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Remembering Diana 20 years after her death: The remains of her charitable legacy

5 charts show some charities patronised by Diana stagnate while others thrive & survive

Wax statue of Princess Diana. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Wax statue of Princess Diana. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Sai Manish New Delhi
Last Updated : Aug 31 2017 | 12:31 PM IST
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reports that at the time of her death, Princess Diana was associated with six charities. Known for her philanthropic work with thousands of organisations in Britain and across the world, these charities commanded Diana’s attention and affection until her untimely end. Here is a look at how some of these charities are faring two decades after their patron’s death.
 
1) Centrepoint: Diana worked with London-based Centrepoint, which provides bedspaces to thousands of homeless youngsters. Known to train some of these youngsters, Centrepoint continually strives to increase its footprint across Britain to tackle homelessness. Its bed spaces for the homeless have grown by 1,140% since Diana’s death. Barring a few years during the global economic slowdown, donations to its coffers have grown four fold.
 
 

 
2) The English National Ballet: It produces some of the finest classical ballets in London, including full-scales narratives and contemporary works across Britain. Diana visited many performances of the English National Ballet in London and was reported to have worked for charitable fundraising to sustain the institution. In the age of social media and online video, the English National Ballet has seen a steep fall in its ticket sales, even though its charitable income has grown since Diana’s death.
 
 

 
3) The Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital: Diana was a regular here interacting with sick children and the hospital staff. The hospital receives donations from various people. Friends of the Children of Great Ormond Street has supported the hospital since 1987. In July 2017, the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity took over its management. Since Diana’s death, the donations by the charity to the hospital have stagnated at the same level. And so have the donations received by the charity.
 
 

 
4) The Leprosy Mission: Diana was the patron of the mission for seven years until her death. The Mission counts India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, among other countries, as target nations where it works in partnership with other organisations to eliminate leprosy. Even now, almost a third of the mission’s expenditure on leprosy is in India. It is currently working with a British NGO to build an out patients department in a hospital in Purulia in West Bengal. Since Diana’s death, the amount of money spent by the mission on charitable activities and donations received by it have almost doubled.
 
 

 
5) National AIDS Trust: In the year when Diana died, the National AIDS Trust moved its offices from premises owned by the British government to its own accommodation at New City Cloisters, Old Street to remove any misconceptions on its loyalties. Diana was one of the patrons of National AIDS Trust and played an instrumental role in promoting its activities across the world. However, since her death, the donations have stagnated while money spent on charitable activities has marginally risen.