Diana

Diana or better known as the Princess of Wales is the first wife of Prince Charles of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth Click to look into! >> Read More... II. She was born as Diana Frances on July 1, 1961, in Sandringham, Norfolk in England to British nobility with royal ancestry. She was brought up in Park House in Sandringham Estate and took her studies in Switzerland and England. When her father, John Spencer, became the 8th Earl Spencer (Viscount Spencer) in England, Diana became Lady Diana Spencer. She was only seven when her parents had a divorce. She studied at Silfield Private School in Gayton, Norfolk and later attended an all-girls school, Riddlesworth Hall School. In 1973, she studied at West Heath Girls’ School in Kent, along with her sisters.

Diana did not exceed in academics and even failed her O-levels twice. However, she has shown her talent in playing piano, swimming, diving, ballet, and tap dance. She also attended Institut Alpin Videmanette in Switzerland in 1978. After one term, she returned to London and stayed in her mother’s flat with her two schoolmates. From then, she took a cooking course and took several low-paying jobs such as dance instructor, playgroup pre-school assistant, hostess in some parties, nanny, and as an assistant to a nursery teacher. In November 1977, she met Prince Charles of Wales, who, at that time, was dating her sister. Prince Charles had a serious interest with Diana and invited her to sail at Cowes. In November 1980, he invited Diana to Balmoral to meet the royal family.

She was well-accepted by Queen Elizabeth (The Queen Mother), the Queen, and the Duke of Edinburgh. Prince Charles proposed to her on February 6, 1981, and had their secret engagement for the next few weeks. They had their official engagement on February 24, 1981, and Lady Diana has chosen a large engagement ring that is the same as her mother’s engagement ring. It was made by Garrard & Co and was featured in their jewellery collection. Though the ring was not so unique for a royal family, many jewelers around the world have copied its design. It also became Kate Middleton’s (Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) engagement ring later on.

After the engagement, Lady Diana lived at Clarence House for a short period and moved to the Buckingham Palace until the wedding day. Their marriage was held at St. Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981. Their wedding was called as a “Fairytale Wedding,” which was aired on Global TV with 750-million audiences around the world. There are over 600,000 people who lined the streets just to catch a glimpse of Lady Diana and Prince Charles’ wedding. Her wedding dress cost around £9,000 and some of the songs played during the wedding are Prince of Denmark’s March, Pomp and Circumstance No. 4, I Vow to Thee, My Country, and many more.

When Diana became the Princess of Wales, she was ranked as the 3rd highest female in the UK Order of Precedence. Her first pregnancy was announced on November 5, 1981. She gave birth to Prince William Arthur Philip Louis on June 21, 1982, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. Lady Diana and Prince Charles had their second son, Henry Charles Albert David on September 15, 1984. She gave her two sons a wider experience than the normal royal children. She was the one who picked their schools and clothes and even dismissed her kids’ nanny. Lady Diana personally took the children to school and arranged her public duties to keep herself hands-on with her kids. However, during the five years of marriage, Prince Charles and Lady Diana had some incompatibility issues.

Prince Charles was said to have been in a relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall. In the early 90’s, their relationship started to fell apart until the Prince of Wales married Bowles, and the Princess of Wales had a relationship with James Hewitt, a former British Army’s Household Cavalry officer. In 1995, the Queen advised the Prince and Princess of Wales to have a divorce. Prince Charles agreed formally, while Lady Diana agreed in February 1996 after doing some negotiations with Prince Charles and the Queen’s representatives. On August 28, 1996, their divorce has been finalized. Being the mother of the two children, who will soon ascend to the throne, she was still considered as the member of the Royal Family. As a princess, she made several public appearances and had toured around the world with the Prince of Wales. She became associated with several charities and had developed a strong interest to people with health-related issues and serious illnesses such as leprosy and AIDS. She also campaigned for animal protection and was against the utilization of landmines.

Lady Diana became a patron of several institutions. She is also a supporter of a charity called, Centrepoint, who provides support and accommodation to homeless people. On the day of August 31, 1997, Lady Diana, along with Dodi Fayed, son of Mohamed Al-Fayed, and her driver, Henri Paul had an accident after their car crashed at the Pont de I’Alma road tunnel, which caused their sudden death. Millions of people around the world have paid tributes and left flowers outside the Kensington Palace.