By: Prionka Jha “They liked her, they loved her, they regarded her as one from among them. She was the People’s Princess and that’s how she will stay, how she will remain, in our hearts and our memories forever.” – British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Her wedding, her moments of happiness, her inconsolable pain, her divorce….in her life and in her death...Diana has touched us all.

Diana was a princess, but there are many princesses in Europe. None of them ever came close to capturing the popular imagination the way Diana, Princess of Wales, did. What was it about Diana, that not only shocked but also brought such huge numbers of people from all walks of life literally to their knees after her death in 1997?

From her fairy-tale wedding and the birth of her two wonderful sons to the stunning collapse of her marriage, Diana`s luminous but troubled life transfixed millions. Despite enduring heartbreak, illness, and depression, she never wavered in her commitment to the less fortunate, or in her determination to make a better life for herself and her sons.


In the wee hours of August 31, 1997, the princess along with her companion Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul died in a fatal car crash in a tunnel while speeding to elude a horde of photographers pursuing their limousine. Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was the sole survivor of the crash. The press and the world were caught off guard by this sudden tragedy. Images of mourning and remembrance dominated international media coverage for weeks following the accident. Born into nobility
Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961 in Norfolk to Frances Roche and Viscount Althorp, who became the eighth Earl Spencer. Diana was the third of four children. She had two elder sisters –Sarah and Jane – and a younger brother Charles. Her parents, who had married in 1954, separated in 1967 and their marriage was dissolved in 1969. It is thought that the failure of her parent`s marriage made Diana determined that when she married, it would be forever. Lady Diana`s education began at a preparatory school, Riddlesworth Hall in Norfolk, and later she was sent to boarding at West Heath, Kent. Although she never excelled academically, she showed a particular talent for domestic science, music and received an award for her service to her school and classmates. Upon leaving school, Diana went to a finishing school in Switzerland. After that she worked as a nanny, governess, and a kindergarten teacher. Marriage and turmoil


Romance with Prince Charles began in 1980, although the couple had been neighbours at Sandringham for many years and their families knew each other well. On February 6, 1981, Prince Charles formally proposed to Diana Spencer and the engagement was officially announced on February 24. The entire country waited in anticipation for the big day. Diana and Charles exchanged vows at St Paul`s Cathedral in London on July 29, 1981. The ceremony drew a global television and radio audience and hundreds of thousands of people packed London streets to catch a glimpse of the couple.

Less than a year after the royal wedding, Diana gave birth to Prince William Arthur Philip Louis and two years later gave birth to her second son Prince Harry Henry Charles Albert David. The early years of their marriage appeared to be happy times for the royal couple, but soon there were indications of strains.

Eventually, Diana learned that Charles was attracted to another woman, Camilla Parker-Bowles, someone the Prince had been close with for years. With growing disillusionment in her marriage, struggling with an eating disorder and depression, Diana watched her marriage fall apart. In 1992 Diana and Charles agreed to separate but jointly took up the responsibility of upbringing their children. The couple finally divorced in August 1996. Diana won a settlement estimated at $27 million but lost the right to the title, Her Royal Highness. After the divorce, she immersed herself in charity work. Symbol of sacrifice
She broke the boundaries of royal life with candid public interviews that focused on her feelings and struggle with depression. Diana became the patron saint of victims, the sick, the discriminated against and the homeless. With her dedication to 100-plus charities, she drew more attention not as the typical royal family member but rather for her humanitarian work. She strived hard to raise the profile of organisations helping the homeless, the disabled, and those suffering with HIV and also supported the cause of decommissioning of all land mines. Many believe that suffering in her private life helped her to understand the agony of the distressed around the world. Even after her death, her work continues in the form of commemorative charities to help those in need. Diana as Media icon

Diana was one of the most-photographed women of the world. From the time she married Prince Charles, she was mobbed by press. She used media as a stage for projecting her image--as the wronged spouse, as the radiant society beauty, as the compassionate princess hugging AIDS patients and land-mine victims—but also criticised it when she sought privacy. Contrary to this, ‘Diana mad’ journalists, photographers chased her where she went to encapture her expressions, actions and movements. For instance, she moved court accusing a photographer of The Sun newspaper of stalking her. So much to say, the Dodi and Diana story became Britain`s hottest media property. But how much is too much ….. Who is to be blamed for death? Wee hours of August 31…. a wild chase by the paparazzi …..that proved fatal, brought Diana’s end in a car crash in Paris. Little did Diana realise that she will have to pay a heavy price to fulfill the public appetite for celebrity gossip.

“Goodbye England’s rose, from a country lost without your soul, Who’ll miss the wings of your compassion more than you’ll ever know…” Elton John