Picture this! Princess Diana and the Royals at Tysons Corner!

At the Princess Diana:  Accredited Access Exhibition, Tysons Corner/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 Princess Diana: Accredited Access Exhibition by Anwar, Samir, and Zak
Hussein

 

Diana, about one month before William was born in 1982, at an Aston, a favorite car of Charles. Photo from Princess Diana:  Accredited Access Exhibition by Anwar, Samir, and Zak Hussein

Unless you've been hibernating in the English Channel for the last 40 years, you have likely seen most of the photographs (or ones very much like them) on display at the Princess Diana (1961-1997) exhibition at Tysons Corner Mall.

It requires a royal fee to get in and only hardcore, extreme Royal watchers need apply.

Adults can buy weekend tickets for $32; seniors, $24; children, $21; or a family pass, $84.  (Weekdays and groups are cheaper. Please see below.)

It takes about 30-45 minutes to walk through and look at blown-up pictures.

Some new pictures are found here and there, but are they worth the entrance fee? 

At the Princess Diana:  Accredited Access Exhibition, Tysons Corner/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Princess Diana:  Accredited Access Exhibition by Anwar, Samir, and Zak Hussein

At the Princess Diana:  Accredited Access Exhibition, Tysons Corner/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Princess Diana:  Accredited Access Exhibition by Anwar, Samir, and Zak Hussein

Hats in likenesses of those worn by British royalty are featured in one gallery at the Diana exhibition, this one created by Pauline Loctin, a "paper sculptor."/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Princess Diana:  Accredited Access Exhibition, Tysons Corner/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Princess Diana:  Accredited Access Exhibition, Tysons Corner/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Souvenirs available for purchase at the exit range from $5 for a postcard to $35 for a tote bag, $60 for a sweatshirt, a baseball hat ($40), t-shirt ($40), notebook ($30), and compact mirror ($15)/Photo by Patricia Leslie

At the Princess Diana:  Accredited Access Exhibition, Tysons Corner/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The title of the display is a misnomer since many of the photographs are not of Diana but other Royals, including the now "non-Royals," Harry and Meghan, some of my favorite people. 

The curator Clifton Skelliter explained to me that the pictures were taken over decades by a family of "official Royal photographers," Anwar Hussein, and his sons, Samir and Zak. Royal photographers are those who are "approved" by the Royals to take pictures of the Royal Family, pictures the photographers are then free to sell.

In 2016 Anwar Hussein became the longest serving "official" Royal photographer.

When Diana's dresses and gowns come to town, now that's another story. Do write, love, with all the details when they are known.

What: Princess Diana:  Accredited Access Exhibition

When: Through Sept. 8, 2022. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. 

Where: Ground floor, Tysons Corner, across from H&M, near Barnes & Noble. 

How much: Prices range from $25 (weekdays) to $46 (weekends), adults; $20 to $35, seniors, military and students; $17 to $31, children; $68 to $84, family of 2 adults and 2 children; groups of 10 or more, less, all with audio guide and some with a souvenir program which sells at the show for $25.

Metro station: Tysons Corner 

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