A brief guide to Gen Z's obsession with Princess Diana and Royalists

August 31st 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.

The royal family member died from injuries sustained in a car crash in France, and unleashed an outpouring of grief from members of the public who were devastated that she was gone.

In the 25 years that have passed, Princess Diana has remained a huge figure in public life, with people portraying her in countless TV shows and films, and remembering her achievements.

But something else has also happened. Gen Zers, not alive while she was, and bemused by the fandom surrounding the royal have turned here into one big meme.

This is how they do it.

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The memes joke about "Ar Di", which is obviously the phonetic pronunciation of "our Di" with "Di" being short for "Diana".

Some mock merchandise that's bought and sold by those obsessed with the royals.

Others take famous characters with a passing resemblance to her and pretend they are actually her - like Shirley Carter from Eastenders.

And others still merely imagine what she would be like if she were alive today and how she would participate in popular culture.

There's even a Facebook group dedicated to poking fun at Diana obsessives, called "Princess Diana - We Still Love You (NO TROLLS ALLOWED)."

A meme creator on the page, a student called Zack from Hampshire, told Dazed last year that the group is “a parody of lesser-educated royalists who typically consist of middle-aged, white, racist, homophobic conservatives, so I find it funny to make a mockery of them”.

So there you have it. Ar Di memes. It's what she would have wanted?

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