169 Facts About Diana Spenser

Diana, Princess of Wales was born on Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997, and was a member of the British royal family.

Diana Spenser was the first wife of King Charles III and mother of Princes William and Harry.

Diana Spenser was born into the British nobility and grew up close to the royal family on their Sandringham estate.

Diana Spenser was celebrated in the media for her unconventional approach to charity work.

Diana Spenser raised awareness and advocated for ways to help people affected by cancer and mental illness.

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Diana Spenser was initially noted for her shyness, but her charisma and friendliness endeared her to the public and helped her reputation survive the acrimonious collapse of her marriage.

Diana Spenser's legacy has had a deep impact on the royal family and British society.

Diana Spenser Frances Spencer was born on 1 July 1961 at Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk.

Diana Spenser was the fourth of five children of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp and Frances Spencer, Viscountess Althorp.

Diana Spenser's parents were hoping for a boy to carry on the family line, and no name was chosen for a week until they settled on Diana Frances after her mother and Lady Diana Spencer, a many-times-great-aunt who was a prospective Princess of Wales.

On 30 August 1961, Diana Spenser was baptised at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham.

Diana Spenser grew up with three siblings: Sarah, Jane, and Charles.

The royal family frequently holidayed at the neighbouring Sandringham House, and Diana Spenser played with the Queen's sons Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

Diana Spenser lived with her mother in London during her parents' separation in 1967, but during that year's Christmas holidays, Lord Althorp refused to let his daughter return to London with Lady Althorp.

Diana Spenser later described her childhood as "very unhappy" and "very unstable, the whole thing".

Diana Spenser became known as Lady Diana after her father later inherited the title of Earl Spencer in 1975, at which point her father moved the entire family from Park House to Althorp, the Spencer seat in Northamptonshire.

Diana Spenser was initially home-schooled under the supervision of her governess, Gertrude Allen.

Diana Spenser began her formal education at Silfield Private School in King's Lynn, Norfolk, and moved to Riddlesworth Hall School, an all-girls boarding school near Thetford, when she was nine.

Diana Spenser joined her sisters at West Heath Girls' School in Sevenoaks, Kent, in 1973.

Diana Spenser did not perform well academically, failing her O-levels twice.

Diana Spenser showed a talent for music as an accomplished pianist.

Diana Spenser excelled in swimming and diving, and studied ballet and tap dance.

In 1978, Diana Spenser worked for three months as a nanny for Philippa and Jeremy Whitaker in Hampshire.

Diana Spenser took a series of low-paying jobs; she worked as a dance instructor for youth until a skiing accident caused her to miss three months of work.

Diana Spenser then found employment as a playgroup pre-school assistant, did some cleaning work for her sister Sarah and several of her friends, and acted as a hostess at parties.

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Diana Spenser spent time working as a nanny for the Robertsons, an American family living in London, and worked as a nursery teacher's assistant at the Young England School in Pimlico.

Diana Spenser lived there with three flatmates until 25 February 1981.

Charles and Diana Spenser were guests at a country weekend during the summer of 1980 when she watched him play polo and he took a serious interest in her as a potential bride.

Diana Spenser was well received by the Queen, the Queen Mother and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Diana Spenser proposed on 6 February 1981 at Windsor Castle, and she accepted, but their engagement was kept secret for two and a half weeks.

Diana Spenser then lived at Buckingham Palace until the wedding, where, according to biographer Ingrid Seward, her life was incredibly lonely.

Diana Spenser was the first Englishwoman to marry the first in line to the throne since Anne Hyde married the future James II over 300 years earlier, and she was the first royal bride to have a paying job before her engagement.

Diana Spenser made her first public appearance with Prince Charles in a charity ball in March 1981 at Goldsmiths' Hall, where she met Grace, Princess of Monaco.

Twenty-year-old Diana Spenser became the Princess of Wales when she married Charles on 29 July 1981.

At the altar, Diana Spenser inadvertently reversed the order of his first two names, saying "Philip Charles" Arthur George instead.

Diana Spenser did not say she would "obey" him; that traditional vow was left out at the couple's request, which caused some comment at the time.

Diana Spenser later confessed that she had intentionally thrown herself down the stairs because she was feeling "so inadequate".

On 21 June 1982, Diana Spenser gave birth to the couple's first son, Prince William.

Diana Spenser subsequently suffered from postpartum depression after her first pregnancy.

Diana Spenser said she and Charles were closest during her pregnancy with Harry.

Diana Spenser was aware their second child was a boy, but did not share the knowledge with anyone else, including Charles as he was hoping for a girl.

Diana Spenser gave her sons wider experiences than was usual for royal children.

Diana Spenser rarely deferred to Charles or to the royal family, and was often intransigent when it came to the children.

Diana Spenser chose their first given names, dismissed a royal family nanny and engaged one of her own choosing, selected their schools and clothing, planned their outings, and took them to school herself as often as her schedule permitted.

Diana Spenser was reported to have described Harry as "naughty, just like me", and William as "my little wise old man" whom she started to rely on as her confidant by his early teens.

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In 1986 Diana Spenser began a relationship with Major James Hewitt, the family's former riding instructor and in the same year, Charles resumed his relationship with his former girlfriend Camilla Parker Bowles.

In 1989, Diana Spenser was at a birthday party for Camilla's sister, Annabel Elliot, when she confronted Camilla about her and Charles's extramarital affair.

Philip wrote to Diana Spenser and expressed his disappointment at the extramarital affairs of both her and Charles; he asked her to examine their behaviour from the other's point of view.

Diana Spenser found the letters hard to take, but nevertheless appreciated that he was acting with good intent.

Between 1992 and 1993, Diana Spenser hired voice coach Peter Settelen to help her develop her public speaking voice.

Diana Spenser said in the tape that Mannakee had been "chucked out" from his role as her bodyguard following suspicion that the two were having an affair.

In October 1993, Diana Spenser wrote to her butler Paul Burrell, telling him that she believed her husband was now in love with his personal assistant Tiggy Legge-Bourke—who was his sons' former nanny—and was planning to have her killed "to make the path clear for him to marry Tiggy".

Legge-Bourke had been hired by Charles as a young companion for his sons while they were in his care, and Diana Spenser was resentful of Legge-Bourke and her relationship with the young princes.

Diana Spenser was evidently disturbed and outraged when the book was released, although Pasternak claimed Hewitt had acted with Diana Spenser's support to avoid having the affair covered in Andrew Morton's second book.

However, Diana Spenser denied any romantic relationship with Hoare, whom she described as a friend, and said that "a young boy" was the source of the nuisance calls made to Hoare.

Diana Spenser was linked by the press to rugby union player Will Carling and private equity investor Theodore J Forstmann, yet these claims were neither confirmed nor proven.

The combination of illnesses from which Diana Spenser herself said she suffered resulted in some of her biographers opining that she had borderline personality disorder.

In February 1996, Diana Spenser announced her agreement after negotiations with Charles and representatives of the Queen, irritating Buckingham Palace by issuing her own announcement of the divorce agreement and its terms.

Diana Spenser received a lump sum settlement of £17million as well as £400,000 per year.

Diana Spenser lost the style "Her Royal Highness" and instead was styled Diana Spenser, Princess of Wales.

The Queen reportedly wanted to let Diana Spenser continue to use the style of Royal Highness after her divorce, but Charles had insisted on removing it.

Diana Spenser attended the Trooping the Colour for the first time in June 1981, making her appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace afterwards.

Diana Spenser attended the State Opening of Parliament for the first time on 4 November 1981.

Diana Spenser's first solo engagement was a visit to Regent Street on 18 November 1981 to switch on the Christmas lights.

Diana Spenser made her inaugural overseas tour in September 1982, to attend the state funeral of Grace, Princess of Monaco.

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Also in 1982, Diana Spenser was created a Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown by Queen Beatrix.

In February 1984, Diana Spenser was the patron of London City Ballet when she travelled to Norway on her own to attend a performance organised by the company.

Diana Spenser had a busy year in 1986 as she and Charles toured Japan, Spain, and Canada.

In 1988, Charles and Diana Spenser visited Thailand and toured Australia for the bicentenary celebrations.

Diana Spenser subsequently travelled to Germany in January 1991 to visit RAF Bruggen, and later wrote an encouraging letter which was published in Soldier, Navy News and RAF News.

In 1991, Charles and Diana Spenser visited Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, where they presented the university with a replica of their royal charter.

In September 1991, Diana Spenser visited Pakistan on a solo trip, and went to Brazil with Charles.

Diana Spenser paid a formal visit to Emperor and, and visited the National Children's Hospital in Tokyo.

In June 1995, Diana Spenser went to the Venice Biennale art festival, and visited Moscow where she received the International Leonardo Prize.

In November 1995, Diana Spenser undertook a four-day trip to Argentina to attend a charity event.

Diana Spenser visited many other countries, including Belgium, Switzerland, and Zimbabwe, alongside numerous others.

Diana Spenser's 36th and final birthday celebration was held at Tate Gallery, which was a commemorative event for the gallery's 100th anniversary.

Diana Spenser carried out 191 official engagements in 1988 and 397 in 1991.

Diana Spenser developed an intense interest in serious illnesses and health-related matters outside the purview of traditional royal involvement, including AIDS and leprosy.

Diana Spenser was the patroness of charities and organisations who worked with the homeless, youth, drug addicts, and the elderly.

Diana Spenser was patron of the Natural History Museum and president of the Royal Academy of Music.

Diana Spenser made several lengthy visits each week to Royal Brompton Hospital, where she worked to comfort seriously ill or dying patients.

In 1987, Diana Spenser was awarded the Honorary Freedom of the City of London, the highest honour which is in the power of the City of London to bestow on someone.

Diana Spenser paid a visit to a children's hospital she had previously supported when she provided them with medical equipment.

In December 1995, Diana Spenser received the United Cerebral Palsy Humanitarian of the Year Award in New York City for her philanthropic efforts.

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Diana Spenser continued her work with the British Red Cross Anti-Personnel Land Mines Campaign, but was no longer listed as patron.

In May 1997, Diana Spenser opened the Richard Attenborough Centre for Disability and the Arts in Leicester, after being asked by her friend Richard Attenborough.

Diana Spenser's final official engagement was a visit to Northwick Park Hospital, London, on 21 July 1997.

Diana Spenser was scheduled to attend a fundraiser at the Osteopathic Centre for Children on 4 September 1997, upon her return from Paris.

Diana Spenser was not averse to making physical contact with AIDS patients, and was the first British royal figure to do so.

In October 1990, Diana Spenser opened Grandma's House, a home for young AIDS patients in Washington, DC She was a patron of the National AIDS Trust and regularly visited London Lighthouse, which provided residential care for HIV patients.

Diana Spenser later established and led fundraising campaigns for AIDS research.

In March 1997, Diana Spenser visited South Africa, where she met with President Nelson Mandela.

Diana Spenser was the patron of the HALO Trust, an organisation that removes debris—particularly landmines—left behind by war.

In January 1997, pictures of Diana Spenser touring an Angolan minefield in a ballistic helmet and flak jacket were seen worldwide.

Diana Spenser later chose this charity to be among the organisations that benefited from the auction of her clothes in New York.

In February 1996, Diana Spenser, who had been informed about a newly opened cancer hospital built by Imran Khan, travelled to Pakistan to visit its children's cancer wards and attend a fundraising dinner in aid of the charity in Lahore.

Diana Spenser additionally visited patients at the Cook County Hospital and delivered remarks at a conference on breast cancer at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law after meeting a group of breast cancer researchers.

In September 1996, after being asked by Katharine Graham, Diana Spenser went to Washington and appeared at a White House breakfast in respect of the Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer Research.

Diana Spenser attended an annual fund-raiser for breast cancer research organised by The Washington Post at the same centre.

In 1988, Diana Spenser opened Children with Leukaemia in memory of two young cancer victims.

Diana Spenser remained the patron of this charity and visited several of its hospitals around the world, especially in India, Nepal, Zimbabwe and Nigeria until her death in 1997.

Diana Spenser touched those affected by the disease when many people believed it could be contracted through casual contact.

Diana Spenser was a long-standing and active supporter of Centrepoint, a charity which provides accommodation and support to homeless people, and became patron in 1992.

Diana Spenser supported organisations that battle poverty and homelessness, including the Passage.

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Diana Spenser was a supporter of young homeless people and spoke out on behalf of them by saying that "they deserve a decent start in life".

Diana Spenser used to take young William and Harry for private visits to Centrepoint services and homeless shelters.

Diana Spenser was a staunch and longtime supporter of charities and organisations that focused on social and mental issues, including Relate and Turning Point.

Diana Spenser became the charity's patron in 1987 and visited the charity on a regular basis, meeting the sufferers at its centres or institutions including Rampton and Broadmoor.

In November 1980, the Sunday Mirror ran a story claiming that Charles had used the Royal Train twice for secret love rendezvous with Diana Spenser, prompting the palace to issue a statement, calling the story "a total fabrication" and demanding an apology.

Diana Spenser moved her offices to Kensington Palace but was permitted "to use the state apartments at St James's Palace".

Diana Spenser was given an allowance to run her private office, which was responsible for her charity work and royal duties, but from September 1996 onwards she was required to pay her bills and "any expenditure" incurred by her or on her behalf.

Diana Spenser was offered security by Metropolitan Police's Royalty Protection Group, which she benefitted from while travelling with her sons, but had refused it in the final years of her life, in an attempt to distance herself from the royal family.

Diana Spenser dated the British-Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, who was called "the love of her life" by many of her closest friends after her death, and she is said to have described him as "Mr Wonderful".

In May 1996, Diana Spenser visited Lahore upon invitation of Imran Khan, a relative of Hasnat Khan, and visited the latter's family in secret.

Khan was intensely private and the relationship was conducted in secrecy, with Diana Spenser lying to members of the press who questioned her about it.

Diana Spenser is said to have spoken of her distress when he ended their relationship.

However, according to Khan's testimony at the inquest into her death, it was Diana Spenser who ended their relationship in the summer of 1997.

That summer, Diana Spenser had considered taking her sons on a holiday to the Hamptons on Long Island, New York, but security officials had prevented it.

On 31 August 1997, Diana Spenser died in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris while the driver was fleeing the paparazzi.

Diana Spenser's sons walked in the funeral procession behind her coffin, along with her ex-husband the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, Diana's brother Lord Spencer, and representatives of some of her charities.

Diana Spenser's body was clothed in a black long-sleeved dress designed by Catherine Walker, which she had chosen some weeks before.

The original plan was for Diana Spenser to be buried in the Spencer family vault at the local church in nearby Great Brington, but Lord Spencer said he was concerned about public safety and security and the onslaught of visitors that might overwhelm Great Brington.

Diana Spenser decided Diana would be buried where her grave could be easily cared for and visited in privacy by William, Harry, and other relatives.

The will was signed in June 1993, but Diana Spenser had it modified in February 1996 to remove the name of her personal secretary from the list of trustees and have her sister replace him.

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Many of Diana Spenser's possessions were initially left in the care of her brother who put them on show in Althorp twice a year until they were returned to the princes.

Diana Spenser left her butler Paul Burrell around £50,000 in cash.

In 2008, Ken Wharfe, a former bodyguard of Diana Spenser, claimed that her scandalous conversations with James Gilbey were in fact recorded by the GCHQ, which intentionally released them on a "loop".

Wharfe said Diana Spenser herself believed that members of the royal family were all being monitored, though he stated that the main reason for it could be the potential threats of the IRA.

On 19 March 2013, ten of Diana Spenser's dresses, including a midnight blue velvet gown she wore to a 1985 state dinner at the White House when she danced with John Travolta, raised over £800,000 at auction in London.

The six letters that were written by Diana Spenser included information about her young sons' daily life and raised £15,100.

Diana Spenser remains one of the most popular members of the royal family throughout history, and she continues to influence the younger generations of royals.

Diana Spenser was a major presence on the world stage from her engagement to Prince Charles in 1981 until her death in 1997, and was often described as the "world's most photographed woman".

Diana Spenser was noted for her compassion, style, charisma, and high-profile charity work, as well as her ill-fated marriage.

Diana Spenser said she was a tough boss who was "equally quick to appreciate hard work" but could be defiant "if she felt she had been the victim of injustice".

Diana Spenser's mother defined her as a "loving" figure who could occasionally be "tempestuous".

Paul Burrell, who worked as a butler for Diana Spenser, remembered her as a "deep thinker" who was capable of "introspective analysis".

Diana Spenser was often described as a devoted mother to her children, who are believed to be influenced by her personality and way of life.

Brown believed that Diana Spenser was capable of charming people with a single glance.

Diana Spenser is often credited with widening the range of charity works carried out by the royal family in a more modern style.

Diana Spenser's was the final rejection; the way in which he consistently denigrated her reduced her to despair.

Diana Spenser had become what Prime Minister Tony Blair called the "People's Princess", an iconic national figure.

Diana Spenser had reportedly said that she had shown the nation "a new way to be British".

Diana Spenser was the very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty.

In 1997, Diana Spenser was one of the runners-up for Time magazine's Person of the Year.

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In 2002, Diana Spenser ranked third on the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, above the Queen and other British monarchs.

In 2018, Diana Spenser ranked fifteenth on the BBC Historys poll of 100 Women Who Changed the World.

Patrick Jephson, her private secretary of eight years, wrote in an article in The Daily Telegraph that "[Diana Spenser] had an extra quality that frustrated her critics during her lifetime and has done little to soften their disdain since her death".

Diana Spenser was criticised by philosophy professor Anthony O'Hear who in his notes argued that she was unable to fulfill her duties, her reckless behaviour was damaging the monarchy, and she was "self-indulgent" in her philanthropic efforts.

Tina Brown argued that Diana Spenser was in no way "a vulnerable victim of media manipulation", and she found it "offensive to present the canny, resourceful Diana Spenser as a woman of no agency, as either a foolish, duped child or the hapless casualty of malevolent muckrakers".

Nevertheless, Diana Spenser used the media's interest in her to shine light on her charitable efforts and patronages.

Diana Spenser was a fashion icon whose style was emulated by women around the world.

Diana Spenser remains a prominent figure for her fashion style, impacting recent cultural and style trends.

Diana Spenser forgoed certain traditions, such as wearing gloves during engagements, and sought to create a wardrobe that helped her to connect with the public.

Copies of Diana Spenser's British Vogue-featured pink chiffon blouse by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, which appeared on the magazine's cover on her engagement announcement day, sold in the millions.

Diana Spenser appeared on two more British Vogue covers during her lifetime and was featured on its October 1997 issue posthumously.

Diana Spenser was featured in the cover story for the July 1997 issue of Vanity Fair.

Diana Spenser did her own makeup for events, and was accompanied by a hairstylist for public appearances.

In 1998, several countries issued postage stamps commemorating Diana Spenser, including the UK, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Somalia, and Congo.

Princess Diana Spenser Drive was named in her memory in Trenton, New Jersey.

Vine intended to portray Diana Spenser's combined strength and vulnerability as well as her closeness to her two sons.

Diana Spenser was been depicted by contemporary painter Sam McKinniss in a 2017 exhibition that included portraits of musicians Prince and Lorde, actress Drew Barrymore, and author Joan Didion.

Actresses who have portrayed Diana Spenser include Serena Scott Thomas, Julie Cox, Amy Seccombe, Michelle Duncan, Genevieve O'Reilly, Nathalie Brocker, Naomi Watts, Jeanna de Waal, Emma Corrin and Elizabeth Debicki, and Kristen Stewart.

Diana Spenser additionally bore the titles Duchess of Rothesay, Duchess of Cornwall, Countess of Chester, and Baroness of Renfrew.

Diana Spenser is still sometimes referred to in the media as "Lady Diana Spencer" or simply as "Lady Di".

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Diana Spenser was born into the British Spencer family, different branches of which hold the titles of Duke of Marlborough, Earl Spencer, Earl of Sunderland, and Baron Churchill.

Diana Spenser's great-grandmother was Margaret Baring, a member of the German-British Baring family of bankers and the daughter of Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke.

Diana Spenser was descended from the House of Stuart through Charles II of England by Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond, and Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, and his brother James II of England by Henrietta FitzJames.

Diana Spenser is variously described in contemporary documents as "a dark-skinned native woman" and "an Armenian woman from Bombay".