Why Diana's 1997 cover of Vanity Fair had such a special meaning

Just one month before Princess Diana's tragic death in August 1997, Vanity Fair ran an issue with the beloved royal as its cover star.

The photos in the magazine became the last official portraits ever taken of the princess, showing her smiling and happy for what appeared to be the first time in years.

In fact, in a cruel twist of fate, the issue focused on how Diana was finally beginning to rebuild her life after her messy divorce from Prince Charles and the media circus that had come with it.

The magazine's feature touched on "tiffs with Charles" and "frosty standoffs" with the Queen, but mostly focused on the woman Diana was hoping to become now she was free of the royal red tape.

At the time, she was auctioning off a selection of dresses she wore during her time in the monarchy to raise money for charity, brushing off the remnants of her royal life to start over fresh.

Her first step was to support the charitable and humanitarian work she had been so passionate about for years; next was to explore what life could be like outside the walls of the monarchy.

"Nothing gives me more pleasure now than being able to love and help those in our society who are vulnerable," she told the outlet.

"If I can contribute a little something, then I am more than content."

Indeed, contentment seemed to be what Diana was looking for above all else.

By the time she and Charles finalised their divorce on 28 August 1996, it was clear the princess wanted a genuinely 'normal' life for herself and her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

The former Princess of Wales wanted to be free of the trappings of royalty, actively avoiding paparazzi and focusing on her sons and her charity work above all else.

While Charles had called their marriage a "Greek tragedy" in a letter in 1992 – and indeed it was, complete with affairs and heartbreak – by July of 1997, Diana seemed ready and eager to move on.

Sadly, she never got to.

One year and three days after she and Charles formally divorced, Diana was killed in a tragic car crash in Paris, France.

She died just as she was starting to discover what her new, independent life could look like, leaving behind William, 15, and Harry, 12.

In a matter of moments, the photos of her that graced the July Vanity Fair issue became some of the last photos ever taken of the princess.

"Photographing Diana, Princess of Wales for Vanity Fair in 1997 was one of the most memorable days of my career," photographer Mario Testino said of the experience on his website.

According to the Vanity Fair feature, his greatest goal on the day he photographer her was to make the princess laugh: "He wanted her to roll around in her couture silks, right there on that big, gleaming boat of a sofa—and laugh."

And laugh she did, the 'People's Princess' beaming her beloved smile at the camera and into the photographs that now hold a bittersweet place in royal history.