Princess Diana’s Vocal Coach Remembers How Excited She Was About Life

Today Princess Diana would have turned 60 years old, had she not been killed in a car crash in 1997. To mark the occasion, her former vocal coach Stewart Pearce shared how excited Diana was about life before her untimely passing. 

Plus, today’s the day her statue was unveiled.

Pearce Recalls Meeting Diana

Pearce met Diana in November of 1995, when he was invited to have lunch with a mystery guest by his friend Maria Berni at London’s swanky San Lorenzo restaurant.

“Diana grabbed hold of my arm and said, ‘You will work with me, won’t you?’” the voice coach recalled to Fox News. “I was met by these extraordinary incandescent blue eyes. She was just stunning. At that very moment, I said, ‘Yes, absolutely. But let’s make sure our relationship is completely confidential.’”

“She had worked with a number of people over the years and they betrayed her to the tabloids,” Pearce added. “But I told her, ‘This relationship will be completely confidential so I can support you in this journey of empowerment.’ And that’s what I did for the last two years of her life.”

Related: Princess Diana Would Be ‘Quite Upset’ To See Rift Between Her Sons, Friend And Royal Expert Says

Pearce And Diana Become Friends

Pearce recently published the book “Diana The Voice of Change,” which delves into how Diana became “a force of liberation” as a royal before her untimely death.

He has never forgotten the time that he spent working with Diana.

“My initial impression was that she was one of the most beautiful, one of the most adorable, one of the most sensitive people that I’ve ever had the honor of meeting,” he said. “She wanted to achieve vocal assurance. She wanted to achieve vocal presence.”

As their time working together continued, Pearce and Diana found themselves becoming friends.

“What surprised me the most about her? Her absolute immediacy,” he recounted. “Her absolute authenticity. She had a way of making people feel, even in the most formal situations, very informal and very easy.”

“We would laugh a lot,” he continued. “She was just so much fun and could be really naughty with her humor. It was never at anybody’s expense, but we would laugh so much that sometimes we would even forget what we were laughing about. And you couldn’t help but laugh because that laugh of hers was just so infectious.”

Related: Prince Charles Will Not Attend Princess Diana’s Statue Unveiling Due To ‘Regretful’ Memories

She Was Excited For The Future 

Pearce talked to Diana right before she left for her fateful trip to Paris with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed in August of 1997. He said she was excited about both the vacation and what life held for her in the future. 

“She was very excited,” said Pearce. “She loved swimming. She swam once a day. She was a real fish. She loved the idea of being on the Mediterranean and being on a yacht. Dodi was a very kind, gentle, loving man.”

“Was she in love with him? I don’t know,” he continued. “But she was certainly having a good time. Here was a beautiful young woman enjoying herself while receiving attention from a handsome lover. Why not?”

Diana’s final words to Pearce have always stuck with him. 

“There was a certain wistfulness in her face,” he reflected. “I remembered we said goodbye and hugged. She then said, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all the things we’ve done together could be written in a book? But let’s make sure it’s done when the children are married.’ It always haunted me. Her death was a terrible shock. It was extraordinary.”

Diana and Fayed were killed in a car crash on August 31, 1997.

In celebration of what would have been her sixtieth birthday today, Diana’s sons Prince William and Prince Harry unveiled a statue dedicated to her at Kensington Palace. 

A look at Diana through the years: