dress, one silk shirt, and one pair of smart shoes. A few days before The Royal Wedding in 1980, she dashed out to buy "six of everything".The evening gowns chosen by the princess defined a generation as she moved through the bold-shouldered '80s with growing confidence.In the 90s, after she had separated from Prince Charles, Diana began to write her own rules of fashion; donning the latest trends from Jimmy Choos to Dior bags, Versace evening gowns and Chanel suits. No one had ever done it like Di, and no one has since. While Princess Diana's legacy extends far beyond fashion, she is perhaps the most influential fashion icon of the 20th century. Her clothes were not just choices but statements. Every look she gave reflected where she was at that particular time.
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Diana: Almost a Fairytale
From shy nursery teacher to world icon, from fairytale princess to humanitarian, Diana, the Princess of Wales, had a truly extraordinary life. When Diana had her iconic wedding, she was just 20 years old. This shy young woman had a lot to learn about life in the Royal Family, but ten years later, she had become a world-famous public figure beloved across the world for her friendly, informal approach to regular people. Her life seemed like the perfect fairytale. The reality was far from that. After becoming a mum to two little Princes, the relationship with Princess Charles broke down. Although she began to find happiness in her final years, the repeated hounding by the press eventually led to her death.
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Banksy: Street Rat
Banksy changed the modern art world, taking it from galleries and onto the street. His identity has always been hidden from the public; keeping this secret was key to avoiding any criminal charges. He started as a freehand graffiti artist in Bristol but turned to the art of stencilling after realising how much quicker it was to complete work. Banksy developed a distinctive iconography of highly recognisable images, such as rats and police officers, that communicated his anti-authoritarian message. As his art spread, so did his popularity. He made headlines for his Kissing Coppers, painted the West Bank Wall and walked into galleries and hung his own work. Banksy is one of the best-known artists of the 21st Century, yet, does anybody know who he really is?
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Fame Kills: Princess Diana
On Saturday, August 30th, 1997, Diana Princess of Wales leaves Sardinia on a private jet. She arrives in Paris with film producer Dodi Fayed, stopping there en route to London, having spent the preceding nine days together on board Fayed's yacht on the Italian and French Riviera. At 12:20 pm, Diana and Dodi departed from the Ritz Paris hotel rear entrance, heading for Dodi's father's apartment in Rue Arsène Houssaye. By doing this, they avoid a swarm of over thirty photographers waiting in front of the hotel. Three minutes later, after being chased by the paparazzi, the driver loses control of the vehicle and the car crashes. Diana's life was complicated, and it ended tragically. The fame and public admiration, although well intentioned is what ultimately killed her.
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Madonna: Move to the Music
Madonna: the Queen of Pop. Every tune, dance step and decision over four decades has shaped today’s contemporary musical landscape. Over a career that has lasted for decades, Madonna has ushered underground sounds and trends into the mainstream - she arrived at the dawn on the MTV music video era and utilised the medium to create a series of stylish, sexy clips that garnered her a reputation as a provocateur, whilst establishing the fledgling TV network as a hub for popular culture in the 1980s. Madonna is unstoppable, her impact on pop culture, undeniable, inspiring almost every other female act to come after her. Repeatedly re-inventing herself, she has changed the blueprint of how to be a successful woman in the music business in the process.
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