Today marks 26 years since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, which stunned the nation on August 31, 1997.
More than two decades on, the royal still has a noble legacy for her humanitarian work and iconic style, the latter of which has been reimagined using AI.
Photographer Alper Yesiltas has created a series of AI-generated images showing off what dead celebrities would look like if they had lived to old age.
The collection includes Freddie Mercury, Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson, as well as the former Princess of Wales.
According to the artist behind the project, the famed image was made using “various software programs” to achieve the realistic finish.
The thought-provoking image captures what Diana could have looked like in the present day as if she had aged 26 years.
Alper’s interpretation of the late Princess shows a sunkissed complexion contrasted against short, white hair.
Her skin is blemished with age spots and wrinkles and her bold blue eyes are plagued by bags, though still as bright as many remember them to be.
Diana’s sharp jaw also appeared softened in the AI-generated photograph, and her rounder youthful face was replaced by a more slimming bone structure.
The photographer shared the image on his Instagram page one year ago, sparking a frenzy of comments from divided royal fans.
Many claimed that the world-famous Princess would have looked “better” than the AI image painted her to be.
One person wrote: “Diana would not have looked that old and I agree that her hair would have been a lot neater. her hair would not have been white it would still be blonde.”
Another opined: “I think that Diana would have been more elegant, with a better skin care routine and no white hair. No. No. No!”
A third Instagram user commented: “No way would Diana look so old at 60. This is a terrible interpretation of her, maybe when she would be 80. She was and always will be classic and beautiful.”
Other interpretations of the royal in the present day show a more airbrushed complexion and darker blonde hair with flecks of grey throughout.
Many retain the sharp bone structure of her jaw and high-set cheekbones while still showing a slight fullness to her cheeks.
