Princess Diana exhibition thrills Americans

An exhibition celebrating the life of Britain's Princess Diana has become a huge hit in the US.

The Grand Rapids Art Museum in Michigan is hosting 'Diana: A Celebration' , which displays 150 items belonging to and worn by the late Princess of Wales, including her royal wedding gown, photos and other memorabilia.

Diana was married to Charles, Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne in 1981, but they divorced in 1996, and she tragically died in a car accident the following year.

Designer Pamela Rowland De Voss - who has helped bring the exhibition to Grand Rapids - said of the show: "I've loved Princess Diana all my life, and I was married two weeks after she and Prince Charles was married, so I have always loved her.

"I really think Princess Diana was the one who brought the world into the royal family. As a fashion designer today and with a love fashion, I loved watching what she wore even."

One visitor to the exhibition told the BBC how Diana and Charles - who had sons Princes William, 28, and Harry, 26, together - made the British royal "relatable" to new generation of Americans.

She said: "These particular royals were more relatable more approachable, and having watched the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and how remote and austere and so very different from an American experience, but it was like a movie, whereas observing Diana in particular was much more real."

The collection - which has a permanent home at the Spencer family home in Althorp, England - will be on display until February 16.