It was a trip that captured the hearts of skeptical Americans and made Princess Diana more popular than ever across the pond.
The late Princess of Wales’s three-day visit to New York City in 1989 (her first overseas engagement without her husband, Prince Charles) was a huge success.
The Daily Mail reported at the time that the tour “delighted die-hard New Yorkers and turned thousands of ordinary Americans into avid royalists.”
Diana hugged a young dying AIDS patient, visited a housing project for homeless people and dazzled at a glamorous gala dinner.
Over the weekend, Prince Harry followed in his mother’s footsteps by arriving in the city without his wife Meghan Markle for a series of engagements.
She will attend events with African Parks, The HALO Trust and The Diana Award, among others.
Princess Diana waves to the crowd during a visit to the AIDS unit at Harlem Hospital in New York in 1989
The late Princess of Wales on the first night of her solo trip to New York in 1989
Diana used her trip to build her own independence and work on humanitarian causes she was passionate about, while having fun at the same time.
After arriving on the Concorde, she had to be escorted to Manhattan by an armed SWAT squad in a convoy of ten cars due to threats of an IRA protest.
Thousands of people lined up to welcome the Princess, and her arrival received “more media attention than a meeting of world leaders.”
She began her visit with a glamorous appearance at a party for Dawson International, a Scottish clothing company.
The princess wore an elegant blue and black dress, paired with a patent leather handbag and a single pearl necklace.
Over the weekend, Prince Harry followed in his mother’s footsteps and arrived in the city without his wife Meghan Markle for a series of engagements. Above: The Duke of Sussex sits next to outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo at a dinner hosted by the World Health Organization in New York on Sunday
Princess Diana meets royal supporters at the Henry Street Estate in New York City, 1989
Princess Diana during a visit to a nursery in Harlem with former New York First Lady Matilda Cuomo
The Princess talking to a child at Henry Street Settlement during her solo trip in 1989
A man holds a cardboard sign with the words, “God bless you, Princess Diana, in the name of Jesus” at Harlem Hospital.
Princess Diana walking through the Henry Street settlement in New York in 1989
The next day, another crowd of people waited to greet Diana when she arrived at the Henry Street Settlement, a housing project for homeless people on the Lower East Side.
While there, Diana visited a daycare center with New York’s First Lady Matilda Cuomo.
In the evening, Diana wore a glamorous Victor Edelstein gown to a gala dinner at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
However, the Mail reported that actor Michael Douglas did not turn up, mirroring another royal snub 12 months earlier when he failed to accompany Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, to a drama workshop.
Aside from the glitzy parties, the most notable moment of Diana’s visit was in Harlem, when she hugged a seven-year-old boy who was dying of AIDS.
Diana during the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s ‘Winter Garden’ Opera Gala
The princesses returned to New York many times and often stayed at the Carlyle Hotel, pictured here in 1997.
Prince William, following in his mother’s footsteps, visited New York with Kate in 2014
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at an awards ceremony in New York City in 2023
Dr. Margaret Heagarty, head of the pediatric unit at Harlem Hospital, said at the time: “She is a wonderful person – kind, compassionate and very sensitive.”
He shook the princess’s hand and said: “By coming here today, you have brought a huge boost to this hospital and our poor community.”
Diana’s impact on the AIDS ward was profound; one man in the hospital even held a cardboard sign with the words: “Blessed be Princess Diana in the name of Jesus.”
Wherever Diana went, she was greeted by hordes of people wanting to see the royals.
It produced such a notable reaction that even the Mail dubbed her “Queen of New York”.
Diana would visit the city several times afterwards.
One of his favorite places to stay was the Carlyle Hotel. He stayed there in December 1995, when he visited New York for a charity dinner.
He returned to the hotel in June 1997, when he met Mother Teresa in the city.
The Daily Mail’s front page on February 3 reports how Diana was snubbed by Michael Douglas
A February 4 clip of Diana hugging a child with AIDS at Harlem Hospital during her solo trip.
In December 2014, Prince William stopped by the Carlyle Hotel during a visit to New York with his wife Kate.
During Harry’s trip to the Big Apple, he will pay tribute to his mother on the 25th anniversary of the Diana Award.
The organisation released a statement from chief executive Dr Tessy Ojo: ‘In our 25th year, The Diana Award is delighted to be leading an event with Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, in New York this September.
‘The event will be driven by young people and their opinions on the most important issues facing their generation today.’
There was initially speculation that Harry’s brother, Prince William, might also be in town at the same time for the third annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit.
However, it has been confirmed that the heir to the throne will not be making the trip abroad.
