The Untold Story of Princess Diana
The Honourable Diana Spencer
Why Princess Diana is Still So Relevant
Diana Frances Spencer was born July 1, 1961, in Norfolk, England, the third daughter of John and Frances Spencer, Viscount and Viscountess Althorp. A year before she was born, the Spencers had a son, John, who sadly died soon after he was born. In 1964, they welcomed their youngest child and only son Charles. The aristocratic Spencer family lived in Park House within the Sandringham estate, which they leased from Diana’s future mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth II. The Spencers had been friendly with the British royal family for generations, with two of Diana’s grandmothers serving as ladies in waiting for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. Diana’s parents divorced when she was 7, and she lived with her mother in London until her father gained full custody of her and later, her siblings, too. In 1975, he inherited the title Earl Spencer, and she became known as Lady Diana Spencer. A year later, Lord Spencer married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, whom Diana did not get along with. Diana attended several schools throughout her younger years, including Riddlesworth Hall School and West Heath Girls' School before attending briefly finishing school at Institut Alpin Videmanette in Switzerland. While she was talented in both music and dance, Diana was not considered a good student. She went into various lines of work — a youth dance instructor, pre-school assistant, a nanny, and as a nursery teacher’s assistant at the Young England School. In July 1979, an 18-year-old Diana moved into a flat with three friends where she lived until February 1981.
Her Royal Highness
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Diana met 29-year-old Charles, Prince of Wales in November 1977 when she was 16. Oddly enough, he was dating her older sister Sarah at the time, and it wasn’t until summer 1980 that he became interested in Diana. After a successful introduction to his family in November 1980, Charles began courting his future bride, and on February 6, 1981, he proposed to Diana at Windsor Castle. However, their engagement was kept a secret and wasn’t made official until February 24. The couple married on July 29, 1981, at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. The televised wedding, dubbed “the wedding of the century”, was a massive global event with an audience of over 700 million people. Lady Diana Spencer was now a member of the British royal family, becoming Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. Charles and Diana’s romance may have been seen as the stuff of fairytales, but their relationship was tumultuous behind the curtain. Before their wedding, Diana reportedly found a bracelet that Charles planned to gift his ex-girlfriend/mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles. She voiced her deep reservations about the marriage to her sister, who allegedly told her it was “too late to chicken out.” Before the two even got engaged, Diana was triggered by an insensitive comment about her body made by Charles, leading her to struggle with bulimia. In November 1981, just months after the royal wedding, it was announced that Diana was pregnant with their first child, and on June 21, 1982, Prince William arrived. The next year, Diana and baby William joined Charles on a tour of Australia and New Zealand. But it was the Princess who really drew the crowds, as the world’s obsession with her continued to grow, much to Charles’ dismay. Two years later on September 15, 1984, Prince Harry was born. Diana became a humanitarian who used her platform to make real changes in the world. She was a patroness to several organizations and charities whose work included substance use disorder, homelessness, youth, the elderly, bereavement, cancer, and many more. In 1987, she held hands with an AIDS patient in a time when those with the illness were shunned and avoided. Her physical contact with patients helped destigmatize HIV/AIDS, and more importantly, made a huge impact on the lives of the patients themselves.
Diana, the Princess of Wales
With the marriage beginning from a place of tension, it didn’t take long before it started to fall apart completely. There was a 12-year age gap between Charles and Diana, and the two were considered incompatible overall. By 1987, their noticeable marital issues were heavily covered in tabloids and speculation around their infidelities sent the media into a frenzy. Charles was still involved with Camilla, and in later interviews, Diana revealed that she confronted Camilla about the affair at a party in 1989. According to Major James Hewitt, who gave the Princess riding lessons, he and Diana had a 5-year relationship from 1986 to 1991. In August 1992, private conversations between Diana and James Gilbey were leaked to the press, while Charles and Camilla’s exchanges were made public in November. A month later, the Prime Minister announced that the Prince and Princess would be separating. In the infamous 1995 Panorama interview with Martin Bashir, Diana said that there were three people in the marriage, referring to Charles’ longtime affair with Camilla. Aside from talking about James Hewitt, Diana also got very candid about her personal struggles with postpartum depression, bulimia, and more detailing the lack of support she received from the royals. The divorce was finalized on August 28, 1996. However, she remained Diana, the Princess of Wales and was still thought of as a member of the royal family, despite no longer being known as "Her Royal Highness".
The People’s Princess
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After vacationing in the French and Italian Riviera with her partner Dodi Fayed, the couple arrived in Paris, France on August 30, 1997. That night, Diana, Fayed, bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, and the hotel’s head of security Henri Paul left the Hôtel Ritz Paris after a decoy car distracted some of the paparazzi. Paul was behind the wheel, speeding, and lost control, crashing the vehicle in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel. It was determined that Paul was way over the legal limit of alcohol, as well as having taken drugs before driving. Fayed and Paul were pronounced dead at the scene, while Diana and Rees-Jones were rushed to the hospital. Rees-Jones suffered a head contusion and other facial wounds but survived. Despite efforts to resuscitate her, Diana died of her extensive injuries in the early hours of August 31. She was 36 years old. The nation collectively mourned the untimely, shocking death of Princess Diana. A funeral was held on September 6th at Westminster Abbey, where two thousand people were in attendance. Over 2 billion people worldwide watched the ceremony on television.
Legacy & Cultural Impact
As an iconic public figure and philanthropist, Diana had an enormous impact on the world. She was seen as an outsider within the British royal family, going against many of their archaic rules. Even though she was royalty, people were able to relate to Diana because of her easy-going, kind presence. The late Princess has been the subject of several books, documentaries, films, and even a musical. In 2021, Kristen Stewart received praise for her touching performance as the titular princess in “Spencer.” The fourth season of Netflix’s hit drama series “The Crown” explored the early days of Diana and Charles’ relationship and marriage with actress Emma Corrin playing Diana. Elizabeth Debicki will step into the role for season 5, which will center on the 1990s. Diana’s legacy lives on in her two sons, William and Harry, and five grandchildren. They continue her activism around the globe, and as many have noted, her loving and joyful spirit shines through them.
