Diana, Princess of Wales

1961-1997
 


Diana was born July 1, 1961 to an aristocratic family. Her father, then Lord Althorp, became the 8th Earl Spencer upon his own father's death in 1975, and her title in turn changed to Lady Diana Spencer.

Diana was first educated at Silfield School in Kings Lynn, Norfolk, then at Riddlesworth Hall in Norfolk and at West Heath Girls' School.

In 1977, at the age of 16, she left West Heath and briefly attended Institut Alpin Videmanette, a finishing school in Rougemont, Switzerland. At about that time, she first met her future husband, who was dating her sister, Lady Sarah.


Diana`s engagement became official February 24, 1981.Diana married the Prince of Wales Charles. They were married at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 29 July 1981.

Their sons, Princes William and Henry (Harry), are second and third in line to the thrones of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth Realms In the late 1980s, the marriage of Diana and Charles fell apart. Their divorce was finalized on 28 August 1996.


After her divorce, Diana did a great deal of useful work particularly for the Red Cross and in a campaign to rid the world of land mines. Her work was always on a humanitarian rather than a political level. In the mid- to late 1980s, the Princess of Wales became well known for her support of several charity projects.

In April 1987, the Princess of Wales was one of the first high-profile celebrities to be photographed touching a person infected with HIV at the 'chain of hope' organization. The pictures of Diana touring an Angolan minefield, in a ballistic helmet and flak jacket, were seen worldwide. It was during this campaign that some accused the Princess of meddling in politics and declared her a 'loose cannon.

In August 1997, just days before her death, she visited Bosnia with the Landmine Survivors Network. Her interest in landmines was focused on the injuries they create, often to children, long after a conflict is over.

It was in recognition of her charity work that representatives of the charities with which she worked during her life were invited to walk behind her coffin with her family from St James's Palace to Westminster Abbey on the day of her funeral.


On August 31, 1997, Diana was killed in an automobile accident in Paris, France. After a two-year investigation into the causes of the crash, French judges ruled that it had been caused solely by the intoxication of the driver, Henri Paul. The decision cleared nine photographers (who had been chasing the vehicle at the time of the crash) of wrongdoing.

A separate investigation conducted by British detectives concluded in December 2006 that the crash was a “tragic accident” and that there was no evidence of a murder conspiracy.

Diana’s death sparked much public debate about the role of the British monarchy. Following her death, a memorial fund was established to continue to fund the charities with which Diana was most involved.

Following the funeral service, the coffin then was taken by road to the family estate at Althorp for a private interment. The Princess was buried in sanctified ground on an island in the centre of an ornamental lake.


" Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life - a kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are."
- Princess Diana -
 
 
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