The former wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles died alongside her lover Dodi Al Fayed and their chauffeur Henri Paul when their speeding Mercedes car crashed in a Paris tunnel on August 31, 1997, as it was chased by paparazzi on motorbikes.
Six years and 128 days after the accident, media and public fascination with Diana, who was one of the world's most glamorous and instantly recognisable figures, is still strong.
Reporters from across the globe will hear Royal Coroner Michael Burgess open separate inquests on Tuesday into the deaths of Diana and Dodi - the first official public hearings into the crash to be held on British soil.
"The coroner will read a statement outlining the position now, what he will and won't look at, and why it has taken so long to get to this stage," a spokeswoman for the coroner's office said.
The inquest will then be adjourned and it will probably be at least six months before a full hearing takes place as Burgess must first wade through more than 6,000 pages of evidence, the spokeswoman added.
An inquiry by French authorities in 1999 ruled the accident was caused by chauffeur Paul being drunk and driving too fast.
However, more sinister plots and theories abound.
Dodi's father, Harrods store owner Mohammed Al Fayed, has repeatedly called for a British inquiry, insisting that Diana and his son were murdered by the British secret services.