It was a journey that captured the hearts of skeptical Americans and made Princess Diana more popular than ever across the ocean.
The late Princess of Wales’s three-day visit to New York City in 1989 – her first foreign engagement without her husband Prince Charles – was a great success.
The Daily Mail reported at the time that the tour “enchanted hardened New Yorkers and turned thousands of ordinary Americans into fanatical royalists.”
Diana hugged a dying young AIDS patient, visited a housing project for the homeless and made an impression at a glamorous gala dinner.
This past weekend, Prince Harry followed his mother’s example by hitting the town without his wife Meghan Markle for a series of engagements.
He will be attending events including African Parks, The HALO Trust and The Diana Award.
Princess Diana greets the crowd during a visit to the AIDS ward 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 journey to become independent and work on humanitarian causes she was passionate about, but also to have fun.
After arriving in the Concorde, she was escorted into Manhattan in a ten-car convoy by an armed SWAT team because of the threat of an IRA protest.
Thousands of people lined up to welcome the princess, with her arrival receiving “more media attention than a gathering of world leaders.”
She began her visit with a glamorous appearance at a party for Dawson International, a Scottish clothing company.
The princess wore a stylish blue and black dress, paired with a patent leather clutch and a single pearl necklace.
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. Above: The Duke of Sussex seated 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 fans at the Henry Street Settlement in New York City, 1989
Princess Diana visiting a daycare center in Harlem with former First Lady of New York Matilda Cuomo
The Princess talks to a child at the Henry Street Settlement during her solo tour in 1989
A man holds up a cardboard sign with the words “Bless you Princess Di in Jesus name” at Harlem Hospital
Princess Diana walks through the Henry Street Settlement in New York in 1989
The next day, another group of people were waiting for Diana when she arrived at the Henry Street Settlement, a homeless housing project on the Lower East Side.
During her stay 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 failed to show up, following another royal snub 12 months earlier when he failed to accompany Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, to a theatre workshop.
Besides the glittering parties, the most special moment of Diana’s visit to Harlem was when she hugged a seven-year-old boy who was dying of AIDS.
Diana at the ‘Winter Garden’ Opera Gala for the Brooklyn Academy of Music
The princesses returned to New York many times, often staying 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, chief of pediatrics at Harlem Hospital, said at the time: “She’s a wonderful person – kind, compassionate and very sensitive.”
She shook the princess’s hand and said: ‘By coming here today you have given this hospital and our poor community a huge boost.’
Diana’s impact on the AIDS ward was enormous. One man in the hospital even held a cardboard sign with the words: ‘Blessed are you, Princess Di, in Jesus’ name.
Wherever Diana went, she was greeted by hordes of people eager to catch a glimpse of the royal family.
She caused such a sensation that the Mail even dubbed her ‘Queen of New York’.
Diana would visit the city several more times afterward.
A favorite place to stay was The Carlyle Hotel. She was there in December 1995, when she visited New York for a charity dinner.
In June 1997 she returned to the hotel, where she met Mother Teresa in the city.
The front page of the Daily Mail on February 3 reports how Diana was ignored by Michael Douglas
A February 4 clipping of Diana embracing a child with AIDS at Harlem Hospital during her solo trip
In December 2014, Prince William visited 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 in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Diana Award.
The organization released a statement from CEO Dr. Tessy Ojo: “In our 25th year, The Diana Award is delighted to host an event with Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex in New York this September.
“The event is led by young people and their insights into the biggest issues facing their generation today.”
There was initial speculation that Harry’s brother, Prince William, would also be in town for the third annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit.
However, it has been confirmed that the heir to the throne will not make the trip abroad.