Who is Diana?

Diana is our hero because she was a larger-than-life figure, both in the United States (with its history of fascination with the British monarchy) and worldwide. Even in death, which only strengthened her heroic status, this seemingly self-absorbed woman of British nobility generated endless speculation about her thoughts, actions and desires.

She garnered great pity and compassion, despite her exalted status and seemingly charmed life. Fans worldwide could never get enough of her. The pressures to be perfect and to act like a future queen were intense-and the public knew it.

What made her Princess of Wales?

It seemed that the whole world watched the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Charles, the Prince of Wales. It was considered one of the fairy-tale love stories of the century. The sad reality was that the marriage was almost doomed from the start and would end in charges and countercharges of adultery, rumors of scandals, divorce and, ultimately, tragic death. Yet despite her personal problems, Princess Diana still symbolized a glamor and style that helped her in her work for several charities.

Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961, at Park House near Sandringham, England. Her parents were members of the British aristocracy and at the time of Diana’s birth were the Viscount and Viscountess Althorp. With two older sisters, Jane and Sarah, Diana was the youngest daughter in the family. A younger brother, Charles, would enter the family soon.

Her parents were considered a glamorous match (with Queen Elizabeth II attending the wedding). However, the marriage would end in divorce when Diana was only six. Many consider this traumatic experience to be one of the causes of Diana’s feelings of insecurity.

Diana was sent to Riddles worth Hall boarding school after her parents’ divorce. She excelled at sports, but was not very successful in her academics. After graduation from boarding school, she headed to London to work as a nanny, as a cook and finally as an assistant at the Young England Kindergarten in Knightsbridge. By this time, her father had remarried a daughter of Barbara Cartland, the world-famous writer of romances.

Meanwhile Charles, Prince of Wales and next in line for the British throne, was under increasing pressure to marry. As the 1980s approached, Charles was nearing his mid-30s. He had been advised by male relatives to marry an innocent young woman who would place him on a pedestal. Also, in order to get his family’s approval, he would have to marry someone with an aristocratic background, a Protestant and, preferably, a virgin.

Rumor has it that his future mistress and second wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, helped him find the 19-year-old Diana when she was working at Young England. Speculation spread quickly that Charles was going to marry Lady Diana and, after efforts from the palace to downplay the relationship, the engagement was officially announced on February 24, 1981.

From the beginning there were doubts from family, friends and royal observers that this was a match made in heaven. Charles and Diana seemed to have little in common and there was a 13-year age gap between them. It came out after the marriage hit the rocks that Charles had confided in a friend that before the wedding he did not love Diana, but was sure he could in time.

“The wedding, in full royal splendor, took place on July 29, 1981, in front of 3,500 invited guests. More than 600,000 people lined the route from Buckingham Palace to the cathedral. And the world watched the event on TV.”

Diana quickly fell into the expected routine of visits to nurseries, schools and hospitals. The public, both in England and around the world, seemed to fall in love with the young and energetic princess. She had her first son, William, within a year of her wedding and her second son, Henry, 2 years after that.

It seemed a perfect life. However, underneath much was not going well for Diana. She suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of William. Her tendency to bulimia nervosa returned and she reportedly made a half-hearted attempt at suicide before William was born. Things worsened in the marriage through the rest of the 1980s and early 1990s with the royal couple spending more and more time apart. Diana suspected that Charles had maintained a romantic relationship with the married Camilla Parker Bowles. He later admitted an extramarital affair with Bowles.

The press was now publishing information regarding not only Charles’ relationship, but also the several affairs Diana reportedly had while she was married. Throughout it all, Diana continued her efforts to assist AIDS charities (she was one of the first celebrities photographed hugging an AIDS victim) and also to promote the efforts to rid the world of unexploded landmines.

Under pressure from the queen, Charles and Diana were finally divorced on August 28, 1996. Diana told a friend it was the saddest day in her life. Because of the divorce, she lost the title Her Royal Highness and was identified now as Diana, Princess of Wales. She would never ascend to be queen.

The press was soon speculating on her apparent relationship with Dodi Fayed, the son of millionaire businessman Mohammed Al Fayed. The elder Fayed’s assets included the London department store, Harrods. He continually resented what he considered to be snubs from the British upper class.

Reportedly, Diana and Dodi were deeply in love, and he was going to ask her to marry him. The couple took a brief holiday in Sardinia but were hounded constantly by the paparazzi, which Diana had grown to resent deeply. They cut their holiday short and traveled to Paris, where the local paparazzi took up the chase.

On August 31, 1997, the couple left their hotel late at night to travel to Villa Windsor. They were driven by one of Fayed’s men and were accompanied by bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones. The paparazzi pursued the vehicle into the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel, where Diana’s car, traveling at a great speed, crashed into a pillar in the tunnel. The driver and Dodi Fayed were killed instantly. Diana suffered massive internal bleeding and was taken to a hospital, where she died soon after. Only Rees-Jones survived.

The tragic death and funeral again captured the world’s attention. Diana was laid to rest on an island in an ornamental lake on the grounds of Althorp Park, her family home.

The Legacy of the Diana

Despite her real concerns and efforts to help significant charities, Diana, Princess of Wales, will unfortunately be mostly remembered for what she was not. She was lovely, vivacious and glamorous, but she did not have the stamina to deal with the pressures of a royal marriage. She knew that her husband did not love her and found solace with other men in relationships that were destructive.

This sadness and vulnerability are doubtless part of Diana’s continuing legacy, rather than any specific deeds she accomplished. It is impossible to say what her life might have been like if she had married Dodi Fayed.

As with the rest of her life, Diana’s death was the cause of controversy. The elder Fayed was convinced the deaths were part of a conspiracy, although these theories were rejected by both British and French investigators. In 2006, an independent inquiry by Lord Stevens, former chief of the Metropolitan Police, reported the case was more complex than previously thought, although no details have been released.

Diana’s life and death showed the world that, despite the best of intentions and well-wishings, fairy tales in real life do not always end happily ever after.

Courtesy

A candid interview with Diana is available on a DVD, NBC Presents: The Diana No One Knew, Genius Entertainment, 2006. You can find information on Diana and other British royalty at www.royal.gov.uk.

Other books on Diana include Diana: The Last Word, St. Martin’s Press, 2005; The Murder of Princess Diana, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2004; Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words, Pocket, 1998; and Diana: Story of a Princess, Atria, 2003.