It was the early hours of the morning when my phone rang. I was asleep and it took me a moment to get myself together. The voice of my friend Anne in California dispensed with usual greetings and instead simply said “Simon, your princess is dead.”

The TV news was carrying pictures of a smashed car in a Paris tunnel. Details were sketchy and confused. But by the time the country awoke that Sunday morning Diana, Princess of Wales, was dead and everything normal seemed to stop, as if standing in shock like everyone else.

I won’t re-hash what newspapers around the world will doubtlessly be saying today. I’ll just take this moment to remember Diana, Princess of Wales, who died on this day 10 years ago.

BBC News announce Diana’s death
BBC Report on the Funeral of the Princess
[Video] Tribute video (alternative version)