Princess Diana of Wales: biography, photo

Diana, Princess of Wales (photo is in the article below), is the former wife of Prince Charles and the mother of the second successor to the British throne Prince William. When she seemed to have found a new love, she tragically died with her new friend.

Diana, Princess of Wales: biography

Diana Francis Spencer was born on 01/01/1961 in Park House, near Sandringham, Norfolk. She was the youngest daughter of the Viscount and Viscountess Eltropes, now the late Earl of Spencer and Mrs. Shand-Kidd. She had two older sisters, Jane and Sarah, and younger brother Charles.

The cause of Diana's insecurity is to be found in her upbringing, despite her privileged position. The family lived at the Queen's estate in Sandringham, where my father rented Park House. He was a royal stables with King George VI and the young Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen was the main guest at the wedding of Diana's parents in 1954. The ceremony that took place at Westminster Abbey then 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 the steps of the departing mother on the gravel road. Children became pawns in a fierce dispute over custody of them.

Lady Diana was sent to a boarding school, and eventually ended up in West Khita school in Kent. Here she excelled in sports (her height, equal to 178 cm, contributed to this), especially in swimming, but failed all the exams. Nevertheless, she later warmly recalled the days of school and supported her school.

After graduation she worked in London as a nanny, cook, and then as an assistant tutor in the nursery school "Young England" in Knightsbridge.

Her father moved to Althrop near Northampton and became the eighth count of 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 turned into something more serious. The press and television besieged Diana at every turn. But her days at work were numbered. The palace vainly tried to cool speculation. And on February 24, 1891 the engagement became official.

Nevertheless, even then there were doubts about the compatibility of the pair. The engaged had little in common, and there was a significant age difference: the prince was 13 years older than Diana. When the journalists asked them during the official engagement, whether they were in love, both answered "yes", and Charles added: "Whatever was love." As it turned out later, the prince admitted to a friend that he still does not like Diana, but I am sure that I could love her.

Wedding

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

She was only 20. Under the mother's gaze, leaning on her father's hand, Diane of Wales (photo posted in the article) prepared to give a wedding vow. She only once showed nervousness when she tried to arrange the numerous names of her husband in the right order.

The royal family welcomed the newcomer. It was a moment of special satisfaction for the Queen Mother, who herself came from a simple family and also made this way 60 years ago.

Popularity

After the wedding, the Princess of Wales Diana immediately began to take an active part in the performance of the duties of the royal family. Soon she began to make visits to kindergartens, schools and hospitals.

The public noted her love for the people: she seemed genuinely happy with her stay among ordinary people, although she herself was not.

Diana brought her own fresh style to the mixture that was the house of the Windsor. There was nothing new in the idea of royal visits, but she added spontaneity to her that fascinated almost everyone.

During her first official trip to the US, she provoked almost hysteria. There was something special about the fact that someone other than the American president became the focus of attention, especially among Americans. Since the moment of her dazzling appearance during her first public appearance with her husband, Diana's wardrobe has become a constant center of attention.

Charity

Princess of Wales Diana, whose popularity is largely due to her charitable work, played an important role in disseminating information about the plight of people with AIDS. Her statements on this issue were frank, and she ended many prejudices. Simple gestures, such as Diane of Wales, shook hands with an AIDS patient, proved to the public that social contacts with patients are safe.

Her patronage was not limited to meeting rooms. Sometimes she went to tea in the charities supported by her. Abroad, the Princess of Wales Diana spoke of the plight of the dispossessed and outcasts. During her visit to Indonesia in 1989, she publicly shook hands with the leper, dispelling the widespread myths about the disease.

Family life

Diana always dreamed of a big family. A year after her marriage, on 21.06.1982 she gave birth to a son - Prince William. In 1984, on September 15, he had Henry's brother, although he was more known simply as Harry. Diane advocated for such a normal education of their children, as far as royal circumstances allowed.

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

But at the time of Prince Harry's birth, marriage was only an appearance. In 1987, when Harry went to the kindergarten, the couple's separate life became public. The press came 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 statement that, although the couple formally stayed together, it actually disintegrated.

The Expository Book

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

The author described half-hearted attempts at suicide by the princess during the first years of marriage, her struggle against bulimia and her obsession with the belief that Charles continued to love the woman he met several years before her, Camille Parker-Bowles. The Prince later confirmed that he and Camilla did have an affair.

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

Divorce

Diana continued her charitable work after a quarrel. She talked about social problems, and sometimes, as in the case of bulimia, her donations were based on personal suffering.

Wherever she went, on public or private matters, often with her children, to whom she devoted herself, there were media outlets to document the event. This became something of a PR battle with her ex-husband. After the divorce, the Princess of Wales Diana showed her art in using the media to present herself in a favorable light.

Later, she told that, in her opinion, took the camp of her ex-husband in order to complicate her life.

On November 20, 1995 she gave an unprecedented and surprisingly open interview to the BBC. For millions of TV viewers, she talked about her post-natal depression, about the disintegration of her marriage with Prince Charles, about the tensions with the royal family as a whole, 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 the hearts of people.

Diana, Princess of Wales, and her lovers

Pressure on her popular newspapers was inexorable, and stories of male friends destroyed her image of an injured wife. One of these friends, army officer James Hewitt, to her horror, became the source of a book about their relationship.

Diane of Wales accepted the divorce only after the insistence of the queen. When it came to the logical end of August 28, 1996, she said that it was the most sad day in her life.

Diane, now officially Princess of Wales, gave up most of her charity work and began to look for herself a new field of activity. She had a clear idea that the role of "queen of hearts" should remain behind her, and illustrated it with visits abroad. In June 1997, Diana visited Mother Theresa, who was in poor health.

In June, she sold 79 gowns and ball gowns that appeared on the covers of magazines around the world. The auction collected 3.5 million pounds for charitable purposes, and also symbolized a break with the past.

The tragic death

In the summer of 1997, Diana of Wales was seen 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 of the world.

The couple returned to Paris on Saturday, August 30 after another vacation in Sardinia. After lunch in Ritz the same evening they drove out in a limousine and were pursued by photographers on motorcycles that wanted to take more pictures of the couple in love. The pursuit led to the tragedy in the underground tunnel.

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

Critics accuse her of depriving the monarchy of a mystical raid, so important for its survival.

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