Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana, Princess of Wales

Project by:Bacioiu TheodorGhita TeodorNeculai Ciprian

Early lifePrincess Diana was born on July 1st 1961 in Sandringham,Norfolk in a family of British nobility. She was the child of John Spencer,the 8th Earl Spencer and Frances Shand Kydd.She grew up in Park House, which was situated near to the Sandringham estate, and was educated inEnglandandSwitzerland. In 1975 she becameLady Diana Spencer, after her father inherited the title ofEarl SpencerIn 1968, Diana was sent toRiddlesworth Hall School, an all-girls boarding school.While she was young, she attended a localpublic school. She did not shine academically, and was moved toWest Heath Girls' School, where she was regarded as a poor student, having attempted and failed all of herO-levelstwice.However, she showed a particular talent for music as an accomplished pianist.Her outstanding community spirit was recognised with an award from West Heath.

Marriage to the Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales, had previously been linked to Lady Diana's elder sister Lady Sarah, and in his early thirties he was under increasing pressure to marry. The Prince of Wales had known Lady Diana since November 1977 when he and Lady Sarah were dating,but he first took a serious interest in her as a potential bride during the summer of 1980, when they were guests at a country weekend.Lady Diana was well received bythe Duke of Edinburgh andQueen Elizabeth. The couple subsequently courted in London. The prince proposed on 6 February 1981, and Lady Diana accepted, but their engagement was kept secret for the next few weeks.Diana became Princess of Wales at the age of 20,when she married the Prince of Wales on 29 July 1981 atSt Paul's Cathedral. It was widely billed as a "fairytale wedding", watched by a global television audience of 750million while 600,000 people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of Diana en route to the ceremony. Also, she was the first Englishwoman to marry the heir to the throne for 300 years.Thewedding dress whichPrincess Diana wore was made of 250-yard lace, tulle and ivory silk taffeta gown, embedded with 10,000 pearls and sequins and an equally grand 8 metre long and in total in cost about 150000$ in todays money.

Family lifePrincess Diana had 2 boys, Prince William(21st of June 1982) and Prince Henry(15th of September 1984). She was described as a dedicated and caring mother as she wanted her sons to have wider experiences than are unusual for royal children.So she took them to Disney World and McDonalds as well as AIDS clinics and shelters for the homeless and she bought them typical teenage items, such as video games.

Royal dutiesPrincess Diana took her royal duties seriously as she went on many tours, visiting many countries such as Netherlands, Monaco, Australia, New Zeeland, Canada, Norway,Spain USA where she met with Ronald Reagen, at Vatican where she met with Pope John Paul II and even in Japan where she met Emperor Hirohito.She also visited and talked with the leaders in former British colonies such as Egypt and Arab States of the Persian Gulf as well as states in South America.

Charity work and patronagePrincess Diana became really interested in charity and helped people in different ways such as creating fund for charity and she even went in some cases to help personally. Her areas of work were leprosy, HIV/AIDS, landmines which caused horrific wounds to people who managed to survive,homelessness and cancer.

DivorceThe problems between Princess Diana and Prince Charles started as early as 1985 because of the couple's incompatibility and age difference (almost 13 years),as well as Diana's concern about Charles's previous girlfriend,Camilla Parker Bowles whichbecame visible and damaged their marriage seriously. Also the media had a lot of interest in Dianas personal which caused her cases of depression as well as disrespecting her personal lifeThe process started in december 1995 and it was finalised in august 1996 and she lost her title of Royal Highness and she regained her title of Princess of Wales.After the divorceDiana started to meet Hasnat Khan and they had a relation for nearly 2 years. After that, she began seeing Dodi Fayed, the son of her host at Kesington Palace, Mohamed Al-Fayed in the summer of 1997.DeathOn the 30th of august 1997 she went to visit the French and Italian Riviera and she stopped on route at the Ritz Hotel in Paris which was owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed. The paparazzi followed her, but she didnt want to be in the public eye.Henri Paul, the deputy head of security at theRitz Hotel, had been instructed to drive the hired black 1994Mercedes-Benz S280in order to elude thepaparazzi; adecoyvehicle left the Ritz first from the main entrance on Place Vendme, attracting a throng of photographers. Diana and Fayed then departed from the hotel's rear entrance rue Cambon at around 12:20am, heading for the apartment in Rue Arsne Houssaye.After leaving the rue Cambon and crossing thePlace de la Concorde, they drove into the Place de l'Alma underpass.At around 12:23am at the entrance to the tunnel Paul lost control; the car swerved to the left of the two-lane carriageway before colliding head-on with the 13th pillar supporting the roof at an estimated speed of 105km/h It then spun and hit the stone wall of the tunnel backwards, finally coming to a stop. The impact caused substantial damage, particularly to the front half of the vehicle. Fayed and the driver Paul were killed right on the spot while Diana was seriously injured, but she unfortunately died the next day.

Causes of accident and deathAfter numerous investigation and theories speculated by the media, the causes of the accident were the fact that the paparazzi pursued Dianas car continuously, Diana, who didnt wear the seat belt and the driver, Henry Paul, who was drunk when he drove the car .FuneralThe sudden and unexpected death of an extraordinarily popular royal figure brought statements from senior figures worldwide and many tributes by members of the public.People left public offerings of flowers, candles, cards and personal messages outsideKensington Palacefor many months. Her coffin, draped with royal flag, was brought to London from Paris by Prince Charles and her two sisters on 31 August 1997.The funeral took place at Westminster Abbey, on the 6th of September, where the Royal family and close friends took part. After the burial, when the coffin was taken to be buried at Althorp, about one million people lined the streets of London, and flowers rained down onto the cortege from bystanders, while nearly two billion people watched the burial from TV.

LegacyFrom her engagement to the Prince of Wales in 1981 until her death in 1997, Diana was a major presence on the world stage, often described as the "world's most photographed woman.Royal biographerSarah Bradfordcommented, "The only cure for Diana's suffering would have been the love of the Prince of Wales, which she so passionately desired, something which would always be denied her as Diana herself commented, "My husband made me feel inadequate in every possible way that each time I came up for air he pushed me down again ...She remained known as a beautiful and charismatic princess worldwide before and after her death.The end