Princess Diana Exhibition
A photography exhibition on display in a shopping mall
Tysons Corner Center, which was the subject of my first travel video that I made during the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, also once had a photographic gallery that one wouldn't usually find in a shopping mall.
In 2022 the Princess Diana Exhibition opened, which featured photographs by the official royal photographers Anwar Hussein and his two sons, Zak and Samir. The Hussein family not only extensively photographed the late Princess of Wales but also her husband, Prince Charles, her two sons—Prince William and Prince Harry—her daughters-in-law—Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle—and their children. The admission fee included an iPhone-sized tablet with headphones where you could listen to the Husseins talk about their experiences with photographing the members of the British royal family. I personally found the exhibition so fascinating that I made a video about it.
The big irony was that I visited this place shortly before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, which has led to the late Princess Diana’s ex-husband now ruling as King Charles III. Her son and daughter-in-law, Prince William and Princess Catherine, are now the Prince and Princess of Wales. It took a while for me to get used to the changes, especially since I remember when it was Diana who previously served as the Princess of Wales and now her daugher-in-law has that title.
What I didn't know at the time was that the Princess Diana Exhibition was never meant to be a permanent attraction at the mall. It was gone by following year to be replaced by another temporary attraction that was some kind of hands-on attraction that had candy as the theme.
When I choose which attractions to shoot an episode about, I generally tend to prefer permanent attractions so that people who watch my videos months or years later can still check out a certain attraction in person. Although that doesn't always work out either because sometimes I might highlight a store that has since gone out of business.
At least my video features some of the photographs of Princess Diana and her family, which were excellent because the Hussein family had managed to capture them in intimate settings that a tabloid photographer wouldn't have access to.
This video has a total runtime of nearly two minutes and it was first uploaded online on September 1, 2022. Here are the two formats of my same video. Pick the one that suits you the best.
Horizontal video (for computer monitors and TV sets)
Vertical video (for smartphones and other mobile devices)
Anwar Hussein died in October, 2024. The Guardian has his obituary that focuses on his photography career (which began in the 1960s when he shot celebrities such as David Bowie, Sean Connery, and Roger Moore) and it includes information about his close friendship with Princess Diana.
Check out the Archives for more ideas on what off-beat places to visit in the Baltimore-DC area (and sometimes beyond).
I'll see you next time!