Based on this YouTube video's total view count of 20.5M views and industry-standard rates, the estimated total earning is $14.4K - $41.1K through ad revenue. Historical data is not yet available to calculate daily, weekly, or monthly averages.

Explore Friends shocked to learn Princess Diana is dead (1997 video) with 20,591,294 views, 705,184 likes, and 20,595 comments. Experience the impact of this video content that has captured audience attention.

Historic event - The unexpected death of Princess Diana. Friends playing cards learn that Princess Diana was injured in a car accident, then react when TV news says she has died. I recorded this home video in 1997 and it sat in a box for 20+ years. This is the full, unedited version as I recorded it that night, from the original videotape. The cuts between shots are when I paused the camera at the time. To answer some questions that have popped up - I recorded this home video in 1997 the night Diana died and it sat in a box for 20+ years, when I thought maybe it would be interesting enough to share on YouTube. Why was I recording? I was trying out a new camcorder by recording friends playing the card game UNO, laughing and joking around. When my mom called me to say "Turn on the tv, Diana was in a car crash" we kept our game going while monitoring the text on the bottom of the TV screen. When the screen text changed to "Diana dead" the true reality of the situation hit like a ton of bricks and we stopped playing UNO of course (and stopped joking) and rushed over to the TV. This was recorded in America, in the state of Iowa. All of the guys in the video are still alive today (as of August 19, 2026). The guy who screams when he learns Diana has died is my friend Ken. It is his genuine reaction to the news of Diana's death. Some people call it a "Wilhelm scream." (Apparently that's a movie term). The guy who stifles a smile after Ken's scream is Scott. (Scott's brief smile is a reaction to Ken's loud silly scream, NOT to Diana's death). When CNN announced that Diana had died I didn't turn the camera back to the TV because my immediate instinct was that it would be more interesting to capture my friends' reactions. Some people call this video the first of what are now called "reaction" videos, a term that didn't exist in 1997 (and neither did YouTube, which began in 2005). People have asked me what model camcorder and what format videotape this was recorded on, and unfortunately I don't recall. (I have now found out which model....see below) I had several camcorders over the years. All I know it was an RCA model because I have still photos of me using it and the letters RCA can be seen in red on the camera's strap. The camcorder also had an unusual feature. A button would allow for "fade to black" OR "fade to white." I've never seen fade to white on any other camcorder but as I was using it to record this video at the time it occurred to me that I should use fade to white when I finished. It would give a more "heavenly" feel. (UPDATE ON THE CAMCORDER MODEL: Thanks to a commenter I have learned that the camera was RCA CC634 Model LCD Small Wonder, which used the VHS-C format tapes. It is one of only four RCA camcorder models which featured the "fade to white" button as well as the "fade to black." I identified it by going to google images and searching those 4 models he suggested it might be.)

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