Prince George would have been proud to call her his grandmother. Nearly 16 years after Princess Diana died, she graces the cover of 'Vanity Fair' magazine for its September issue. And with all the interest in her son Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton's newborn heir, one wonders how the tragic princess would have reacted had she lived to this day.

Diana, Princess of Wales, died on August 31, 1997 at the age of 36 in a car accident. William was just 15 at that time, while Prince Harry was just about to turn 13.

But even after her death, her presence is felt today with the birth of the new heir to the UK throne.'Vanity Fair' cover page photo was taken by Mario Testino in March 1997.The magazine explores Diana's true love.

Diana divorced Prince Charles in 1996, but allegedly found the love of her life after her marriage ended. She dated respected heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, who 'Vanity Fair' claims was Diana's true love.

"Diana was madly in love with Hasnat Khan and wanted to marry him, even if that meant living in Pakistan, and that's one of the reasons why we became friends," Jemima Khan, her close friend and former wife of Hasnat's distant cousin told Sarah Ellison of Vanity Fair.

The mother of the future king even mused at the idea of marriage between her and Hasnat.

"[Diana] came to visit me twice in Pakistan to help fund-raise for Imran's hospital, but both times she also went to meet his family secretly to discuss the possibility of marriage to Hasnat. She wanted to know how hard it had been for me to adapt to life in Pakistan."

However, Hasnat was a private person and he valued his privacy, and Diana was one of the most recognisable figures in the world. Frustrated, Diana broke up with Hasnat when he wouldn't agree to marry her or even go out publicly with her.

"He hated the thought of being in the glare of publicity for the rest of his life," Jemima explained.

Short after their failed relationship, Diana was introduced to Dodi Al Fayed by his father, Mohamed. Dodi was with Diana at the time of her death. Their Mercedes Benz crashed in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France in 1997. Dodi, as well as the driver of the car died in the accident.

Diana's relationship with Hasnat is the subject of the upcoming biopic titled "Diana," starring Naomi Watts as the Princess of Wales.

Meanwhile, Kate is said to be following her deceased mother-in-law's footsteps in raising her son George. William and Harry had a relatively normal childhood, thanks to their mother, who wasn't known to be a strict observer of royal rules. And the Duchess of Cambridge apparently wants the same childhood for her son.

"She is an inspirational woman to look up to," Kate has allegedly said in the past.

William and Kate will be taking Prince George Alexander Louis in their first royal tour as a family to Australia and New Zealand in the spring of 2013.

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