Back from the dead: Princess Diana seen strolling with Kate Middleton on Newsweek

In honor of the late Princess Diana who proverbially turns 50 years old on July 1st, the latest issue of Newsweek features a controversial photoshopped Princess Diana, strolling alongside her would-be daughter in law The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, entitled “Diana at 50: If She Were Here Now.

Presumably, for the mere fact that Princess Di lost her life in a tragic accident in 1997, this story can prove to be audacious or interesting, insensitive or an expansion of her legacy.

Journalist and author of the biography The Diana Chronicle, Tina Brown is the person responsible for this magazine cover and feature story. Brown offers her opinion on the late Lady Di if she were ‘undead’:

“Still great-looking: that's a given. Her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, with her cornflower-blue eyes and striding sexuality, was a handsome woman to the very end. Fashion wise, Diana would have gone the J. Crew and Galliano route à la Michelle Obama, always knowing how to mix the casual with the glam. There is no doubt she would have kept her chin taut with strategic Botox shots and her bare arms buff from the gym.”

Although Princess Di was a well-loved public figure, she was also a loving mother to her two sons, The Duke of Cambridge, William and Prince Harry. This imagery and speculation of the course of events her life would’ve taken if she were still alive maybe reveals as callous. Grievance of the loss of a loved one is a private matter and should be treated with respect of one’s feelings. Unfortunately figures of the public eye are forced to endure insensitivity.

For sure the people’s princess captured the hearts of many, but to capture her in digitally enhanced artwork to appear alive may be on the verge of crass, or perhaps for some, captivating.

Here you can read the online version of this story and see the digital artwork depicting the late Princess Di clutching an iPhone which heavily insinuates the painful notion of what could’ve been.