Princess Diana's father. The Spencer family: who is really behind the tragedy of Princess Diana

Celebrity biographies

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01.07.17 10:46

Princess Diana was included in the list of "100 Greatest Britons", taking third place in it. And even now, many years after the death of Princess Diana, her personality is of great interest, and daughter-in-law Kate Middleton is constantly compared to her mother-in-law. The death of Princess Diana and the life of Princess Diana are shrouded in mysteries that can no longer be solved.

Princess Diana - biography

Representative of an ancient aristocratic family

Princess Diana of Wales, whom everyone called “Lady Diana” or “Lady Di” for short, was born on July 1, 1961 in Sandringham (Norfolk). Then her name was Diana Frances Spencer. She belonged to a noble family: her father John Spencer was Viscount Althorp (and later Earl Spencer) and was distantly related to the Dukes of Marlborough (to which Winston Churchill belonged). Also in John's family tree were the bastards of the brother kings Charles the Second and James the Second. Princess Diana's mother's name was Frances Shand Kydd; she could not boast of such ancient noble roots.

An early biography of Princess Diana took place in family nest Sandgreenham, she was taught by the same governess who raised Frances. After homeschooling (primary classes) the future Princess Diana went to Sealfield private school, and then moved to Riddlesworth Hall preparatory school. Even then, her father and mother were divorced (divorced in 1969), Diana came under the care of John, like her brother and sisters. The girl was very worried about the separation from her mother, and after that she could not establish a relationship with her strict stepmother.

Newly hired teacher's assistant

In 1973, Princess Diana entered an elite girls' school in Kent, but did not graduate, showing poor results. Having become Lady Diana (when John took over the peerage from his deceased father), the 14-year-old girl moved with her family and her newly-made father, the Earl, to Althorp House Castle in Northamptonshire.

Another attempt to send Diana away from home was made in 1977, when she moved to Switzerland. But, unable to bear parting with her loved ones and her homeland, Diana left Rougemont and returned home. Princess Diana's biography continued in London, where she was given an apartment (for her 18th birthday). Having settled into her new home, Diana invited three friends to be neighbors and got a job in a kindergarten in Pimiliko as a teacher’s assistant.

Personal life of Princess Diana

Hunting meeting

In 1981 she was destined to become a princess Welsh Diana, that's what we'll talk about.

Before she left for Switzerland, Diana was introduced to Queen Elizabeth II's son, Prince Charles, who was taking part in a hunt held at Althorp. This happened in the winter of 1977. But serious relationship Princesses Diana and Charles began later, in the summer of 1980.

They went on a weekend together (on the royal yacht Britannia), and then Charles introduced Diana to her parents, Elizabeth II and Philip, at the Windsor's Scottish castle, Balmoral. The girl made a good impression, so Charles’s family did not contradict their romance. The couple began dating, and on February 3, 1981, the heir to the throne proposed to Diana at Windsor Castle. She agreed. But the engagement was announced only on February 24. Princess Diana's famous ring with a large sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds cost £30,000. Later it was passed on to Kate Middleton - Princess Diana's eldest son William gave it to the bride upon their engagement.

The most expensive “wedding of the century”

Princess Diana's wedding took place on July 29, 1981 in London's St. Pavel. The celebration began at 11.20, 3.5 thousand distinguished guests were present in the temple, and 750 million viewers watched the “wedding of the century” on TV. Great Britain rejoiced; the Queen declared this day a holiday. After the wedding there was a reception for 120 people. The wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles is recognized as the most expensive in the history of the country - 2.859 million pounds were spent on it.

Princess Diana's wedding dress was made of airy taffeta and lace, with very puffy sleeves, by fashion designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel. Then it was valued at 9 thousand pounds. Hand embroidery, antique lace, a daring neckline, rhinestones and a long ivory train all looked stunning on the slender bride. To be on the safe side, two copies of Princess Diana's outfit were sewn together, but they were not needed. The newlywed's head was decorated with a tiara.

Desired heirs William and Harry

Princess Diana and Charles spent their honeymoon on a Mediterranean cruise on the yacht Britannia, stopping in Tunisia, Greece, Sardinia and Egypt. Returning to their homeland, the newlyweds went to Balmoral Castle and relaxed in a hunting lodge.

There is also a biopic “The Queen”, about the events after the death of Princess Diana; Helen Mirren portrays Elizabeth II in it.

Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1960. The third girl in the family, she became another disappointment for Count John Spencer, who was expecting a son - the heir to titles and estates. But as a child, Diana was surrounded by love: as the youngest, she was pampered by both her family and servants.

The idyll did not last long: caught in adultery, Countess Spencer left for London, taking her younger children. The divorce process was accompanied by a scandal - at the trial, Diana’s grandmother testified against her daughter. For Diana, family discord remained forever associated with the terrible word “divorce.” The relationship with her stepmother did not work out, and for the rest of her childhood Diana rushed between her mother’s mansion in Scotland and her father’s in England, not feeling at home anywhere.

Diana (far right) with her father, sisters Sarah and Jane and brother Charles

Popular

Diana was not particularly diligent, and teachers spoke of her as an intelligent, but not very gifted girl. The real reason for her indifference to science was that she was already absorbed in another passion - ballet, but high growth prevented my hobby from becoming my life's work. Deprived of the opportunity to become a ballerina, Diana turned to social activities. Her enthusiastic nature and ability to infect others with her enthusiasm were noted by everyone around her.

Not just a friend

Prince Charles and Diana met when she was 16. Diana's sister Sarah was then dating the heir to the British throne, but the romance ended after a careless interview with the girl. Soon after the breakup, Charles began to look closely at the one in whom he had previously seen only younger sister his girlfriend, and soon came to the conclusion: Diana is perfection itself! The girl was flattered by the prince's attention, and everything went to a happy ending.

Over the weekend in country house The friends were followed by a cruise on the yacht Britannia, and then an invitation to Balmoral Castle, the summer residence of the English monarchs, where Diana was officially introduced to the royal family. To marry, the future monarch requires permission from the current monarch. Formally, Diana was the ideal candidate for the role of the bride. Possessing all the advantages of a less fortunate sister (noble birth, excellent upbringing and attractive appearance), she could boast of innocence and modesty, which the lively Sarah clearly lacked. And only one thing confused Elizabeth II - Diana seemed too unadapted to palace life. But Charles was over thirty, the search for the best candidate could drag on, and after much hesitation, the queen finally gave her blessing.

On February 6, 1981, Diana accepted the prince's proposal, and on July 29 they got married in St. Paul's Cathedral. The broadcast of the ceremony was watched by 750,000,000 people, and the wedding itself was like a fairy tale: Diana in a fluffy white dress with an eight-meter train drove up to the church in a carriage, surrounded by an escort of officers of the royal horse guards. The word “obey” was removed from the marriage vows, which created a sensation - indeed, even the Queen of England herself promised to obey her husband in everything.

Just a year after the wedding, Diana cradled her son and heir, Prince William. A couple of years later, Harry was born. Diana later admitted that these years were the best in her relationship with Charles. All free time they spent with children. “Family is the most important thing,” a beaming Diana told reporters.

At this time, Lady Di demonstrated her decisive character for the first time. Disregarding customs, she herself chose the names for the princes, refused the help of the royal nanny (hiring her own) and tried in every possible way to protect the highest interference in the life of her family. A devoted and affectionate mother, she organized her affairs so that they would not interfere with her picking up her children from school. And there was an incredible amount to do!

Royal affairs...

Princess Diana's duties as stipulated by the ceremony included attending charity events. Traditionally, charity is the activity of every member of the royal family. Princes and princesses have a long history of patronizing hospitals, orphanages, hospices, orphanages and non-profit organizations, but no British monarch has done so with such passion as Diana.

She greatly expanded the list of institutions visited, including hospitals for AIDS patients and leper colonies. The princess devoted a lot of time to the problems of children and youth, but among her wards were also nursing homes and rehabilitation centers for alcoholics and drug addicts. She also supported the campaign to ban landmines in Africa.

Princess Diana generously spent her money and the wealth of the royal family on good causes, and also attracted friends from high society. It was impossible to resist her soft but indestructible charm. All her compatriots adored her, and Lady Di had many fans abroad. “The most serious disease of the world is that there is little love in it,” she constantly repeated. At the same time, Diana unsuccessfully struggled with her own hereditary disease - bulimia (eating disorder), and against the backdrop of nervous experiences and stress, it was torture to restrain herself.

...and family matters

Family life turned out to be unhappy. Charles's long-term affair with a married woman, Lady Camilla Parker-Bowles, which Diana learned about after the wedding, resumed in the mid-80s. Insulted, Diana became close to James Hewitt, a riding instructor. Tensions increased when recordings of compromising telephone conversations between both spouses and lovers were leaked to the press. Numerous interviews followed, during which Charles and Diana blamed each other for the breakdown of their union. “There were too many people in my marriage,” the princess joked sadly.

The outraged queen tried to speed up her son's divorce. The papers were signed on August 28, 1996, and from that moment on, Princess Diana lost all rights to address Your Royal Highness. She herself always said that she only wants to be the queen of people’s hearts, and not a wife reigning monarch. After the divorce, Diana felt a little freer, although her life was still governed by protocol: she was ex-wife crown prince and mother of two heirs. It was her love for her sons that forced her to maintain the appearance of a family and tolerate her husband’s infidelities: “Any normal woman I would have left long ago. But I couldn't. I have sons." Even at the height of the scandal, Lady Di did not stop doing charity work.

After the divorce, Diana did not give up charity, and she really managed to change the world for the better. She directed her efforts to fight AIDS, cancer, and provided her assistance to children with heart defects.

At this time, the princess experienced a passionate affair with a surgeon of Pakistani origin, Hasnat Khan. Khan came from a very religious family, and Diana, in love, seriously considered converting to Islam in order to be able to marry her lover. Unfortunately, the contradictions between the two cultures were too great, and in June 1997 the couple separated. Just a few weeks later, Lady Di began dating Dodi Al-Fayed, a producer and son of an Egyptian multimillionaire.

You lived your life like a candle burns in the wind...

On August 31, 1997, Diana and Dodi were in Paris. They left the hotel by car when cars with paparazzi followed them. Trying to escape the pursuit, the driver lost control and crashed into a concrete bridge support. He himself and Dodi Al-Fayed died on the spot, Diana was taken to the hospital, where she died two hours later. The only survivor of the accident, bodyguard Trevor Rhys-Jones, has no memory of the events.

The police conducted a thorough investigation, as a result of which the cause of the princess's death was declared an accident caused by the carelessness of the driver and the carelessness of the car's passengers (none of them were wearing seat belts).

, future Princess of Wales, was very little, she believed that she would definitely marry prince charming, and everything will turn out exactly like in a fairy tale. Unfortunately, already at the age of 20, Lady Di had to see from her own experience: life is not easy...

We all know how the story of Diana, Lady Spencer, and Charles, Prince of Wales ended. Even today, two decades after saying goodbye to the Queen of Hearts, people are still searching for who the real Queen of Hearts is. ruined an unhappy life. Diana's fans usually blame Charles and Camilla for everything. In reality, however, everything was much sadder...

By the time of the prince’s wedding, Camilla had already come to terms with her status as a rejected lover. Charles tried unsuccessfully to get to Diana's heart for 5 years before he gave up.

The roots of the tragedy lead not to them, but to Spencer estate, to where the relatives, even in the first years of the baby’s life, planned who the future bride would be married to!

The wedding to Charles was a real triumph for the older generation of the Spencer family. Most of all they rejoiced father and grandmother beauties. Their trump card was played, the last chance to become related to the Windsors. Young, naive Diana became a bargaining chip for aristocrats obsessed with nobility.

Ruth Fermoy, Lady Di's grandmother, was friends with the Queen Mother herself. Ruth sincerely believed that the most important thing for a woman was to get married. She herself became engaged to Baron Fermoy.

The aristocrat, who was 23 years older than the bride, cheated on her left and right, but for the sake of the title of baroness, the woman was ready to turn a blind eye to this. Disappointed in her daughter, who dared to run away from a profitable marriage, Ruth was going to make up for lost time with the help of Diana.

What seemed like the end of the world to the sincere Lady Dee was something Fermoy took quite naturally. And Diana's frankness to ordinary people was a terrible blow for Ruth.

After the wedding, the woman’s relationship with her grandmother completely deteriorated, but Fermoy still believed that she had done everything right. Even before her death, Ruth asked for forgiveness not from her granddaughter, but from Elizabeth II, apologizing for her “damaged” bride.

John Spencer, Diana's father, had been hatching a plan for decades to extradite eldest daughter for Prince Charles, and the youngest for Andrew. According to rumors, girls were prepared for these marriages from early childhood. On the nightstand, each of them had a portrait of her future spouse.

Tiny Diana was even called “Duchess,” hinting at the title she would receive when she grew up. But Lady Di, as we know, was destined to become a princess.

Like Ruth, John was completely unfazed by the age difference between Diana and Charles. The prince's reputation as a ladies' man and his long relationship with Camilla also seemed like trifles to Earl Spencer.

A man with a nosebleed needed to become a relative of the Windsors. That's why on February 24, 1981, when Diana's engagement to Charles was publicly announced, John celebrated the victory! What happened next worried him little.

Francis, Ruth's daughter and Diana's mother, was somewhat like a daughter. She also married a man 12 years older than herself and was also unhappy in her marriage. But Frances didn’t show Diana’s vulnerability.

A woman with a steely character inherited all her determination from the unbending Ruth Fermoy. When it became clear that John Spencer was a domestic tyrant and a scoundrel, his wife simply left the count, leaving the children behind.

All her life Diana wondered how her mother could leave her, and tried in every possible way to establish contact with the parent. Unfortunately, Lady Di failed to make friends with Frances, and she did not receive any support from her mother. Mother and daughter were too different, everyone could see that.

Francis reacted to the collapse of Diana's marriage with very strange comments, which finally caused a quarrel between her and her daughter. IN last time the women quarreled to smithereens a few months before the death of the Queen of Hearts...

Sarah, Diana's sister, was the only blood relative who tried to somehow support the unfortunate woman. Unfortunately, the help of one maid of honor could not improve the situation, especially since the red-haired beauty had her own family in the first place. However, the sisters last days were very close.

Now Charles Spencer, brother Princess of Wales, sheds crocodile tears, lamenting that he could not help Lady Di. All the woman’s acquaintances object: while Diana was alive, she and her brother could not stand each other.

Diana Spencer is one of the most famous women twentieth century, whose tragic fate left a mark on the hearts of her contemporaries. Having become the wife of the heir to the royal throne, she faced betrayal and betrayal and was not afraid to expose the hypocrisy and cruelty of the British monarchy to the world.

The tragic death of Diana was perceived by many as a personal tragedy; a huge number of books, films and musical works are dedicated to it. Why Princess Diana was so popular among ordinary people, we will try to understand this material.

Childhood and family

Diana Frances Spencer is a representative of an old aristocratic dynasty, the founders of which were the descendants of kings Charles II and James II. The Duke of Marlborough, Winston Churchill and many other famous Englishmen belonged to her noble family. Her father, John Spencer, was Viscount Elthrop. The future princess's mother, Frances Ruth (née Roche), was also of noble birth - her father held a baronial title, and her mother was a confidant and lady-in-waiting of Queen Elizabeth.

Diana became the third girl in the Spencer family; she has two older sisters - Sarah (1955) and Jane (1957). A year before her birth, a tragedy occurred in the family - a boy born on January 12, 1960 died ten hours after birth. This event seriously affected the already ideal relationship between parents, and the birth of Diana could no longer correct this situation. In May 1964, the Spencer couple gave birth to the long-awaited heir Charles, but their marriage was already falling apart at the seams, the father spent all his time hunting and playing cricket, and the mother took a lover.

From early childhood, Diana felt like an unwanted and unloved child, deprived of attention and love. Neither her mother nor her father ever told her simple words: "We love you". The divorce of her parents was a shock for the eight-year-old girl, her heart was torn between her father and mother, who no longer wanted to live as one family. Frances left the children to her husband and left with her new chosen one for Scotland; Diana’s next meeting with her mother took place only at the wedding ceremony with Prince Charles.

IN early childhood Diana was raised and educated by governesses and home teachers. In 1968, the girl was sent to the prestigious private school West Hill, where her older sisters were already studying. Diana loved to dance, drew beautifully, and went in for swimming, but other subjects were difficult for her. She was unable to pass her final exams and was left without a matriculation certificate. School failures were caused by to a greater extent lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem, rather than low intellectual abilities.

In 1975, John Spencer inherited the title of Earl from his deceased father, and a year later he married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth. The children disliked their stepmother, boycotted her and refused to sit at the same table. Only after the death of her father in 1992, Diana changed her attitude towards this woman and began to communicate warmly with her.

In 1977, the future princess went to Switzerland to continue her education. Homesickness made her return without finishing educational institution. The girl moved to London and got a job.

In English aristocratic families, it is customary for grown-up children to work on an equal basis with ordinary citizens, so Diana, despite her noble origins, worked as a teacher in kindergarten Young England, which still exists in the respectable London area of ​​Pimlico and boasts links with the royal family.

She lived in a small apartment, given to her by her father when she came of age, and led a lifestyle typical of English youth. At the same time, she was a modest and well-mannered girl, avoided noisy London parties with marijuana and alcohol, and did not start serious affairs.

Meeting Prince Charles

Diana's first meeting with Prince Charles took place in 1977 at the Spencer family estate in Althorp. The heir to the British crown was then dating her older sister Sarah, the girl was even invited to the palace, which indicated serious plans for her. However, Sarah was not eager to become a princess; she did not hide her passion for alcohol, because of which she was expelled from school, and hinted at infertility.

The Queen was not satisfied with this state of affairs, and she began to consider Diana as a possible bride for her son. And Sarah happily married a calm, reliable man with a wonderful sense of humor, bore him three children and lived a happy family life.

The queen's desire to quickly marry her son was caused by his relationship with Camilla Shand, an intelligent, energetic and sexy blonde, but not well-born enough to become the heir to the throne. And Charles liked such women: experienced, sophisticated and ready to carry him in their arms. Camilla was also not averse to becoming a member of the royal family, however, as a smart woman, she had a backup option in the person of officer Andrew Parker-Bowles. Here's Andrew's heart for a long time occupied by Princess Anne, Charles' sister.

The marriage of Camilla and Bowles became a solution to two problems at once for the royal family - at that time Charles served in the navy, and when he returned, he met his beloved as a married lady. That didn't stop them from continuing love relationship, which did not stop with the appearance of Lady Diana’s prince in her life. Looking ahead, we add that eight years after the death of Lady Spencer, the prince married Camilla.

Diana was a modest, pretty girl without a trail of scandals and with an excellent pedigree - an excellent match for the future heir to the throne. The queen persistently suggested that her son pay attention to her, and Camilla was not against her lover’s marriage to a young, inexperienced person who did not pose any threat to her. Submitting to the will of his mother and realizing his duty to the dynasty, the prince invited Diana first to the royal yacht, and then to the palace, where, in the presence of members of the royal family, he proposed to her.

The official announcement of the engagement took place on February 24, 1981. Lady Di showed the public a luxurious sapphire and diamond ring, which now adorns the finger of Kate Middleton, the wife of her eldest son.

After the engagement, Diana left her job as a teacher and moved first to the royal residence in Westminster, and then to Buckingham Palace. It was an unpleasant surprise for her that the prince lived in separate apartments, continued to lead his usual lifestyle and rarely spoiled the bride with attention.

The coldness and aloofness of the royal family negatively affected Diana’s psyche, her childhood fears and insecurities returned, and her attacks of bulimia became more frequent. Before the wedding, the girl lost 12 kilograms, wedding dress I had to stitch it in several times. She felt like a stranger in the royal palace, it was difficult for her to get used to the new rules, and the environment seemed cold and hostile.

On July 29, 1981, a magnificent wedding ceremony took place, which was seen on television screens by about a million people. Another 600 thousand spectators greeted the wedding procession on the streets of London, all the way to St. Paul's Cathedral. On that day, the grounds of Westminster Abbey could barely accommodate everyone who wanted to take part in this historical event.

Princess Diana's wedding. Chronicles

There were some incidents - the luxurious taffeta dress was greatly wrinkled during a trip in a horse-drawn carriage and did not look in the best possible way. In addition, the bride, during the traditional speech at the altar, mixed up the order of Prince Charles's names, which violated etiquette, and also did not swear to her future husband of eternal obedience. Royal press attaches pretended that this was the plan, forever changing the text of the wedding vows for members of the British court.

Birth of heirs and problems in family life

After the reception at Buckingham Palace the newlyweds retired to the Broadlands estate, from where a few days later they set off on a honeymoon cruise Mediterranean Sea. Returning, they settled in Kensington Palace in west London. The prince returned to his usual way of life, and Diana began to expect the birth of her first child.

The Princess of Wales's pregnancy was officially announced on November 5, 1981; this news caused rejoicing in English society; people were eager to see the heir to the royal dynasty.

Diana spent almost her entire pregnancy in the palace, gloomy and deserted. She was surrounded only by doctors and servants, her husband rarely came to her chambers, and the princess suspected something was wrong. She soon learned of his ongoing relationship with Camilla, which Charles did not even try to hide. Her husband's infidelities depressed the princess; she suffered from jealousy and self-doubt, and was almost always sad and depressed.

The birth of the first-born William (06/21/1982) and the second son Harry (09/15/1984) did not change anything in their relationship. Charles still looked for solace in the arms of his mistress, and Lady Di shed bitter tears, suffered from depression and bulimia and drank sedative pills by the handful.

Intimate life the number of spouses practically disappeared, and the princess had no choice but to find another man. He became Captain James Hewitt, a former military man, courageous and sexy. In order to have a reason to see him without arousing suspicion, Diana began taking riding lessons.

James gave her what a woman couldn't get from own husband– love, care and joy of physical intimacy. Their romance lasted nine years, it became known in 1992 from Andrew Morton’s book “Diana: Her true story" Around the same time, recordings of intimate conversations between Charles and Camilla were made public, which inevitably led to loud scandal in the royal family.

Divorce of Diana and Charles

The reputation of the British monarchy was under serious threat, protest sentiments were brewing in society, and it was necessary to urgently solve this problem. The situation was aggravated by the fact that in just over ten years Diana had become the favorite of not only the British people, but also the world community, so many came to her defense and accused Charles of inappropriate behavior.

At first, Diana's popularity was to the advantage of the royal court. She was called the “queen of hearts”, “the sun of Britain” and “the people’s princess” and was put on a par with Jacqueline Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor and other great women of the 20th century.

But over time this universal love completely destroyed the marriage of Charles and Diana - the prince became jealous of his wife for her fame, and Lady Di, feeling the support of millions, began to boldly and confidently declare her rights. She decided to show the whole world evidence of her husband’s infidelity, told her story on a tape recorder and handed over the recordings to the press.

After this, Queen Elizabeth disliked Princess Diana, but the royal family could not stay away from the scandal, and on December 9, 1992, Prime Minister John Major officially announced Diana and Charles' decision to live separately.

In November 1995, Lady Di gave a sensational interview to the BBC channel, in which she spoke in detail about her suffering caused by her husband's infidelities, palace intrigues and other unworthy actions of members of the royal family.

Candid interview with Princess Diana (1995)

Charles responded by portraying her as a psychopath and hysterical and demanding an official divorce. The Queen supported her son and appointed ex-daughter-in-law generous allowance, but deprived her of the title Your Royal Highness. On August 28, 1996, the divorce proceedings were completed, and Diana again became a free woman.

last years of life

After her divorce from Charles, Lady Di tried to arrange her personal life again in order to finally find female happiness. By that time she had already broken up with James Hewitt, suspecting him of hypocrisy and greed.

Diana really wanted to believe that men loved her not only for her title, but also for her personal qualities, and the Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan seemed to her to be just such a person. She fell in love with him without looking back, met his parents and even covered her head as a sign of respect for Muslim traditions.

It seemed to her that in the Islamic world a woman was protected and surrounded by love and care, and this was exactly what she had been looking for all her life. However, Dr. Khan understood that next to such a woman he would always have to remain on the sidelines, and was in no hurry to propose marriage.

In the summer of 1997, Diana accepted an invitation from Egyptian billionaire Mohammed al-Fayed to relax on his yacht. An influential businessman, owner of luxury real estate in London, wanted to get to know such a popular person better.

So that Diana would not get bored, he invited his son, film producer Dodi al-Fayed, to the yacht. Lady Di at first considered this trip as a way to make Dr. Khan jealous, but she herself did not notice how she fell in love with the charming and courteous Dodi.

The tragic death of Princess Diana

On August 31, 1997, Lady Di and her new lover died in a fatal accident in the center of Paris. Their car crashed at breakneck speed into one of the supports of the underground tunnel, Dodi and driver Henri Paul died on the spot, and the princess died two hours later in the Salpêtrière clinic.

The driver's blood contained several times more alcohol than permissible norm Moreover, the car was moving at great speed, trying to break away from the paparazzi pursuing it.

Diana's death was a huge shock for the world community and gave rise to many rumors and speculation. Many blamed the death of the princess royal family, believing that this accident was staged by the British intelligence services. Information appeared in the press that the driver was blinded by a laser by a man on a motorcycle in order to avoid Diana’s pregnancy from a Muslim and the subsequent scandal. However, all this is from the field of conspiracy theories.

Princess Diana's funeral

All of England mourned the death of the “people's princess”, because before this no person of royal blood had been so loved by the common people. Under public pressure, Elizabeth was forced to interrupt her vacation in Scotland and give her former daughter-in-law the necessary honors.

Diana was buried on September 6, 1997 at the Spencer family estate in Althorp in Northamptonshire. Her grave is hidden from prying eyes on a secluded island in the middle of the lake, access is limited. Those wishing to honor the memory of the “people’s princess” can visit the memorial located not far from the burial.

Reasons for popular love

Princess Diana enjoyed the support of the British not only because she gave birth to two heirs and dared to expose the vices of the crown prince. This is largely the result of her charitable activities.

For example, Diana became one of the first famous people to talk about the problem of AIDS. The disease was discovered in the early 1980s, and even ten years later, little was known about the virus and how it spreads. Not all doctors decided to contact people infected with HIV, for fear of contracting a fatal disease.

But Diana was not afraid. She visited AIDS treatment centers without a mask or gloves, shook hands with patients, sat on their beds, asked about their families, hugged and kissed them. “HIV does not turn people into a source of danger. You can shake their hands and hug them, because only God knows how much they need it,” the princess urged.

Traveling through third world countries, Diana communicated with leprosy patients: “When meeting them, I always tried to touch them, hug them, to show that they are not outcasts, not outcasts.”

Having visited Angola in 1997 (there was a Civil War), Diana walked through a field that had just been cleared of mines. No one guaranteed complete safety - the likelihood that mines remained in the ground was very high. Returning to Britain, Diana launched an anti-mine campaign, calling on the army to abandon this type of weapon. “Angola has the highest percentage of amputees. Think about it: one in 333 Angolans lost a limb to mines.”

During her lifetime, Diana did not achieve “deminization,” but her son, Prince Harry, continues her work. He is a patron of the charity The HALO Trust, whose goal is to free the world from mines by 2025, that is, to neutralize all old shells and stop the production of new ones. Volunteers cleared mines in Chechnya, Kosovo, Abkhazia, Ukraine, Angola, and Afghanistan.

In her native London, the princess regularly visited homeless centers and took Harry and William with her so that they could see with their own eyes reverse side life and learned compassion. Prince William later claimed that these visits were a revelation for him and he was grateful to his mother for this opportunity. After Diana's death he became patron charitable organizations, which she previously supported.

At least three times a week she went to children's hospices, where children dying from cancer were kept. Diana spent at least four hours with them. “Some will live, others will die, but while they are alive, they need love. And I will love them,” the princess believed.

Diana changed the face of the British monarchy. If earlier the common people associated them with regular suffocating measures like raising taxes, then after her actions, as well as BBC interview 1995 (“I wish monarchs would have more contact with the people”), the monarchy became a champion of the dispossessed. After Lady Di's tragic death, her mission continued.

Diana, Princess of Wales nee Diana Frances Spencer (Diana Francis Spencer; July 1, 1961, Sandringham, Norfolk - August 31, 1997, Paris) - from 1981 to 1996, the first wife of Prince Charles of Wales, heir to the British throne. Popularly known as Princess Diana, Lady Diana or Lady Di. According to a 2002 poll conducted by the BBC, Diana was ranked third on the list of the hundred greatest Britons in history.

Diana was born on July 1, 1961 in Sandringham, Norfolk to John Spencer. Her father was Viscount Althorp, a branch of the same Spencer-Churchill family as the Duke of Marlborough, and.

Diana's paternal ancestors were of royal blood through the illegitimate sons of King Charles II and the illegitimate daughter of his brother and successor, King James II. The Earls Spencer have long lived in the very center of London, in Spencer House.

Diana spent her childhood in Sandringham, where she received her primary education at home. Her teacher was governess Gertrude Allen, who also taught Diana's mother. She continued her education in Sealfield, at a private school near King's Line, then at preparatory school Riddlesworth Hall.

When Diana was 8 years old, her parents divorced. She stayed to live with her father, along with her sisters and brother. The divorce had a profound impact on the girl, and soon a stepmother appeared in the house, who disliked the children.

In 1975, after the death of her grandfather, Diana's father became the 8th Earl Spencer and she received the courtesy title "Lady", reserved for the daughters of high peers. During this period, the family moved to the ancient ancestral castle of Althorp House in Notthrogtonshire.

At the age of 12, the future princess was accepted into a privileged girls' school at West Hill, in Sevenoaks, Kent. Here she turned out to be a bad student and could not graduate. At the same time her musical abilities there was no doubt. The girl was also interested in dancing.

In 1977 a short time attended school in the Swiss city of Rougemont. Once in Switzerland, Diana soon began to miss home and returned to England ahead of schedule.

Princess Diana's height: 178 centimeters.

Personal life of Princess Diana:

In the winter of 1977, before leaving for training, I met my future husband for the first time - when he came to Althorp to hunt.

In 1978 she moved to London, where she first stayed in her mother’s apartment (who then spent most of her time in Scotland). As a gift for her 18th birthday, she received her own apartment worth £100,000 in Earls Court, where she lived with three friends. During this period, Diana, who had previously adored children, began working as an assistant teacher at the Young England kindergarten in Pimilico.

The wedding of Charles and Diana, which took place on July 29, 1981, was riveted great attention public and media. In 1982 and 1984, the sons of Diana and Charles were born - the Princes and the Princes of Wales, who are next in line to inherit the British crown after their father.

By the early 1990s, relations between the spouses were upset, in particular due to Charles's ongoing relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles (later, after the death of Diana, who became his second wife).

Diana herself had a close relationship with her riding instructor, James Hewitt, for some time, which she admitted in a 1995 television interview (a year earlier, Charles made a similar admission about his relationship with Camilla).

The marriage broke up in 1992, after which the couple lived separately, ending in divorce in 1996 on the initiative of the Queen.

Shortly before her death, in June 1997, Diana began dating film producer Dodi al-Fayed, the son of Egyptian billionaire Mohamed al-Fayed, but apart from the press, this fact was not confirmed by any of her friends, and this is also denied in the book of Lady Diana’s butler, Paul. Barrel, who was a close friend of the princess.

Diana was actively involved in charitable and peacekeeping activities(in particular, she was an activist in the fight against AIDS and the movement to stop the production of anti-personnel mines).

She was one of the most popular women of her time in the world. In Great Britain she has always been considered the most popular member of the royal family, she was called the “Queen of Hearts” or “Queen of Hearts”.

On June 15-16, 1995, Princess Diana visited short visit in Moscow, She visited the Tushino Children's Hospital, to which she had previously provided charitable assistance (the princess donated medical equipment to the hospital), and the Primary secondary school No. 751, where she solemnly opened a branch of the Waverly House Foundation for helping disabled children.

On June 16, 1995, a ceremony was held to present Princess Diana with the International Leonardo Prize at the British Embassy in Moscow.

Death of Princess Diana

On August 31, 1997, Diana died in Paris in car accident along with Dodi al-Fayed and driver Henri Paul. Al-Fayed and Paul died instantly, Diana, taken from the scene (in the tunnel in front of the Alma bridge on the Seine embankment) to the Salpêtrière hospital, died two hours later.

The cause of the accident is not entirely clear; there are a number of versions ( alcohol intoxication driver, the need to escape at speed from being pursued by paparazzi, as well as various conspiracy theories). The only surviving passenger of the Mercedes S280 with the number "688 LTV 75", bodyguard Trevor Rees Jones, who was seriously injured (his face had to be reconstructed by surgeons), does not remember the events.

On December 14, 2007, a report was presented by the ex-Commissioner of Scotland Yard, Lord John Stevens, who stated that the British investigation confirmed the findings that the amount of alcohol in the blood of the car driver, Henri Paul, at the time of his death was three times higher than the French limit. legislation In addition, the speed of the car exceeded the permissible speed in this place twice. Lord Stevens also noted that the passengers, including Diana, were not wearing seat belts, which also played a role in their deaths.

Princess Diana was buried on September 6 at the Spencer family estate of Althorp in Northamptonshire, on a secluded island.

Who did Princess Diana interfere with?

Diana was repeatedly called "the most photographed woman in the world" (some sources share this title between her and Grace Kelly).

Many books have been written about Diana in various languages. Almost all of her friends and close collaborators spoke with their memories. There are several documentaries and even feature films. There are both fanatical admirers of the memory of the princess, who even insist on her holiness, and critics of her personality and the pop cult that has arisen around her.

As part of the album Black Celebration (1986) by Depeche Mode, the composition “New Dress” was released, in which the author of the words and music, Martin Gore, played out in an ironic form the extent to which the media paid close attention to the life of Princess Diana.