View the trailer for Princess Diana: Accredited Access above

Scroll to the end of the page to see some of the photos I took at the exhibit

Click here to buy discount tickets to the exhibition

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There is a new photography exhibit in Santa Monica featuring photographs of Princess Diana and the Royal Family, taken by official Royal Photographers.

The promoters of the Princess Diana Exhibition: Accredited Access describe the exhibit:

“For the first time, world famous Royal Photographers, Anwar Hussein and his two sons Samir and Zak share collections of their original images and the intimate, never-before-told stories behind them. The Husseins collectively spent four decades working side by side with the iconic Princess and her family and will reveal what they witnessed first-hand, both in public and private moments.”

I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about the story of Princess Diana when I arrived. I was only 10 years old when she died and never really knew much about her or the impact she had on royal society. 

Personally, I don’t get the hype around the Royal Society. I don’t understand the glorification of the imperialists who stole the lives (and riches) of countless people around the world. 

However, what I didn’t understand before this exhibit was how Princess Diana pushed back against the standards of Royal Society, and that is what made her so significant.

The fact that it was so controversial that she held a baby that was HIV+, cut her hair short, or wore an unconventional outfit, shows how deeply antiquated and out-of-touch the Royal Society is. 

That she challenged their judgmental and uptight ways simply by being a decent person is what struck me the most as I made my way through the labyrinth of life size photographs. 

THE PRINCESS DIANA: ACCREDITED ACCESS EXHIBIT - MY EXPERIENCE

Before you start the tour, you are given headphones and a smartphone, which you use with an app to navigate through the exhibit.

At each photo station you can listen to the official photographers describe their experience taking the photograph. 

There are photo ops, such as a red carpet, interspersed among the photographs. Additionally, there is a small art exhibit of hand-made paper hats, fashioned after hats worn by the Princess.

My favorite story about Princess Diana was when she protested landmines by walking through an active minefield wearing only a protective vest. To me, that is insanely brave and showed how dedicated she was to humanitarian causes.

Should you go to the Princess Diana: Accredited Access exhibition?

If you are a fan of the Netflix series ‘The Crown’ or Princess Diana in particular, this is a great opportunity for you to see famous photographs up close and personal. 

I’d say it’s good value if you are interested in the Royal Family and the story of Princess Diana. The price is fairly steep for someone like me, who is only moderately interested in the exhibit at best. 

However, you can get tickets for a lot cheaper on Groupon. It could be a fun place to take your mom when she visits you from out of state.

Details for the exhibit are below:

Click here for discount tickets to the Princess Diana: Accredited Access exhibition

WHERE: 315 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90401
HOURS: Wednesday- Sunday: 11am - 6pm PT (Closed: Monday & Tuesday)

Instagram: @princessdianaexhibition

More information here