The Life of Princess Diana

A privileged youth, a tragic death

by David Johnson

The tragic death of Princess Diana in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997, generated an intense outpouring of grief. The anniversary was marked last year by the opening of a memorial garden in London.

Millions of people said they identified with her quest for happiness and her sense of altruism. Mountains of flowers were placed outside Kensington Palace and British embassies around the world. And many were furious that the Queen did not address the nation until several days after the accident.

A Privileged Youth

Diana was descended from the Stuart kings, and her family, the Spencers, is one of the more illustrious in England. They have lived at Althorp, the family estate, since 1508.

Born on July 1, 1961, Diana had two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother, Charles. When she was just six years old, her parents went through a bitter divorce. Her father, Earl Spencer later remarried Raine, Countess of Dartmouth.

Diana was educated at Riddlesworth Hall, a preparatory school in Norfolk, and later at the West Heath school. She excelled at music, dance, and home economics. She also attended the Institut Alpin Vidermanette in Switzerland.

A Shy Kindergarten Teacher

In 1979 Diana moved into a London apartment, working as a nanny and then as a kindergarten teacher at the Young England School in the Pimlico section of London.

Her 1981 engagement to Prince Charles captivated the world. The image of the inexperienced, gawky teacher dubbed "Shy Di" meeting her prince charming delighted even the most jaded observers.

One billion people around the world watched Lady Diana Spencer marry Prince Charles in a splashy ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral July 29, 1981. Diana's youth, style, and sympathetic manner made her the most popular royal and sparked new interest in the monarchy.

The Marriage Disintegrates

Diana and Charles had two sons, Prince William, born in 1982, and Prince Henry, born in 1984. However, by the time of Henry's birth, the marriage was under serious strain.

Charles had resumed his old romance with Camilla Parker Bowles, the wife of his friend Andrew Parker Bowles. Diana increasingly resented the relationship. The obligations and rituals of royal life also took a toll. Diana later admitted severe psychological problems.

The royal couple separated in 1992, while the Queen and her advisers hoped for a cooling-off period.

A Divorce Settlement

After months of negotiations, Diana received a generous settlement consisting of a lump sum of $28 million, $600,000 per year. However, Diana did not retain the right to be called Her Royal Highness. The divorce was finalized in August 1996.

Cruising with Dodi

During the summer of 1997, Diana embarked on the fateful vacation with her new boyfriend, Emad Mohamed "Dodi" al-Fayed, the playboy son of an Egyptian-born tycoon. Fayed, the owner of the Ritz Hotel in Paris and Harrod's department store in London, represented the sort of jet set notoriety that the royal family took great pains to avoid.

After their death, Fayed's father insisted Dodi and Diana were going to marry. Friends of Diana's were not so sure. The pair had only known each other for six weeks and virtually none of Diana's friends had even met Dodi.

For more information, visit the royal family's website which has a section devoted to Diana.