One of the most famous women 20th century ex-wife Prince Charles and mother of the second in line heir to the British throne, Prince William. Full name Princess Diana - Diana Francis Spencer, but it was known as princess Diana or lady di. Diana was called the "queen of hearts", and her success in social and charitable activities thundered all over the world.

The Princess of Wales tragically died along with her friend Dodi Fayed in August 1997.

Princess Diana. Biography

Diana Frances Spencer was born at Park House, near Sandringham, Norfolk. She was youngest daughter Viscount and Viscountess Eltrop: Earl Spencer and Mrs. Shand-Kydd.

Diana's father was the royal equerry to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. At the age of six, the princess experienced a family tragedy - her parents divorced. The girl was sent to a boarding school, then to West Heath School in Kent. She excelled in sports, especially in swimming, but her studies were difficult for her. After leaving school, Diana worked with children, first as a nanny, then as an assistant teacher in kindergarten Young England in Knightsbridge.

Princess Diana. Personal life

On February 24, 1981, it became known about the engagement of Princess Diana with Prince of Wales. They didn't seem like a very compatible couple, given their age difference of 13 years. The wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral was watched by television viewers from all over the world and 600,000 people along the route from Buckingham Palace to the cathedral. Diana became the first Englishwoman in over 300 years to marry the heir to the throne. At that time she was 20 years old.

Diana always dreamed of big family and a year after marriage gave birth to a son, Prince William. It happened on June 21, 1982. And two years later, on September 15, 1984, she had a son, Henry, better known as Harry. William became the first male heir to be brought up in kindergarten. The princess tried to give her children an ordinary education and upbringing, she refused private teachers, and her children went to school with ordinary children.

In 1987, it became known that one of the most famous couples Princess Diana and Prince of Wales broke up. Further, many conflicting facts appeared in the press about their family life. Andrew Morton published the book "Diana: her true story based on interviews with close friends of the princess. It talked about Diana's repeated suicide attempts, about the coldness of her relationship with her husband, about the struggle with bulimia and suspicions about her husband's infidelity. The suspicions were not unfounded. The prince later confirmed that he was having an affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, a woman he dated before marriage. Diana, in turn, told the world about postpartum depression, tense relations with the royal family in general, and that her husband did not want to be king. It was a kind of battle of the former spouses in the media. Diana of Wales accepted the divorce only after insisting on the part of the queen. The day of the divorce, August 28, 1996, she called the saddest day in her life.

In the summer of 1997, Lady Dee had new friend Dodi Fayed son of millionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed. On August 30, 1997, the couple returned from a Mediterranean vacation to Paris. That same evening, they were riding in a limousine and were chased by photographers on motorcycles who were trying to take pictures of the couple in love. This chase led to a car accident in an underground tunnel that killed princess Diana and Dodi Fayed.

A lot has been filmed about the life and last days of Princess Diana. documentaries: "Diana: The Last Days of a Princess" (Richard Dale), "The Queen » (Stephen Frears) "She didn't become a queen" ( Ekaterina Galperina).

Princess Diana. Charity

The popularity of Princess Diana is largely due to her social and charitable activities, active participation in the performance of official duties. royal family and love for the people. She actively supported charitable societies and often appeared at their meetings, visited orphanages, hospitals and schools.

One of the most important aspects of its activities is the dissemination of information about the situation of people with AIDS. Once Diana publicly shook hands with the patient, thereby emphasizing the safety of social contacts with them.

Abroad, the Princess of Wales often spoke of the plight of the underprivileged and outcast. In Indonesia in 1989, she publicly shook hands with lepers to dispel myths about the disease as well.

Lady Dee called the "queen of hearts". In June 1997, after a break with her husband, Diana visited Mother Teresa, who was in poor health. And then she sold at auction 79 of her world-famous outfits, in which she appeared on the covers of magazines. The auction raised £3.5m for charity.

Although Princess Diana died in 1997, the world will never forget her. There was everything in her life, from charity to personal secrets and problems that people do not know or suspect anything about, since everything was carefully hidden by the royal family.

20. Diana never promised to obey Prince Charles.

During their lavish wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, Charles and Diana removed the part of the ceremony where Diana had to promise to obey her husband. At that time, this act has already caused a flurry of criticism. In 2011, during the wedding ceremony, Kate Middleton repeated the act of Diana and missed the words of the oath of obedience to her husband, Prince William.

19. She was not a diligent student

Princess Diana twice failed the O-level exam, which is the equivalent of a high school diploma in the US, and was considered a child with no academic and scientific aptitude at her alma mater, West Heath Girls' School. But nonetheless, future princess fond of music and sports.

18. Sister Diana first dated Prince Charles

Diana's sister, Lady Sarah Mac Corquodale, did date Prince Charles before Diana met him. Her relationship did not go far with the prince, and Sarah stated to the press that she did not even think about marrying Charles, even if he became the king of England. Despite Charles and her sister's former relationship, Diana remained close to Sarah.

17. She battled negative attitudes towards those infected with AIDS, despite the queen's disapproval

In the 80s, the planet was rapid growth such a disease as AIDS, and many then believed that this disease was transmitted through touch. Diana tried to refute this notion, often seen holding the hands of AIDS patients and speaking out in support of research in this area. But the Queen of Great Britain did not approve of Diana's activities and believed that she could "get into trouble."

16. She suffered from bulimia and depression.

Diana did not hide the fact that her husband believes that she is overweight, and this hurt her. Since her relationship with Charles was strained, she chose bulimia as the only way to keep her weight under control, damaging her health and suffering from deep depression.

15. Diana's engagement ring was bought from a catalog.

It is customary in royal families to make jewelry to order, but Diana broke this tradition, choosing her own. wedding ring from the Garrard catalog. The cost of the ring was $42,000, but the most important thing is that anyone who pays that amount can buy it. After Diana's death, the ring went to William, who presented it to his chosen one, Kate Middleton, during their engagement.

14. Diana was the godmother of 17 children

Diana had 17 godchildren and goddaughters, and very often she was taken as a godparent without her consent and presence. Among the godchildren are Lady Edwina Grosvenor, daughter of the Duke of Westminster, George Frost, son of the famous journalist David, and Domenica Lawson, a little girl with Down syndrome.

13. Diana found herself in a state of enmity with her mother.

By the time Diana died, she had not spoken to her mother for a long time, as she did not approve of her divorce from Prince Charles and new relationships with other men. Diana's butler, Paul Burrell, later stated that shortly before the disaster, Diana's mother accused her daughter of cheating with other men on the phone after her divorce from the prince.

12 She Called Camille Parker-Bowles A "Rottweiler"

Diana was never shy about giving nicknames to women who appeared in her husband's field of interest. Camilla, on the other hand, considered Diana "a miserable creature." But in this confrontation, Britain took the side of Diana. After the death of the princess negative attitude to Camille remained in society until now.

11. Princess Diana was the most featured person on the cover of People magazine.

Throughout her life, and even after her death, Diana appeared 55 times on the cover of the popular People magazine in the world. This is an impressive record that has yet to be broken by Diana's son, Prince William. As of October 2014, he has appeared on the cover of the magazine 29 times.

10. Diana did not reveal the gender of her second child.

Diana once said that her second pregnancy with Prince Henry strengthened her relationship with Charles. Despite this, she did not tell Charles the gender of her unborn child - and not only him. Most likely, it was an attempt at least so to gain control, although not significant, over his life.

9. One of the campaigns in which Princess Diana took part won the Nobel Prize.

Many people know Diana's active peacekeeping activities and position, her negative attitude towards the use of mines against civilians during military conflicts. But there was a campaign in the life of the princess to ban the use of mines, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which in 1997 won Nobel Prize Peace. Unfortunately, this became known only a few weeks after the death of Diana.

8. Her wedding dress was completely ruined on her wedding day.

Princess Diana's wedding dress was beautiful and incredibly expensive, but, unfortunately, the designers did not think through all the nuances, including the fact that Diana would be taken to the church in a small carriage. The fairy-tale effect was completely destroyed when Diana arrived at St. Paul's Cathedral in a rumpled dress.

7. While pregnant with Prince William, Princess Diana fell down the stairs.

In 1982, Diana made everyone worry, including Queen Elizabeth. The fact is that in the third month of pregnancy, Diana fell down the stairs. Fortunately, both she and the child remained alive and well. Many believed that Diana did this deliberately in order to attract the attention of the family due to her mental disorder.

6. There are many famous personalities among Diana's relatives.

Despite her non-royal origins, Diana would be proud of her family tree. Among her relatives were Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Queen of Scots, Mary, an 18th-century British duchess, Georgiana Cavendish, about whose life a movie was made in Hollywood. In family ties, Diana was with Audrey Hepburn and George W. Bush.

5. Princess Diana once invited Cindy Crawford to Buckingham Palace.

Even those who disliked Diana considered her a real mother. Diana was a good and loving mother. In 1996, she invited supermodel Cindy Crawforth to Buckingham Palace only because her son William was secretly in love with her. Diana and the American star remained friends after this meeting until the end of their days.

4 Diana Misnamed Prince Charles During Her Wedding Ceremony

During the wedding ceremony in 1981, Diana made a mistake in the long name of her fiancé and instead of the name Charles Philip Arthur George, she pronounced Philip Charles Arthur George.

3. Diana voluntarily gave up her royal title

After the divorce, Diana did not want to be called "Your Highness". She became the first princess to choose to give up her title in order to gain absolute freedom from royal control. Although, as she herself admitted, she did it with regret.

2. During the accident, Diana was not wearing a seat belt.

Perhaps Diana could have saved herself in that terrible car accident if she had been wearing a seat belt. But none Mercedes-Benz passenger on that ill-fated day did not use seat belts, including the drunk driver. Trying to break away from the paparazzi cost Diana Spencer her life.

1. Freddie Mercury took Diana to a gay club

Princess Diana was friends with the leader of the rock band Queen, Freddie Mercury, and he, according to comedian Cleo Rokos, once took the princess to a gay bar, while she was wearing a man's outfit. As Rokos recalls, Diana looked like a handsome young man and no one recognized her. Unfortunately, there is no other evidence about this case; even Freddie Mercury himself kept silent about it.

The wedding took place on July 29, 1981 at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Prince of Wales Charles and lady Diana Spencer. This celebration, which cost the treasury nearly 3 million pounds, was dubbed the "wedding of the century" in the press. Diana, in her wedding dress with a long train and tiara, looked like a princess from a fairy tale who married the heir to the throne. The question of whether this marriage was concluded for love or whether Diana was at that time the most suitable candidate for the role of the wife of the future king remains open, and the story of the relationship between Prince Charles and Lady Di ended sadly. Having been married for 15 years, the couple officially divorced - a year before tragic death Diana in a car accident. AiF.ru recalls how the short-lived relationship between Prince Charles and Lady Diana began and developed, who, without becoming the Queen of Britain, forever remained the “Queen of Human Hearts”.

The Prince of Wales met his future bride in 1977, when she was only 16 years old. At the time, Charles was in a relationship with Diana's 22-year-old sister. Sarah. There is a version that this novel came to an end after the girl, having met two reporters in a restaurant, inadvertently shared with them the details of her personal life, including her addiction to alcohol, weight problems and numerous intrigues, and also that has already begun to collect clippings from newspapers and magazines that talk about her "royal romance" - to show her grandchildren. The article was published, and Charles, as you might guess, found the behavior of his beloved unacceptable and stupid, immediately ending the relationship and turning his attention to the younger Spencer. Despite the fact that many considered the wedding of Diana and Charles to be the reason for the cooling of relations between the sisters - allegedly Sarah never forgave her sister for not marrying the prince - Lady Dee's biographer insists that Sarah was one of the few , whom Diana completely trusted, in addition, the sisters often appeared together at special occasions.

Wedding of Prince Charles and Diana. 1981 Photo: flickr.com / Laura Loveday

By the time of meeting with the heir british crown Diana Spencer, daughter of the Viscount, of the same family as Winston Churchill, and was on the paternal side the bearer of royal blood through the illegitimate children of kings Charles II and James II, has already received the title of "lady". It was granted to her as the daughter of a high peerage when her father became the 8th Earl Spencer in 1975. Diana's family moved from London to the ancestral castle of Althorp House in Nottrogtonshire, where the royal family came to hunt. Diana received a good education, first at home, then in private schools in England and Switzerland. All this, coupled with an aristocratic upbringing, musical abilities, the girl's external attractiveness and, as it seemed to everyone at first, a meek character, made her an ideal contender for the role of the prince's bride.

A serious relationship between Charles and Diana began in 1980: young people spent the weekend on a cruise aboard the yacht Britannia, and then Charles invited Diana to the summer royal residence, Balmoral Castle, where he introduced the chosen one to the family. By that time, Charles had already turned 30, it was fitting for him to choose his life partner, so even his mother is a queen Elizabeth II gave permission for the wedding, although she considered Diana not ready for life in the palace.

February 3, 1981, after six months official relations Charles made an offer to Diana, to which she agreed. However, the engagement was kept a secret for some time, until February 24, when the future wedding was announced publicly. Diana appeared in public with a ring of 14 diamonds and a huge sapphire, which cost the groom 30,000 pounds. The same jewelry, which he inherited from his mother, he gave to his bride Kate Middleton the engagement son of Charles and Diana - Prince William.

Preparations for the wedding took 5 months. It was decided to hold the celebration in the Cathedral of St. Paul, not Westminster Abbey, where, as a rule, representatives of the British royal family got married, but where it was not possible to accommodate all those invited, and as a result, more than 3,500 people gathered. Kings, queens, princes and princesses from all over the world arrived in London for the ceremony, as well as representatives of the English aristocracy and other high-ranking guests. The procession through the streets of London was watched by a crowd of citizens who greeted the procession, which consisted of the carriages of Queen Elizabeth and her husband. Prince Philip, members of the royal family, Prince Charles with his brother Andrew. The bride and father were the last to go to the wedding place, in a special glass carriage. About 750 million people watched the broadcast of the ceremony on TV, and they all waited for one thing - the bride getting out of the carriage, when she could finally see her dress in all its glory. And this wait was worth it: Diana's outfit is still considered the most chic wedding dress in history. A huge silk puffy skirt, decorated with lace and pearls, puffed sleeves and a 25-meter train - fragile Diana almost got lost in this abundance of expensive materials of color Ivory, but at the same time looked like a revived heroine of a fairy tale. On her head, the bride put on a tiara that belonged to her family.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana. 1984 Photo: flickr.com / Alberto Botella

The oaths given by the bride and groom in front of the altar were heard (thanks to the speakers) far outside the cathedral - however, there were some overlays, which were later called prophetic. So, Lady Diana could not correctly pronounce the long name of her future spouse - Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor - and he, in turn, instead of “I promise to share with you everything that belongs to me”, said “I promise to share with you everything that belongs to you ". It is also interesting that the word "obey" was removed from the marriage vows of spouses for the first time.

The family happiness of Diana, who became the Princess of Wales, and Charles was short-lived, but they had two sons in marriage: in 1982, the first-born William was born, and two years later, the youngest, red-haired Henry, who is often called Harry. According to the stories of Diana herself, it was these years, the first after the birth of children, that were the happiest in the life of their family - Charles and his wife spent almost all the time in the company of each other and their sons, whom they took with them even on official trips. “Family is the most important thing,” Lady Dee, who was still with youthful years she adored children and even worked at one time as a teacher in one of London's kindergartens. In the same period, the character of the princess appeared, who not only chose the names for William and Harry herself, but also hired her own nanny, refusing the services of the royal, and later, despite the busy schedule of meetings and official visits, tried to meet her sons from school on her own.

In the mid-80s, Charles resumed an affair with his longtime mistress Camilla Parker Bowles- records of telephone conversations confirming adultery were leaked to the press. Diana, in turn, - either out of resentment, or in revenge, or out of loneliness - became close to a riding instructor James Hewitt. The attention of journalists to the details of the married life of the royals forced them to give explanatory interviews - it was impossible to avoid questions. None of them, of course, went into details, but Diana nevertheless allowed herself a comment that spread all over the world: “There are too many people in my marriage.”

Princess Diana with sons Harry and William. 1989 Photo: www.globallookpress.com

The princess had in mind not only Charles's mistress, who after her death would still become the lawful wife of the prince, but the whole royal family who took an active part in the life of their young family. Which in itself is quite logical, given the status of Charles as a potential future king of Great Britain. Elizabeth II was outraged by the attention of the press that Diana brought to them with her behavior - the whole world was closely watching her, because the princess led an active social life, devoting a lot of time to charity, visiting orphanages, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers. She herself walked minefield by supporting the campaign to ban the use anti-personnel mines, donated family money to the fight against AIDS, attracting numerous famous friends, artists and musicians as sponsors. Subjects and residents of other countries adored her, and she stated that she wanted to be, first of all, the "queen of human hearts", and not the queen of Britain. Of course, Charles with his affair was out of favor with the people, he was made the main culprit of not happy marriage- but the mother and the royal family were, of course, on the side of the heir and could not allow Diana to further spoil his reputation.

To everyone's relief, Diana and Charles officially divorced in August 1996, and Diana ceased to be Her Royal Highness. However, as ex-wife crown prince and mother of pretenders to the throne, still had to follow protocol. Diana did not stop her charity work, and the attention of the press to her person did not weaken. It is known that after parting with Charles, who no longer tried to hide his relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, Lady Dee first started an unsuccessful affair with a surgeon of Pakistani origin. Hasnat Khan, for which she almost converted to Islam, and later with an Arab multimillionaire Dodi Al Fayed. It was in his car on the way from a Parisian restaurant that Diana crashed on the evening of August 31, 1997. For Charles, as well as for little princes, her death was a blow, despite previous disagreements. Even Queen Elizabeth, seeing how the nation mourns for the disgraced princess, filling up the square in front of Buckingham Palace with flowers, made an official televised address, expressing her grief over the death of her grandchildren's mother. As for Charles, he married for the second time only 8 years after the death of Diana - the wedding with Camilla Parker-Bowles was not solemn, they registered their long relationship in the municipal department of Windsor. And, despite the blessing from the royal family, Elizabeth II was not present at the wedding.

Diana, Princess of Wales (photo posted later in the article) is the former wife of Prince Charles and the mother of the second in line heir to the British throne, Prince William. When she seemed to find new love, tragically died along with her new friend.

Diana, Princess of Wales: biography

Diana Francis Spencer was born on 07/01/1961 at Park House, near Sandringham, Norfolk. She was the youngest daughter of Viscount and Viscountess Eltrop, the now deceased Earl Spencer, and Mrs. Shand-Kydd. She had two older sisters, Jane and Sarah, and a younger brother, Charles.

The cause of Diana's self-doubt is to be found in her upbringing, despite her privileged position. The family lived on the Queen's estate at Sandringham, where the father rented Park House. He was the royal equerry to the king and the young queen, Elizabeth II.

The Queen was the chief guest at Diana's parents' wedding in 1954. The ceremony then held in Westminster Abbey became one of the social events of the year.

But Diana was only six when her parents divorced. She will always remember the sound of her mother leaving on the gravel road. The children became pawns in a bitter custody dispute.

Lady Diana was sent to a boarding school, and ended up at West Heath School in Here she excelled in sports (her height, equal to 178 cm, contributed to this), especially in swimming, but failed all the exams. Nevertheless, later on she fondly remembered her school days and supported her school.

After completing her studies, she worked in London as a nanny, a cook and then as an assistant teacher at Young England Nursery in Knightsbridge.

Her father moved to Altrop near Northampton and became the 8th Earl Spencer. Her parents divorced, and a new Countess Spencer, daughter of the writer Barbara Cartland, appeared. But soon Diana became a family celebrity.

Engagement

Rumors spread that her friendship with the Prince of Wales had developed into something more serious. The press and television besieged Diana at every turn. But her days at work were numbered. The palace tried in vain to cool the speculation. And on February 24, 1981, the engagement became official.

Wedding

The wedding took place at St. Paul's Cathedral on a perfect July day. Millions of television viewers around the world were mesmerized by the event, and another 600,000 people gathered along the route from Buckingham Palace to the cathedral. Diana became the first Englishwoman in over 300 years to marry the heir to the throne.

She was only 20. Under the gaze of her mother, leaning on her father's hand, Diana of Wales (photo posted in the article) prepared to take a wedding vow. She only showed nervousness once when she tried to put her husband's many names in the correct order.

Welcome newbie. It was a moment of special satisfaction for the Queen Mother, who herself came from a simple family and also made this journey 60 years ago.

Popularity

After the wedding, the princess Welsh Diana immediately began to take an active part in the performance of official duties of the royal family. She soon began making visits to schools and hospitals.

The public noted her love for the people: it seemed that she sincerely rejoiced at her stay among ordinary people even though she wasn't like that.

Diana brought her own fresh style to the mix that was the House of the Windsors. There was nothing new about the idea of ​​royal visits, but she added a spontaneity to it that charmed almost everyone.

During her first official trip to the United States, she provoked almost hysteria. There was something special about someone other than the American president becoming the center of attention, especially for Americans. Since the dazzling appearance during her first public outing with her husband, Diana's wardrobe has become a constant center of attention.

Charity

Diana, Princess of Wales, whose rise in popularity owes much to her charitable work, has been instrumental in spreading awareness of the plight of people with AIDS. Her speeches on this subject were candid, and she did away with many prejudices. Simple gestures, such as Diana of Wales shaking hands with an AIDS patient, proved to society that social contact with the sick is safe.

Her patronage was not limited to boardrooms. She occasionally dropped in for tea at the charities she supported. Abroad, Princess Diana of Wales spoke of the plight of the underprivileged and outcast. During her visit to Indonesia in 1989, she publicly shook hands with lepers, dispelling widespread myths about the disease.

Family life

Diana always dreamed of a big family. A year after her marriage, on June 21, 1982, she gave birth to a son, Prince William. In 1984, on September 15, he had a brother, Henry, although he was better known simply as Harry. Diana was in favor of raising her children as conventionally as royal circumstances would allow.

William became the first male heir to be brought up in kindergarten. Private teachers did not teach their sons, the boys went to school with others. The mother insisted that the education they receive be as ordinary as possible, surrounded them with love and provided entertainment during the holidays.

But by the time Prince Harry was born, the marriage had become a façade. In 1987, when Harry went to kindergarten, the couple's separate life became public. The press has a holiday.

During an official visit to India in 1992, Diana sat alone at the Taj Mahal, the great monument of love. It was a graphic public announcement that while the couple had formally stayed together, they had in fact broken up.

Revealing book

Four months later, the publication of Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton did away with the tale. The book, based on interviews with some of the princess's closest friends, and with her own tacit consent, confirmed that the relationship with her husband was cold and distant.

The author recounted the princess's half-hearted suicide attempts during the first years of her marriage, her struggle with bulimia, and her obsession with believing that Charles was still in love with the woman he dated years before, Camilla Parker-Bowles. The prince later confirmed that he and Camilla did indeed have an affair.

During a state visit to South Korea it was evident that the Princess of Wales Diana and Charles moved away from each other. Shortly thereafter, in December 1992, the divorce was officially announced.

Divorce

Diana continued her charitable work after the spat. She spoke about social issues, and sometimes, as in the case of bulimia, her donations were based on personal suffering.

Wherever she went, on public or private business, often with her children to whom she dedicated herself, the media was present to document the event. It became something of a PR battle with her ex-husband. Since her divorce, Diana, Princess of Wales has shown her skill in using the media to present herself in a favorable light.

She later spoke of what she thought her camp had done. ex-husband to make her life difficult.

On 11/20/1995, she gave an unprecedented and surprisingly open interview to the BBC. She spoke to millions of television viewers about her postpartum depression, the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles, her tense relationship with the royal family in general, and, most shockingly, she claimed that her husband did not want to be king.

She also predicted that she would never become a queen and that instead she would like to become a queen in people's hearts.

Diana, Princess of Wales and her lovers

The pressure of the popular newspapers on her was relentless, and stories of male friends shattered her image as a resentful wife. One of these friends, Army officer James Hewitt, became the source of a book about their relationship, to her dismay.

Diana of Wales accepted the divorce only after insistence from the Queen. When it came to its logical conclusion on August 28, 1996, she said that it was the saddest day of her life.

Diana, now officially the Princess of Wales, abandoned most of her charitable work and began to look for a new field of activity for herself. She had a clear idea that the role of "queen of hearts" should remain with her, and she illustrated this with visits abroad. In June 1997, Diana visited who was in poor health.

In June, she auctioned off 79 dresses and ball gowns that have appeared on the covers of magazines around the world. The auction raised £3.5m for charity and also symbolized a break with the past.

Tragic death

In the summer of 1997, Diana of Wales was spotted with Dodi Fayed, the son of millionaire Mohammed Al Fayed. Photos of the princess with Dodi on a yacht in the Mediterranean appeared in all the tabloids and magazines in the world.

The couple returned to Paris on Saturday 30 August after another holiday in Sardinia. After dinner at the Ritz that same evening, they drove out in a limousine and were pursued by motorcycle photographers who wanted to take more pictures of the couple in love. The chase led to tragedy in an underground tunnel.

Princess Diana of Wales was a breath of fresh air and brought glamor to the Windsor household. But she became a sad figure for many when the truth about her failed marriage was revealed.

Critics accuse her of depriving the monarchy of the mystical veneer so essential to its survival.

But by the strength of her character in difficult personal circumstances, and by her relentless support for the sick and destitute, Diana of Wales earned her respect. She remained a figure of public admiration and love to the end.

"They say it's better to be poor and happy than rich and unhappy. But what about a compromise - moderately rich and moderately capricious?" - Princess Diana.

Princess Diana Spencer She was born July 1, 1961, at Sandringham Manor in Norfolk. Diana was perhaps the most beloved and respected member of the British royal family, earning herself the nickname "The People's Princess". She was born into a family of English aristocrats - Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and Francis Ruth Burke Roche, Viscountess Althorp (later Francis Shand Kydd).

Both Diana's parents were close to the royal court, and in Edward's biography there was even an episode with his marriage proposal to Queen Elizabeth II, which she did not immediately reject, promising to "think about it." However, to the great dismay of Diana's father, Elizabeth soon met the Greek prince Philip, with whom she fell in love with no memory and whom she eventually married. However, despite unfulfilled hopes, Edward maintained warm friendly relations with Elizabeth, thanks to which the Spencers always occupied a special position at court.

Diana became the third daughter in the Spencer family, while her father desperately wanted to have a male heir. Therefore, the birth of another girl was a huge disappointment for both parents. "I should have been born a boy!" - with a bitter smile, Lady Di confessed many years later.

However, the heir did appear in the family, but by that time the relationship of the spouses had been so undermined by mutual discontent that the marriage soon broke up. Frances remarried the owner of the wallpaper business, Peter Shand-Kydd, who, although fabulously wealthy, did not possess a title, which caused the endless displeasure of her mother. A true aristocrat and devoted royalist, mother Francis could not believe that her daughter had left her husband and four children for some “upholsterer”. She confronted her daughter in court, and as a result, Edward received custody of all four children.

Although both parents did their best to brighten up the lives of children with trips and entertainment, Diana often lacked simple human attention and participation, and at times she felt lonely.

She received an excellent education at first in private school Riddlesworth Hall(Riddlesworth Hall), and then - in prestigious boarding school West Heath(West Heath School).

The title of Lady Diana Spencer was acquired when her father inherited the title of Earl in 1975. Despite the fact that Diana was known as a shy girl, she showed a genuine interest in music and dance. But, alas, the dreams of the future princess about ballet were not destined to come true, because one day, while on vacation in Switzerland, she seriously injured her knee. However, many years later, Diana demonstrated brilliant dancing skills by performing a number on the stage of Covent Garden, paired with professional dancer Wayne Sleep, on the occasion of her husband's birthday.

In addition to dancing and music, Diana liked to spend time with children: she gladly took care of her younger brother Charles and took care of her older sisters. Therefore, after graduating from the boarding school for noble maidens in Rougemont, Switzerland, Diana moved to London and began to look for work with children. In the end, Lady Dee got a job as a teacher at Young England School in London's Pimlico area.

Generally speaking, Diana never shied away from any, even the blackest, work: she worked part-time as a nanny, a cook and even a cleaner. The apartments of her friends and older sister, Sarah, were cleaned by the future princess for $2 an hour.

Pictured: Lady Diana and Prince Charles

Since the Spencer family was close to the royal family, as a child, Diana often played with Prince Charles's younger brothers, Princes Andrew and Edward. In those days, the Spencers rented Park House - an estate that belonged to Elizabeth II. And in 1977 elder sister Diana - Sarah - introduced her to Prince Charles, who was 13 years older than the young lady.

As the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles has always been the focus of media attention, and his courtship of Diana, of course, did not go unnoticed. The press and the public were fascinated by this strange couple: the discreet prince - big fan gardening - and a shy young girl with a passion for fashion and pop culture. On the day the couple got married - July 29, 1981 - the wedding ceremony was broadcast on TV channels around the world. Millions of people watched the event, proclaimed the "Wedding of the Century".

Marriage and divorce

On June 21, 1982, their first child, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, was born in the family of Diana and Charles. And 2 years later, on September 15, 1984, the couple had a second heir - Prince Henry Charles Albert David, famous general public like Prince Harry.

Deeply shocked by the pressure that fell upon her along with marriage, and the relentless attention of the press to literally her every step, Diana decided to defend the right to her own life.

Pictured: Princess Diana and Prince Charles with their sons Prince William and Prince Harry

She began to support many charitable organizations, helping the homeless, children in needy families, and people suffering from HIV and AIDS.

Unfortunately, the fabulous wedding of the prince and princess did not become the beginning of a happy marriage. Over the years, the couple drifted apart, and both parties were suspected of infidelity. Being unhappy in marriage, Diana suffered from bouts of depression and bulimia. In the end, in December 1992, British Prime Minister John Major announced the separation of the couple, reading the text of the appeal of the royal family in the House of Commons. The divorce was finalized in 1996.

Diana's death and legacy

Even after the divorce, Diana remained still popular. She dedicated herself to her sons and was also involved in humanitarian projects such as the fight against land mines. Lady Dee used her worldwide fame to raise public awareness about acute problems. However, her popularity was reverse side: Diana's affair with Egyptian producer and playboy Dodi Al-Fayed in 1997 caused a real stir and incredible hype in the press. As a tragic result, on the night of August 31, 1997, a couple in love died in a car accident in Paris, when the driver tried to break away from the paparazzi chasing them.

In the photo: Memorial in honor of Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed
at Harrods in London

Diana did not die immediately, but only a few hours later in a Paris hospital due to her injuries. Diana's lover, Dodi Al-Fayed, and his driver were also killed, and the security guard was seriously injured. Until now, there are many rumors around the death of Diana: it was even rumored that she was killed by the British special services at the direction of the royal family, who allegedly could not come to terms with the fact that the mother of the heirs to the throne had a relationship with a Muslim. By the way, Diana's mother, Frances, was also not enthusiastic about this relationship, once calling Diana a "whore" for "confusing with Muslim men."

The French authorities conducted their own investigation into the crash and found a high level of alcohol in the blood of the driver, who was subsequently recognized as the main culprit of the accident.

The news of Diana's sudden and absurd death shocked the world. Thousands of people wanted to pay their last tribute to the "People's Princess" at the farewell ceremony. The ceremony was held at Westminster Abbey and broadcast on television. Late body Diana was buried at her family estate, Althorp.

In 2007, 10 years after the death of their beloved mother, Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, organized a concert dedicated to the 46th anniversary of her birth. All proceeds from the event were transferred charitable organizations who supported Diana and her sons.

Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton also paid tribute to Diana by naming their daughter, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, who was born on May 2, 2015, after her.

The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund continues her efforts. Established after her death, the foundation provides grants to various organizations and supports many humanitarian initiatives, including organizing care for the sick in Africa, helping refugees, and ending the use of landmines.

The memory of the Princess of Wales and her good deeds still lives in the hearts of millions of people. And no other title in the world has such a high value as the title " Queens of human hearts forever assigned to Diana.

In the photo: Princess Diana devoted a lot of time to charitable work

Based on biography.com. Some of the photos are taken from biography.com.