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Never-before-seen portrait of Princess Diana to go on display at Kensington Palace

Princess Diana photographed just months before her death in 1997.  (Reuters: Ian Waldie)

A never-before-seen portrait of the late Princess Diana will go on display at her former home this week.

The striking black-and-white image showing the Princess of Wales' side profile was taken by renowned fashion and portrait photographer David Bailey in 1988 — almost a decade before her death — but hasn't been shown to the public before now.

Bailey's portrait will form part of an upcoming exhibition at London's Kensington Palace, which brings together two centuries of royal photography.

Promoting the exhibition, Historic Royal Palaces said Princess Diana chose Bailey — known for his bold, minimalist style — in a bid to "establish a new photographic identity for herself".

The portrait shows Diana, then in her late 20s, looking off to the side, unsmiling, in a one-shouldered satin gown.

While several other photographs from the shoot were acquired by Britain's National Portrait Gallery, Historic Royal Palaces said Bailey retained this particular photo for his own archives.

Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997, aged just 37.

Photos of Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton will also be exhibited.  (Historic Royal Palaces: Cecil Beaton/Victoria and Albert Museum)

In 2014, Bailey was asked to photograph another royal: Queen Elizabeth II, to mark her 88th birthday.

The exhibition will also include photos by Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz and Norman Parkinson among a selection of images taken by members of the British Royal Family themselves.

"We look forward to welcoming our visitors into the world of royal photography, to explore the history behind the iconic image of modern monarchy we know today," curator Claudia Acott Williams said in a statement.

The exhibition, titled Life Through a Royal Lens, will open to the public on March 4.

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