A bright, amazing woman, an extraordinary personality, one of the most famous people of her time - that’s exactly what Diana, Princess of Wales was. The people of Great Britain adored her, calling her the Queen of Hearts, and the sympathy of the whole world was manifested in the short but warm nickname Lady Di, which also went down in history. A number of films have been made about her, many books have been written in all languages. But the answer to the most main question- about whether Diana was really ever happy in her bright, but very difficult and such a short life - will forever remain hidden behind a veil of secrecy...
Princess Diana: biography of her early years
On July 1, 1963, their third daughter was born in the house of Viscount and Viscountess Althorp, rented by them in the royal estate of Sandrigham (Norfolk).
The birth of a girl somewhat disappointed her father, Edward John Spencer, the heir to an ancient earl's family. Two daughters, Sarah and Jane, were already growing up in the family, and the title of nobility could only be passed on to the son. The baby was named Diana Francis - and it was she who was later destined to become her father's favorite. And soon after the birth of Diana, the family was replenished with the long-awaited boy, Charles.
Earl Spencer's wife, Frances Ruth (Roche), also came from a noble Fermoy family; her mother was a maid of honor at the queen's court. The future English princess Diana spent her childhood in Sandrigham. The children of the aristocratic couple were brought up in strict rules, more typical of old England than of the country of the mid-twentieth century: governesses and nannies, strict schedules, walks in the park, riding lessons...
Diana grew up as a kind and open child. However, when she was only six years old, life caused the girl serious mental trauma: her father and mother filed for divorce. Countess Spencer moved to London to live with businessman Peter Shand-Kyd, who left his wife and three children for her. About a year later they got married.
After a lengthy legal battle, the Spencer children remained in the care of their father. He also took the incident very hard, but tried to support the children in every possible way - he occupied himself with singing and dancing, organized holidays, and personally hired tutors and servants. He meticulously selected educational institution for his older daughters and, when the time came, sent them to Sealfield Primary School in King Lees.
At school, Diana was loved for her responsiveness and kind character. She was not the best in her studies, but she made great progress in history and literature, was fond of drawing, dancing, singing, swimming, and was always ready to help her fellow students. Close people noted her tendency to fantasize - obviously, this made it easier for the girl to deal with her experiences. “I will definitely become someone outstanding!” - she liked to repeat.
Meeting Prince Charles
In 1975, the story of Princess Diana moves to new stage. Her father accepts the hereditary title of Earl and moves the family to Northamptonshire, where the Spencer family estate, Althorp House, is located. It was here that Diana first met Prince Charles when he came to these places to hunt. However, they did not make an impression on each other then. Sixteen-year-old Diana found the intelligent Charles with impeccable manners “cute and funny.” The Prince of Wales seemed completely infatuated with Sarah, her older sister. And soon Diana went to continue her studies in Switzerland.
However, she quickly grew tired of the boarding house. Having begged her parents to take her away from there, she returns home at eighteen. Her father gave Diana an apartment in the capital, and the future princess plunged into an independent life. Earning money to support herself, she worked for wealthy friends, cleaning their apartments and babysitting children, and then got a job as a teacher at the Young England kindergarten.
In 1980, at a picnic at Althorp House, fate again confronted her with the Prince of Wales, and this meeting became fateful. Diana expressed sincere sympathy to Charles in connection with the recent death of his grandfather, Earl Mountbaden. The Prince of Wales was touched; a conversation ensued. All evening after that, Charles did not leave Diana’s side...
They continued to meet, and soon Charles secretly told one of his friends that he seemed to have met the girl he would like to marry. From that time on, the press drew attention to Diana. Photojournalists began a real hunt for her.
Wedding
In February 1981, Prince Charles made an official proposal to Lady Diana, to which she agreed. And almost six months later, in July, the young Countess Diana Spencer was already walking down the aisle with the heir to the British throne in St. Paul's Cathedral.
A married couple of designers - David and Elizabeth Emmanuel - created a masterpiece outfit in which Diana walked to the altar. The princess was dressed in a snow-white dress made from three hundred and fifty meters of silk. About ten thousand pearls, thousands of rhinestones, and tens of meters of gold threads were used to decorate it. To avoid misunderstandings, three copies of the wedding dress were made at once, one of which is now kept in Madame Tussauds.
Twenty-eight cakes were prepared for the festive banquet, which were baked over fourteen weeks.
The newlyweds received many valuable and memorable gifts. Among them were twenty silver dishes presented by the Australian government and silver jewelry from the heir to the throne of Saudi Arabia. A New Zealand representative presented the couple with a luxurious carpet.
Journalists dubbed the wedding of Diana and Charles “the greatest and loudest in the history of the twentieth century.” Seven hundred and fifty million people around the world had the opportunity to watch the magnificent ceremony on television. It was one of the most widely broadcast events in television history.
Princess of Wales: first steps
Almost from the very beginning, married life turned out to be not at all what Diana dreamed of. Princess of Wales - the high-profile title she acquired after her marriage - was cold and prim, like the whole atmosphere in the royal family's house. The crowned mother-in-law, Elizabeth the Second, did not take any steps to ensure that the young daughter-in-law fit into the family more easily.
Open, emotional and sincere, it was very difficult for Diana to accept the external isolation, hypocrisy, flattery and impenetrability of emotions that govern life in Kensington Palace.
Princess Diana's love for music, dancing and fashion was at odds with the way people in the palace used to spend their leisure time. But hunting, horse riding, fishing and shooting - the recognized entertainment of crowned persons - interested her little. In her desire to be closer to ordinary Britons, she often violated the unspoken rules that dictate how a member of the royal family should behave.
She was different - people saw it and accepted her with admiration and joy. Diana's popularity among the country's population grew steadily. But in the royal family they often did not understand her - and, most likely, they did not really strive to understand.
Birth of sons
Diana's main passion was her sons. William, the future heir to the British throne, was born on June 21, 1982. Two years later, on September 15, 1984, his younger brother Harry.
From the very beginning, Princess Diana tried to do everything to prevent her sons from becoming unhappy hostages of their own origin. She tried in every possible way to ensure that the little princes had as much contact as possible with simple, ordinary life, filled with impressions and joys familiar to all children.
She spent much more time with her sons than the etiquette of the royal house prescribed. On vacation, she allowed them to wear jeans, sweatpants and T-shirts. She took them to the cinemas and to the park, where the princes had fun and ran around, ate hamburgers and popcorn, and stood in line for their favorite rides just like other little Britons.
When the time came for William and Harry to begin their primary education, it was Diana who strongly opposed their being brought up in the closed world of the royal house. The princes began attending preschool classes and then went to a regular British school.
Divorce
The dissimilarity of the characters of Prince Charles and Princess Diana manifested itself from the very beginning of their life together. By the beginning of the 1990s, a final discord occurred between the spouses. A significant role in this was played by the prince’s relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, which began even before his marriage to Diana.
At the end of 1992, Prime Minister John Major made an official statement in the British Parliament that Diana and Charles were living separately, but had no plans to divorce. However, three and a half years later, their marriage was officially dissolved by a court order.
Diana, Princess of Wales, officially retained her lifelong right to this title, although she ceased to be Her Highness. She continued to live and work at Kensington Palace, remaining mother to the heirs to the throne, and her business schedule was officially included in the official routine of the royal family.
Social activity
After the divorce, Princess Diana devoted almost entirely her time to charity and social activities. Her ideal was Mother Teresa, whom the princess considered her spiritual mentor.
Taking advantage of her enormous popularity, she focused people's attention on the really important problems of modern society: AIDS, leukemia, the lives of people with incurable spinal injuries, children with heart defects. On her charity trips she visited almost the whole world.
She was recognized everywhere, greeted warmly, and thousands of letters were written to her, answering which the princess sometimes went to bed long after midnight. Diana's film about anti-personnel mines in the fields of Angola prompted diplomats from many countries to prepare reports for their governments to ban the purchase of these weapons. At the invitation of Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, Diana made a report on Angola at the assembly of this organization. And in her native country, many suggested that she become a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.
Trendsetter
For many years, Diana, Princess of Wales, was also considered a style icon in Great Britain. Being a crowned person, she traditionally wore outfits exclusively from British designers, but later significantly expanded the geography of her own wardrobe.
Her style, makeup and hairstyle instantly became popular not only among ordinary British women, but also among designers, as well as movie and pop stars. Stories about Princess Diana's outfits and interesting incidents related to them still appear in the press.
So, back in 1985, Diana appeared at the White House at a reception with the presidential couple Reagan in a luxurious dark blue silk velvet dress. It was in it that she danced together with John Travolta.
And the magnificent black evening dress, in which Diana visited the Palace of Versailles in 1994, awarded her the title “Sun Princess”, which sounded from the lips of the famous designer Pierre Cardin.
Diana's hats, handbags, gloves, and accessories have always been evidence of her impeccable taste. The princess sold a significant part of her clothes at auctions, donating the money to charity.
Dodi Al-Fayed and Princess Diana: a love story with a tragic end
Lady Di's personal life was also constantly under the radar of reporters' cameras. Their intrusive attention did not leave such extraordinary personality what Princess Diana was like. The love story of her and Dodi Al-Fayed, the son of an Arab millionaire, instantly became the topic of numerous newspaper articles.
By the time they became close in 1997, Diana and Dodi had already known each other for several years. It was Dodi who became the first man with whom the English princess openly went out into the world after her divorce. She visited him at a villa in St. Tropez with his sons, and later met him in London. Some time later, the Al-Fayeds' luxury yacht, Jonicap, set off on a cruise in the Mediterranean. On board were Dodi and Diana.
The princess's last days coincided with the weekend that marked the end of their romantic trip. On August 30, 1997, the couple went to Paris. After dinner at the restaurant of the Ritz Hotel, owned by Dodi, at one o'clock in the morning they got ready to go home. Not wanting to be the center of attention of the paparazzi crowding at the doors of the establishment, Diana and Dodi left the hotel through the service entrance and, accompanied by a bodyguard and driver, hurried away from the hotel...
The details of what happened a few minutes later are still not clear enough. However, in an underground tunnel under Delalma Square, the car had a terrible accident, crashing into one of the supporting columns. The driver and Dodi al-Fayed died on the spot. Diana, unconscious, was taken to the Salpêtrière hospital. Doctors fought for her life for several hours, but could not save the princess.
Funeral
The death of Princess Diana shook the whole world. On the day of her funeral, national mourning was declared and national flags were flown at half-mast throughout the UK. Two huge screens were installed in Hyde Park for those who could not attend the funeral ceremony and memorial service. For young couples who had a wedding scheduled for this date, English insurance companies paid significant amounts of compensation for its cancellation. The square in front of Buckingham Palace was littered with flowers, and thousands of memorial candles burned on the asphalt.
Princess Diana's funeral took place at Althorp House, the family estate of the Spencer family. Lady Di found her last refuge in the middle of a small secluded island on the lake, which she loved to visit during her lifetime. By personal order of Prince Charles, Princess Diana's coffin was covered with the royal standard - an honor reserved exclusively for members of the royal family...
Investigation and causes of death
Court hearings to establish the circumstances of Princess Diana's death took place in 2004. They were then temporarily postponed while an investigation into the circumstances of the car accident in Paris was carried out and resumed three years later at the Royal Court in London. The jury heard testimony from more than two hundred and fifty witnesses from eight countries.
As a result of the hearings, the court came to the conclusion that the cause of death of Diana, her companion Dodi Al-Fayed and driver Henri Paul was the illegal actions of the paparazzi pursuing their car, and Paul driving the vehicle while intoxicated.
These days, there are several versions of why Princess Diana actually died. However, none of them have been proven.
Real, kind, alive, generously giving people the warmth of her soul - that’s how she was, Princess Diana. The biography and life path of this extraordinary woman still remains a subject of undying interest to millions of people. In the memory of descendants, she is destined to forever remain the Queen of Hearts, not only in her native country, but throughout the world...
Diana Spencer was born on the first of July 1961 in Sandringham in England. She had two older sisters and a younger brother. In childhood she liked games, swimming, running and dancing. She wanted to become a dancer. Besides she loved children very much and at the age of sixteen she worked in schools for very young children. Diana became princess, when Prince Charles, the Queen's son, asked her to be his wife and they got married. They seemed to be a happy couple at first. They had two sons. They traveled a lot they worked a lot, they visited many countries together. But Diana was not quite happy because they liked different things and Charles didn't understand her. Why was Diana the most famous, the most beautiful, the most photographed woman in the world? Why did she win the hearts of millions and millions of people in many countries? Why did so many people come to London to remember her when she died? Why did the car accident which took her life, become such a total shock to crowds of people? Why did people feel the need to be in London at the funeral? Why did the tears and love at the funeral move the world? The answer is so simple. Matthew Wall, a student at St. Michael"s College in Burlington said: "She was such a lovely lady. She did so much for those people less fortunate that herself." She was a kind woman. Hundreds of people talked about Diana's kindnesses. She liked ordinary people, though she was rich and had many rich friends. Wherever she was, she was always ready to lend a hand. She was devoted to the sick and the poor. She visited hospitals for people with AIDS and for lepers and wasn't afraid to touch them, talk to them, listen to them. She worked on children's charities, and had teamed up with Hillary Clinton in an effort to ban landmines. And it "s not only money, that she wanted to give people. She wanted to give them a part of her soul, to make them happy because she was unhappy herself. She wanted to give them love, because she needed love herself. Rock stars (Sting, Elton John), pop singer George Michael, film stars and producers (Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise) and other famous people were among her friends. But she had more friends among ordinary people. seen many times in floods of tears, because of the pressures of her loveless 15-year marriage. It is not a secret that Diana was hounded and humiliated to the point of mental breakdown and was able to pull through only because she knew she had the love of the people to buoy her in her darkest hours.She was, indeed, the People's Princess.
Diana Spencer was born on the first of July 1961 in Sandringham in England. She had two older sisters and a younger brother. In childhood she liked games, swimming, running and dancing. She wanted to become a dancer. Besides she loved children very much and at the age of sixteen she worked in schools for very young children.
Diana became princess, when Prince Charles, the Queen’s son, asked her to be his wife and they got married. They seemed to be a happy couple at first. They had two sons. They traveled a lot, they worked a lot, they visited many countries together. But Diana was not quite happy because they did different things and Charles didn’t understand her.
Why was Diana the most famous, the most beautiful, the most photographed woman in the world? Why did she win the hearts of millions and millions of people in many countries? Why did so many people come to London to remember her when she died? Why did the car accident which took her life, become such a total shock to crowds of people? Why did people feel the need to be in London at the funeral? Why did the tears and love at the funeral move the world?
The answer is so simple. Matthew Wall, a student at St. Michael's College in Burlington said: She was such a lovely lady.
She did so much for those people less fortunate that herself. She was a kind woman. Hundreds of people talked about Diana’s kindnesses. She liked ordinary people, though she was rich and had many rich friends. Wherever she was, she was always ready to lend a hand. She was devoted to the sick and the poor. She visited hospitals for people with AIDS and for lepers and wasn’t afraid to touch them, talk to them, listen to them. She worked on children's charities, and had teamed up with Hillary Clinton in an effort to ban landmines. And it’s not only money, that she wanted to give people. She wanted to give them apart from her soul.to make them happy because she was unhappy herself. She wanted to give them love, because she needed love herself.
Diana was seen many times in floods of tears, because of the pressures of her loveless 15-year marriage. It is not a secret that Diana was hounded and humiliated to the point of mental breakdown and was able to pull through only because she knew she had the love of the people to buoy her in her darkest hours. She was, indeed, the People’s Princess.
Diana - the People's Princess (translation)
Diana Spencer was born on July 1, 1961 in Sandringham, London. She had two older sisters and a younger brother. As a child, she loved games, swimming, running, and dancing. She wanted to become a dancer. In addition, she loved children very much, and at the age of sixteen she worked in a kindergarten.
Diana became a princess when Prince Charles, the Queen's son, asked her to be his wife and they got married. At first they seemed to be happy couple. They had two sons. They traveled a lot, worked, and visited many countries together. But Diana was not entirely happy, because they were doing different things. Charles didn't understand her.
Why was Diana the most famous, most beautiful, most photographed woman in the world? Why did she win the hearts of millions and millions of people in different countries? Why did so many people come to London to honor her when she died? Why was the car accident that took her life such a big shock to so many people? Why did people feel the need to come to London for the princess's funeral? Why did tears and love during a funeral shock the world?
The answer is very simple. Matthew Wahl, student at St. Michael's in Burlington, said: She was such a wonderful woman.
She did so much for those less fortunate than her. She was an attentive woman. Hundreds of people noted Diana's kindness. She loved ordinary people, although she was rich and had rich friends. Wherever she was, she was always ready to help people. She loved the sick and the poor, visited hospitals for AIDS patients and lepers, was not afraid to touch them, talked to them, listened to them. She was involved in philanthropy and teamed up with Hillary Clinton in an attempt to ban land mines. She wanted to help people not only with money, but to give them a piece of her soul, to make them happy, since she herself was unhappy. She wanted to give them love because she herself needed love.
Diana could often be seen in tears, because a 15-year loveless marriage had an impact on her psyche. It is no secret that Diana was persecuted and humiliated to such an extent that she had a nervous breakdown, and she was able to cope with this only because she knew that in her darkest moments the love of the people supported her. Indeed, Diana was the people's princess.
Diana Frances Spencer, all known as Lady Di, or Princess Diana, was born in London, the city of Sandringham, July 1, 1961 in a large family with royal roots. She was the third daughter of her parents, a little later she had a younger brother. Diana's parents divorced when she was 8 years old, and she stayed with her father. The girl was fond of ballet, drawing, various kinds of sports. In her youth she had a dream of becoming a dancer. Diana loved spending time with her children, so at the age of 16 she began to work in the kindergarten as an assistant tutor.
When Diana turned 19 she met Prince Charles, and at the age of 20 she became Princess Diana. Their marriage lasted 15 years, they had two sons. Charles and Diana traveled a lot, worked together, but their marriage was not happy, since Charles did not like his wife. Diana suffered very much and often cried about this, and to somehow distract herself, she started doing charity. The princess was a kind, attentive and sympathetic woman. She tried to help all the sick, poor and needy. Visited hospitals, boarding schools, orphanages. Provided not only financial assistance, but also listened attentively and talked with people. People fell in love with Diana.
Such famous personalities as Tom Cruise, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Sting, Barbara Streisond and many others, were her close friends. But she found the most real friends in ordinary people.
Lady Dee died in a terrible car accident on August 31 in 1997. Her death shook and shocked a large number of people. People from different parts of the world came to the funeral to honor their memory. Princess Diana forever remained in history and in the hearts of people, and was remembered by him as a bright and kind person.
Translation
Diana Frances Spencer, known to everyone as Lady Di or Princess Diana, was born in London, Sandringham, on July 1, 1961 into a large family with royal roots. She was the third daughter of her parents, and a little later she had a younger brother. Diana's parents divorced when she was 8 years old, and she remained to live with her father. The girl was interested in ballet, drawing, and various sports. In her youth, she had a dream of becoming a dancer. Diana loved spending time with children, so at the age of 16 she began working in a kindergarten as a teacher’s assistant.
When Diana was 19 years old, she met Prince Charles, and at the age of 20 she became Princess Diana. Their marriage lasted 15 years and they had two sons. Charles and Diana traveled a lot and worked together, but their marriage was not happy because Charles did not love his wife. Diana suffered a lot and often cried about this, and in order to somehow distract herself, she took up charity work. The princess was a kind, attentive and sympathetic woman. She tried to help all the sick, poor and needy. She visited hospitals, boarding schools, orphanages. She provided not only financial assistance, but also listened carefully and talked to people. People loved Diana.
Such famous personalities as Tom Cruise, Elton John, Michael Jackson, Sting, Barbara Streyzond and many others were her close friends. But she found her truest friends in ordinary people.
Lady Di died in a terrible car accident on August 31, 1997. Her death shocked and shocked a large number of of people. People from different parts of the world came to another funeral to honor another memory. Princess Diana forever remained in history and in the hearts of people, and was remembered by them as a bright and kind person.
Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961 at Park House, the home her parents rented on the royal family's estate at Sandringham. As a child she occasionally played with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, who were near her at age. Diana had two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother, Charles. When Diana was six, her mother left her father. The Spencers divorced in 1969, and Diana's father received custody of the children. In 1975 Diana's father became the eighth Earl Spencer, making Diana a Lady. Diana and her siblings moved to Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northampton.
Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961 at Park House, the home her parents rented on the royal family's estate at Sandringham. As a child she occasionally played with Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, who were near her at age. Diana had two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother, Charles.
When Diana was six, her mother left her father. The Spencers divorced in 1969, and Diana's father received custody of the children. In 1975 Diana's father became the eighth Earl Spencer, making Diana a Lady. Diana and her siblings moved to Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northampton.
Diana attended private boarding schools. Although she wasn"t an especially good student, she was excelled at sports, and won trophies for her swimming. She dreamed of being a ballerina, but grew too tall (as an adult she was 5"10"). After leaving school in 1978 she worked as a nanny, waitress, and cleaning woman before becoming a teacher at the Young England kindergarten in Pimlico, London.
Her romance with the Prince of Wales began in 1980. The oldest child of British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, he was 12 years older than Diana, and had previously dated her sister Sarah. Almost from the start, the press took a special interest in "Lady Di." They staked out her apartment and followed her everywhere. Diana later said that she found the constant attention unbearable.
Diana and Charles were married July 29, 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral. The wedding was broadcast in 74 countries and watched by 750 million people worldwide. Diana was the first English woman to marry an heir to the throne in over 300 years.
At the ceremony the Archbishop of Canterbury said, "Here is the stuff of which fairy tales are made." But the fairy tale was an illusion, as Diana had already discovered. Prince Charles was still in love with an old girlfriend, Camilla Parker-Bowles. "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded," Princess Diana remarked years later. Distraught, Diana developed bulimia and attempted suicide. Despite her problems, she was a devoted mother to her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. She worked tirelessly for charity, and was beloved by the public for its warmth and humanity.
In 1992 Princess Diana decided to expose the truth about her relationship with Prince Charles to the public. She secretly collaborated with author Andrew Morton on his book Diana, Her True Story. The princess's direct involvement in the writing of the book was not revealed to the public until after her death. The separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales was announced on December 9, 1992. The divorce became official August 28, 1996. Princess Diana kept the title Princess of Wales and continued to work for her favorite charities. She and Prince Charles had joint custody of their sons.
In 1997 Princess Diana began a love affair with Emad "Dodi" Fayed, the son of billionaire businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed. Their romance ended abruptly on August 31, 1997 when both were killed in a car accident in Paris while fleeing from paparazzi. Princess Diana's sudden death led to an unprecedented worldwide outpouring of grief and love. As her brother said at her funeral, she was "the unique, the complex, the extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana, whose beauty, both internal and external, will never be extinguished from our minds."