It was 15 years ago to this Friday that viewers around the globe received the harrowing news that Diana Spencer, the greatly beloved Princess of Wales, had died in a fatal car crash in Paris; she was only 36.

Spencer, who wedded Prince Charles in 1981, became a global celebrity in her own right after her marriage to Charles -- in fact she would later claim in interviews, that her popularity with the media became a source of tension between her and her husband.

Her celebrity was so great at her funeral, the princess' brother referred as "the most hunted person of the modern age." Many British admirers of the late Princess of Wales, still refer to her as "the people's princess," and come to the gates of Kensington Palace to pay tribute to her.

Princess Diana had recently embarked on a new life for herself after splitting from her former husband Charles, the Prince of Wales and heir apparent to the British throne. At the time of her death she was involved in a highly publicized relationship with Dodi Fayed, an Egyptian real estate mogul, and film producer. The couple had just arrived in Paris together, and were on their way to London, after spending nine days on the Riviera aboard Fayed's yacht.

On Aug. 21, 1997, both Spencer and Fayed were killed in an automobile accident when their driver, Henri Paul, then the deputy head of security at the Hotel Ritz Paris, where they were staying, lost control of their car while trying to evade the paparazzi. After being overtaken by a paparazzi on motorbike, Paul crashed at high speed under the Pont de l'Alma underpass. The ensuing police investigation concluded that Paul had been intoxicated at the time of the crash, and was driving recklessly.

Diana's death was hailed as a global tragedy, and eventually helped put in place new restrictions on the rights of the paparazzi. Niraj Tanna, a paparazzi on the royal beat, said, according to CBS.  "We are in a better place now. I mean, we have guidelines which we have to abide by, we can't follow them, chase them, or run after them, or do any of that sort of stuff, so, in that sense it is a safer place for celebrities, royalty, or whoever concerned."

Prince Charles and Princess Diana stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, after their wedding, which was televised to 750 million viewers.

Diana's wedding gown, designed for her wedding to Prince Charles by Elizabeth and David Emanuel was made of ivory silk taffeta and antique lace and featured a show-stopping 25-foot train. The dress, which the designers said the had to literally sew Diana into, contained 10,000 hand-sewn pearls.

Princess Diana and Prince Charles look regal as they pose for a royal portrait in July of 1981.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana, who is pictured above holding young son Prince William, arrive in Alice Springs on March 20, 1983, during a Royal visit to Australia.

Princess Diana looks attentively at the Queen, at the premiere of "A Passage to India," at the Leicester Square Odeon in 1984.

Princess Diana holds a young Prince Harry during the Trooping the Colour, while 3-year-old William makes a royal salute, in 1985.

Princess Diana, wearing an ink-blue Victor Edelstein gown, dances with John Travolta at the White House dinner in November 9, 1985. The gown was later auctioned off for a staggering $225,000 at Christie's fundraiser for AIDS and cancer charities.

Princess Diana shakes hands with well-wishers, during a trip with Prince Charles to Burnaby, Canada, May 6, 1986. The royal couple helped inaugurate a new playground built for children with special needs.

Princess Diana relaxes on the beach with her two sons, William and Harry, at Necker Island (an island privately owned by Richard Branson) in 1990.

The Princess of Wales arrives at a memorial service with William and Harry, in 1990, on the 50th anniversary of the Blitz of London.

Princess Diana in a colorful print bikini near the cape of Coda Cavallo in Sardinia, during a yachting trip on Aug. 11, 1991.

Princess Diana, pictured above, arrives at the Serpentine Gallery on June 29, 1994, in a stunning little black dress. That same night, her husband, Prince Charles would confess his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles on television.

Princess Diana arrives at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala (also known as the Met Ball) wearing a stunning navy blue silk gown designed by John Galliano. The dress was Galliano's first design as the creative director of Dior.

Princess Diana, pictured alongside Anna Wintour and Ralph Lauren, presents an award at a benefit in Washington on Sept. 24, 1996, in recognition of the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research.

One year after her divorce from Prince Charles, Lady Diana arrives in Washington for the American Red Cross gala, to call for an international ban on anti-personnel land mines.