Biography of Diana. Biography of Princess Diana of Wales

The tragedy occurred on August 31, 1997, when the car in which Princess Diana was traveling, under mysterious circumstances, crashed into the 13th column of the tunnel under the Alma Bridge. Then everything was attributed to drunken state driver and an unfortunate combination of circumstances. Was this really so? A few years later, a list of facts appears that can take a different look at the “accident” on that fateful day.

A surprise for many was the letter from Princess Diana herself, written by her 10 months before her own death, which was published in 2003 by the English newspaper “Daily Mirror”. Even then, in 1996, the princess was worried that her life was in the “most dangerous phase” and someone (the newspaper’s editors hid her name) wanted to eliminate Diana by setting up a car accident. Such a turn of events would have paved the way for her ex-husband Prince Charles to remarry. According to Diana, for 15 years she was “harassed, terrorized and mentally tortured by the British system.” “I cried all this time as much as no one in the world cried, but my inner strength did not allow me to give up.” The princess felt something was wrong, as many people sense the approach of trouble, but did she really know about the impending assassination attempt? Was there really a conspiracy against Lady Di?

One of the first to suggest such a development of events was billionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed, the father of Dodi Al-Fayed, who died along with Diana. However, the French special services, which investigated the circumstances of the car accident, concluded that the princess’s Mercedes with driver Henri Paul collided in the tunnel with the Fiat of one of the paparazzi while trying to overtake. Wanting to avoid a collision, Paul drove the car to the side and crashed into the ill-fated 13th column. From that very moment, questions began to arise to which there are still no clear answers.
According to Mohamed Al-Fayed, the driver Henri Paul was indeed involved in the accident, but not quite as the official version says. The billionaire claims that the presence large quantity alcohol in the blood of the driver - the machinations of doctors also involved in this case. In addition, according to Mohammed’s words, Paul was an informant for the British intelligence service M6. It also seems strange that paparazzi James Andanson, the driver of the Fiat Uno that Diana’s Mercedes collided with, died in 2000 under very strange circumstances: his body was found in a burned-out car in the forest. The police considered it a suicide, but Al-Fayed thinks differently.

Another interesting fact is that a few weeks after the photographer’s death, the agency where he worked was attacked. The armed men took the workers hostage and fled only after they had taken out all the photographic materials and equipment. It later became known that the day after the accident, a photographer from the same agency, Lionel Cherrault, was left in the tunnel without equipment and materials. The police tried by all means to cover up this case, which, in principle, they succeeded in doing.

It also seems strange that the cameras monitoring the route from the Ritz Hotel, where Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed lived, to the exit from the tunnel around the clock, were for some reason turned off during the passage of the Mercedes.

Richard Tomlinson, an officer of the British intelligence service M6, shared interesting information regarding this case under oath. For example, that immediately before the death of the princess, two M6 special agents arrived in Paris, and in the Ritz hotel itself, M6 had its own informant. Tomlinson is confident that this informant was none other than the driver Henri Paul. Maybe that’s why the driver had two thousand pounds sterling in cash and one hundred thousand in his bank account at the time of the accident, with a salary of 23 thousand a year.

The official version alcohol intoxication The driver's case is more than shaky, largely relying on circumstantial and inaccurate evidence. For example, after the accident, the driver’s body lay in the sun for a long time in very hot weather instead of being placed in the refrigerator. In the heat, the blood “fermented” quite quickly, after which it was not possible to distinguish the alcohol consumed from the alcohol produced as a result of changes in the body. The second “irrefutable evidence” of the driver’s alcoholism is that he was taking the drug tiapride, which is often prescribed to alcoholics. However, tiapride is also used as a sleeping pill and sedative. It was precisely the calming effect that Henri Paul could have sought after a break with his family!

During the autopsy of the driver, no signs of alcoholism were found in his liver, and immediately before the disaster, Paul underwent a complete medical examination to renew your pilot license. However, Mohammed Al-Fayed's sources claim that before the accident, carbon monoxide was found in Henri Paul's blood, which can throw a person out of balance in life. How did it get into the driver’s body and, most importantly, who benefited from it? Surely the French intelligence services know something about this issue, but so far they are in no hurry to share information.

A bright flashing light, described by several witnesses, may have helped the tragedy unfold. Brenda Wills and Françoise Levistre have been talking about this for a long time, talking about a bright strobe light in the tunnel under the Alma bridge. Nobody took the words of the two women seriously (or wanted to accept them), despite the mention of these facts in authoritative periodicals. On the contrary, the witnesses, especially the Frenchwoman Levistre, were advised to be locked up in a psychiatric hospital.

The mention of the flashing light during the accident struck British intelligence officer Richard Tomlinson because he had access to secret documents M6 services regarding the “Milosevic case”. One of these documents outlined a plan to assassinate the Yugoslav leader: staging a car accident using bright flashing lights. (You can read about the effects of light under certain conditions in the article “Measuring.”)

Why were there no surveillance cameras in the tunnel, although no problems were noticed at the Ritz Hotel itself? Of course, this can be attributed to an accident or misunderstanding. But what really happened? We may never be able to reconstruct the full picture of the events, although there is hope for an investigation by the French intelligence services. Will they share information with the common people?

Princess Diana. Last day in Paris

A film about the last weeks of the life of one of the most famous women 20th century - Diana, Princess of Wales. Unexpected and tragic death Diana in August 1997 shocked the world no less than the assassination of President Kennedy. From the very beginning, the tragedy that happened on August 31, 1997 was surrounded by many conflicting rumors and the most incredible assumptions.

Who killed Princess Diana?

Ten years ago, the worst car accident of the last century occurred. The legendary Lady Di, an English princess, a female symbol, died in a Paris tunnel (See the photo gallery “The Life Story of Princess Diana”). On August 27 and 28, the REN TV channel will show documentary"A purely English murder." The authors conducted their own investigation and tried to find out whether this tragedy was an accident.

On August 31, 1997, at 0:27 a.m., the car carrying Princess Diana, her friend Dodi al-Fayed, driver Henri Paul and Diana's bodyguard Trevor Rhys-Jones crashes into the 13th pillar of the bridge over the Alma tunnel. Dodi and driver Henri Paul die on the spot. Princess Diana will die at about 4 a.m. in hospital.

Version 1 Paparazzi killers?

The first version expressed by the investigation: several reporters who were riding scooters were to blame for the accident. They were chasing Diana's black Mercedes, and one of them may have interfered with the princess's car. The Mercedes driver, trying to avoid a collision, crashed into a concrete bridge support.

But, according to eyewitnesses, they entered the tunnel a few seconds after Diana’s Mercedes, which means they could not have caused the accident.

Lawyer Virginie Bardet:

— In fact, there is no evidence of the photographers’ guilt. The judge said: "There is no evidence of manslaughter in the actions of the photographers which led to the deaths of Diana, Dodi al-Fayed, Henri Paul and the incapacitation of Trevor Rhys-Jones."

Version 2 Mysterious “Fiat Uno”

The investigation puts forward new version: the cause of the accident was the car, which by that time was already in the tunnel. In the immediate vicinity of the crashed Mercedes, detective police discovered fragments of a Fiat Uno.

Jacques Mules, head of the detective police team: “The fragments of the rear light and paint particles that we discovered made it possible to calculate all the characteristics of the Fiat Uno within 48 hours.”

When interviewing eyewitnesses, the police allegedly found out that the Fiat Uno white a few seconds after the accident, he zigzagged out of the tunnel. Moreover, the driver looked not at the road, but in the rearview mirror, as if he saw something, for example, a crashed car.

The detective police determined the exact characteristics of the car, its color and year of manufacture. But even with information about the car and a description of the driver’s appearance, the investigation was unable to find either the car or the driver.

Francis Gillery, author of his own independent investigation: “All cars of this brand in the country were checked, but none of them showed signs of a similar collision. The white Fiat Uno disappeared into the ground! And the eyewitnesses of the accident who saw him began to get confused in the testimony, from which it was not clear whether the white Fiat was at the scene of the tragedy at the ill-fated moment.”

It is interesting that the version about the white Fiat that allegedly caused the accident, as well as the information about the left turn signal found at the scene of the tragedy, was not made public immediately, but only two weeks after the incident.

Version 3British intelligence services

Only today are details becoming known that for some reason it was customary not to mention. As soon as a black Mercedes entered the tunnel, a bright flash of light suddenly cut through the twilight. It is so strong that everyone who observed it was blinded for a few seconds. And a moment later the silence of the night is shattered by the squeal of brakes and the sound terrible blow. François Laviste was just leaving the tunnel at that time and was only a few meters from the scene of the tragedy. At first, the investigation accepted his testimony, and then recognized the only witness as unreliable.

The version spread at the suggestion of former MI6 employee Richard Thomplison. The former agent said that the circumstances of the death of Princess Diana remind him of the plan to assassinate Slobodan Milosevic, developed by the British intelligence services. The Yugoslav president was going to be blinded in the tunnel by a powerful flash.

The police are reluctant to include mention of the flash of light in the protocols. Eyewitnesses are nervous and insist on the veracity of their testimony. And a few months later, British and French newspapers published sensational statement former agent British intelligence services Richard Thomplison that the latest technology may have been used in the Alma tunnel laser weapon, which is in service with the intelligence services.

Fiat Uno is back on stage

But how could fragments of a car that would never be found appear at the scene of the incident? The media version is that the fragments of the Fiat were planted by those who prepared this accident in advance and wanted to disguise it as a regular accident. The press insists that these are British intelligence services.

The intelligence services knew that the white Fiat would definitely be next to Princess Diana's car that night. It was in the white Fiat that one of the most famous and successful paparazzi in Paris, James Andanson, drove. He couldn’t miss such an opportunity to make money from photographs of a celebrity couple that everyone was interested in...

The media suggested that the services simply could not prove the involvement of the photographer and his car in the accident, although they really hoped. Andanson was indeed in the tunnel that night. True, according to some of his colleagues who were at the Ritz Hotel on the evening of August 30, 1997, this was a rare case when the photographer arrived at work without a car. And perhaps that is why the version developed by someone about Andanson’s guilt in the accident lost its central link even before Dodi and Diana left the hotel. On the other hand, Andanson could indeed have been involved in the accident. He repeatedly came to the attention of the al-Fayed family's security service, and for them, of course, it was no secret that Andersen was not only a successful photographer. Al-Fayed's security service allegedly managed to obtain evidence that the photographer was an agent of the British intelligence service. But Dodi’s father, for some reason, now does not consider it necessary to present them to the investigation. James Andanson was not a random figure in this tragedy.

Andanson was seen in the tunnel, and he was actually one of the first there. They also saw a car at the scene of the tragedy that was very similar to his car, albeit with different license plates, possibly fake.

But then questions begin to which there is no answer. Why did the photographer, who spent several hours at the Ritz Hotel for the sake of a sensational photo, suddenly not waiting for Diana with Dodi al-Fayed, for no apparent reason left his post and went straight to the tunnel. After the accident, Andanson, without even waiting for the outcome, when a crowd just began to gather in the tunnel, suddenly disappears. Literally in the middle of the night - at 4 o'clock in the morning - he flies from Paris on the next flight to Corsica.

Some time later, in the French Pyrenees, his body will be found in a burnt car. While the police are establishing the identity of the deceased, unknown persons steal all the papers, photographs and computer disks related to the death of Princess Diana from the office of his Parisian photo agency.

If this is not a fatal coincidence, then Andanson was eliminated either as an unwanted witness or as the perpetrator of the murder.

In September 1999, another reporter, who was next to a mangled black Mercedes that ill-fated night, died in a Paris hospital. Reporter James Keith was preparing for minor knee surgery but told friends: "I have a feeling I won't be coming back." After being discharged from the hospital, the reporter was going to publish documents about the causes of the accident on the Alma Bridge, but within a few hours after his death, the Internet web page with details of the investigations and all materials were destroyed.

Who turned off the cameras?

The police officers working at the scene decide to include the recordings of road surveillance cameras in the case. It is from them that one can determine exactly how the accident occurred and how many cars were in the tunnel at the time of the collision. The road service workers who were called do not understand why there is such a rush, and only wonder why the films cannot be viewed tomorrow morning. But when they open the boxes in which the video cameras are mounted, they are even more surprised. The video surveillance system, which works properly in all other points of Paris, by a strange coincidence, it was in the Alma tunnel that failed. One can only guess who or what caused this.

Version 4 Drunk driver

On July 5, 1999, almost two years later, newspapers from all over the world published a sensational statement from the investigation: the main blame for what happened in the Alma tunnel lies with the Mercedes driver Henri Paul. He was the chief of security at the Ritz Hotel and also died in this disaster. Investigators accuse him of driving drunk.

Michael Cowel, al-Fayed's official spokesman: “It was officially announced that he was driving the car at a speed of 180 km/h. Very fast. Now in the file it is written in small print: “The accident occurred at a speed of 60 (!) kilometers per hour.” Not 180 km/h, but 60!”

The statement that the driver was drunk sounded like a bolt from the blue. To prove or disprove this, you just need to take the deceased’s blood for analysis. However, it is this simple operation that will turn into a real detective story.

Jacques Mules, who was the first representative of the investigative authorities to arrive at the scene of the tragedy, said that a blood test showed the true state of affairs, which means that Henri Paul was indeed very drunk.

Jacques Mules, head of the detective police brigade: “Before leaving the Ritz, Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed were nervous. But the main thing that indicates an accident is the presence of alcohol - 1.78 ppm in the blood of the driver, Mr. Henri Paul. In addition, he was taking antidepressants, which also affected his driving behavior.”

Michael Cowel, al-Fayed's official spokesman: “The filming proves that Henri Paul behaved adequately in the hotel that evening, he talks to Dodi at such a distance, he talks to Diana. If even the slightest signs of intoxication had been revealed, Dodi, and he was very picky in this regard, would not have gone anywhere. He would have fired him altogether.”

To have that much alcohol in his blood, Henri Paul had to drink about 10 glasses of wine. Such intoxication could not have failed to be noticed by the photographers located near the hotel, but none of them indicated this in their testimony.

The examination data, indicating a state of severe intoxication, was ready within 24 hours after the autopsy. But this was officially announced only two years later. For 24 months, the investigation worked on the obviously weaker version of the guilt of the paparazzi or the presence of the Fiat Uno. And two years later, it’s unlikely that anyone who saw the hotel’s security chief, Henri Paul, that evening would be able to say with certainty whether he was completely sober.

A day after the accident, toxicology experts Gilbert Pépin and Dominique Lecomte had just completed a blood test on Henri Paul. The test tubes are placed first in a box and then in a refrigerator. The results are recorded in the protocol. According to what is written, the driver can be considered not just a little drunk, but simply drunk... But the numbers written in the column below are even more surprising: the level of carbon monoxide is 20.7%. If this is actually the case, the driver simply would not be able to stand on his feet, let alone drive the car. Only a person who committed suicide by inhaling gases from a car exhaust pipe could have such an amount of carbon monoxide in his blood that was found in Paul’s blood...

Michael Cowel, al-Fayed's official spokesman: "It is more than likely that the blood samples were switched, either accidentally or deliberately. They were somehow confused. There were many mistakes with tags in the morgue, which has now been proven...”

The French intelligence services also have something to hide in this story. Due to the fact that the remaining corpses still cannot be found, it is no longer so important whether the test tubes were changed by accident or whether it was a specially prepared action. Something else is important. Someone really needed the investigation to last as long as possible. So that there is as much confusion as possible. Test tubes with Henri Paul's blood could well have been replaced with the blood of another person who committed suicide.

For a long time, the investigative authorities insisted that there could be no mistake. This is indeed the blood of Henri Paul. However, the film crew of the REN TV channel, as a result of their own investigation, managed to prove that the blood, in which traces of alcohol and carbon monoxide, does not belong to Princess Diana's driver.

Jacques Mules, head of the detective police brigade, admitted to our film crew that with my own hands took test tubes with Henri Paul's blood and actually mixed up the numbers, giving away a test tube with the blood of a completely different person under the name of Princess Diana's driver.

Jacques Mules, head of the detective police brigade. “This is my mistake. The fact is that I worked for two days in a row and did not sleep at night. Due to fatigue, I mixed up the test tube numbers. I immediately informed the judge about this, but he said that it was not significant.”

It does not matter if the error was corrected immediately. What if not? What if, due to simple oversight or - even worse - deliberately, the results of the analysis remained falsified? There is still no answer to this question

Who is Henri Paul?

Henri Paul, head of security at the Ritz Hotel, is the only official culprit of the tragedy. In the investigative reports, he appears to be a complete neurasthenic and drunkard. Expert taxologists point to the presence in Henri Paul’s blood, along with alcohol, of a significant amount of antidepressants. The doctor confirms that she prescribed Paul medications to treat depression. And to reduce cravings for alcohol, since, according to the doctor, the patient abused alcohol.

We decided to check whether the head of security at an elite hotel was actually an alcoholic and drug addict.

Cafe-restaurant "Le Grand Colbert". Henri Paul went here for dinner for many years.

Restaurant owner Joel Fleury: “I bought the restaurant in 1992. Henri Paul was already a regular here... He came here every week. No, he was not an alcoholic. It turned out that we practice in the same flight club - he flies light airplanes, I fly light helicopters.”

On the eve of the tragedy, Henri Paul undergoes a strict medical examination in order to renew his flying license. The doctor examines him and takes blood tests a day before the disaster.

Doctors found no traces of hidden alcoholism or traces of any medications in Henri.

After the death of Henri Paul, very large amounts money that he didn't think he could earn. In total he had 1.2 million francs.

Boris Gromov, intelligence services historian: “Henri Paul, according to some British intelligence officers, was a full-time MI6 agent. His name was often mentioned in the files of this service. It is clear that there is nothing accidental here, and its role is clear. Because high-ranking people often stay at the Ritz statesmen various countries... And serving there as the head of the security service is extremely beneficial for any intelligence service..."

40 minutes before the tragedy, Princess Diana still does not know that the driver of their car will not be Dodie’s personal bodyguard Ken Wingfield, but the head of the hotel’s security service, Henri Paul.

According to the version that the investigation initially had, his car turned out to be faulty. And so the couple set off in Henri Paul’s car. However, eight years later, Wingfield said his car was in good working order. It’s just that Henri Paul, as the head of the hotel’s security service, ordered Wingfield to stay and independently drove Diana and Dodi in his car along a different route. Why was Wingfield silent for so many years? What was he afraid of?

Diana's security guard Trevor Rhys-Jones, leaving the Ritz Hotel, sat down in his usual place - on the seat next to the driver, which is called the "dead man's seat." Due to the fact that during an accident it is most vulnerable. But Rhys-Jones survived. And Diana and Dodi al-Fayed, who were in the back seat, died. Today, the only survivor can say nothing about what happened in the tunnel. He has lost his memory and does not remember anything that would shed light on the events of that night. We can only hope that Rhys-Jones will recover over time. But whether he will have time to say everything he remembers is unknown...

Dodi al-Fayed's bodyguard has been on the operating table for a long time. And despite the more severe wound, the doctors no longer doubted: the patient would live. At the same time, for some reason, they are trying to save Princess Diana in an ambulance.

The car is standing. It is impossible to perform procedures while moving.

In fact, according to experts, the princess died because someone decided that there was no need to go to the hospital. What is this, a mistake? Doctors' nerves? After all, they are people too.

Or maybe someone needed Diana to die?

When it was all over, the decision was made to send the princess's body on a special flight to London.

The plane from Paris to London flies no more than an hour. It would seem that there is no reason to linger in Paris, however, when the body of Princess Diana was taken to a British clinic, an incredible thing became clear. It turns out that before Diana’s corpse had time to cool down, it was hastily embalmed in violation of all the rules. And they prepare for burial. All this happens in Paris. While the special plane, without turning off the engine, waits for its sad cargo.

Michael Cowel, al-Fayed's official spokesman: "In violation of French law, this was carried out on behalf of the British Embassy, which, in turn, admits that it received instructions from a certain person."

The name of the person who ordered the embalming could not be established. The drugs used during embalming do not subsequently allow repeated examinations of the corpse. If British doctors wanted to re-find out what state, say, the princess’s state of health was in a few seconds before the disaster, they would not be able to do this.

That is why there are versions that perhaps some kind of gas was sprayed into the car, which made Henri Paul lose his orientation. Today it is impossible to confirm or refute this version.

Meanwhile, al-Fayed Sr. is convinced that Diana’s body was embalmed in order to hide the sensational fact. In his opinion, the English princess was pregnant with his son.

Virginie Bardet, photographers' lawyer: “We will never know whether Diana was pregnant. All documents are classified, only the cause of death has been made public: internal bleeding.”

EPILOGUE

The evidence collected is enough for numerous novels, but not enough for the Crown Prosecution Service. Non-functioning road surveillance cameras at the scene of the tragedy, witnesses of the accident dying one after another, the never found white Fiat Uno, carbon dioxide coming from nowhere in the driver’s blood, fabulous sums in the driver’s accounts, the criminal slowness of the French doctors and the too obvious haste of those who embalmed the body pathologists... The version of the contract killing has not been refuted by anyone. But it hasn't been proven either.

Jacques Mules, head of the detective police brigade: “There was a banal accident. Everything has been checked and rechecked a thousand times. And the search for a conspiracy, the details pulled from the finger... Espionage passions are ordinary fruits of fantasy. In the eyes of Great Britain and even the entire West, Princess Diana was a symbol of a beautiful dream. A dream cannot die in such an ordinary way.”

BY THE WAY

On August 31, the day of Lady Di’s death, Channel One will show the new film “Princess Diana. Last day in Paris" (21.25). And immediately after its end at 23.10 - the Oscar-winning film “The Queen” with Helen Miren in leading role. About the reaction to the tragedy of the royal family.

“We weren’t going to stir up the royal family’s dirty laundry.” But after the assassination of John Kennedy, the death of Princess Diana is perhaps the most big story. Using the example of the investigation into the death of Princess Diana, we wanted to understand how such cases are investigated in the West. Is the government interfering? Do politics influence such investigations?

We managed to learn a lot. And I would strongly recommend that the authorities pay attention to the role of American intelligence agencies in this story. After all, it is known that Diana was the object of surveillance and control on their part, especially in recent months. If they opened up their materials on Diana, I’m sure we would learn a lot of interesting things. Or maybe they would even find out the name of the killer.

Diana's story is unusual. If she had shown a little hypocrisy, or, to put it more simply, some simple worldly wisdom, she would have had everything covered in chocolate! But she preferred the right to love who she wants to the throne.

The story of Prince Charles, in my opinion, is still awaiting its assessment. After all, look, in defiance of everything - the will of the mother, state interests, public opinion- He has loved his Camilla for many years.

Everything else is small compared to this...

Although Princess Diana died in 1997, the world will never forget her. In her life there was everything, from charity to personal secrets and problems that people know nothing about and do not suspect, since everything was carefully hidden royal family.

20. Diana never promised to obey Prince Charles

During their lavish wedding to Prince Charles in 1981, Charles and Diana removed the part of the ceremony where Diana had to promise to obey her husband. At that time, this act had already caused a storm of criticism. In 2011, during the wedding ceremony, Kate Middleton repeated Diana's action and omitted the words of the oath of obedience to her husband, Prince William.

19. She wasn't a good student

Princess Diana twice failed O-levels, the equivalent of a high school diploma in the United States, and was considered a non-academic child at her alma mater, West Heath Girls' School. But, nevertheless, the future princess was interested in music and sports.

18. Sister Diana was the first to date Prince Charles

Diana's sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, actually dated Prince Charles before Diana met him. Her relationship with the prince did not go far, and Sarah told the press that she did not think about marrying Charles, even if he became the king of England. Despite former relationship Charles and her sisters, Diana remained close to Sarah.

17. She fought backlash against AIDS, despite the Queen's disapproval

In the 80s there was rapid growth such a disease as AIDS, and many then believed that this disease was transmitted through touch. Diana tried to refute this opinion, she could often be seen holding the hands of AIDS patients and speaking out in support of research in this area. But the Queen of Great Britain did not approve of Diana’s activities and believed that she could “get into trouble.”

16. She suffered from bulimia and depression

Diana did not hide the fact that her husband thought she was overweight, and this hurt her. Because her relationship with Charles was strained, she chose bulimia as the only way to keep her weight under control, damaging her health and suffering from deep depression.

15. Diana's engagement ring was bought from a catalog

Usually in royal families it is customary to do jewelry to order, but Diana broke this tradition by choosing her engagement ring from the Garrard catalog. The cost of the ring was $42,000, but the most important thing is that anyone who pays that amount can buy it. After Diana's death, the ring went to William, who gave it to his beloved, Kate Middleton, during their engagement.

14. Diana was godmother to 17 children

Diana had 17 godchildren and goddaughters, and very often she was taken as a godparent without her consent or presence. Among the godchildren can be named Lady Edwina Grosvenor, daughter of the Duke of Westminster, George Frost, son famous journalist David, and Domenica Lawson, a little girl with Down syndrome.

13. Diana found herself at odds with her mother

By the time Diana died, she had not communicated with her mother for a long time, since she did not approve of her divorce from Prince Charles and new relationships with other men. Diana's butler, Paul Burrell, later stated that shortly before the disaster, Diana's mother telephoned to accuse her daughter of cheating with other men after her divorce from the prince.

12. She called Camilla Parker Bowles a "Rottweiler"

Diana never hesitated to give nicknames to women who appeared in her husband's field of interest. Camilla considered Diana a “pathetic creature.” But in this confrontation, Britain sided with Diana. After the death of the princess, a negative attitude towards Camilla remained in society to this day.

11. Princess Diana appeared more often than others on the cover of People magazine

Throughout her life, and even after her death, Diana appeared 55 times on the cover of the world's popular People magazine. This is an impressive record that has yet to be broken by Diana's son, Prince William. As of October 2014, he has appeared on the cover of the magazine 29 times.

10. Diana did not reveal the gender of her second child

Diana once said that her relationship with Charles was strengthened by her second pregnancy with Prince Henry. Despite this, she did not tell Charles the gender of her unborn child - and not only to him. Most likely, this was an attempt to at least gain control, although not significant, over his life.

9. One of the campaigns in which Princess Diana took part won a Nobel Prize.

Many people know active peacekeeping activities and Diana’s position, her negative attitude towards the use of mines against civilians during military conflicts. But in the princess’s life there was a campaign to ban the use of mines, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997. Unfortunately, this became known only a few weeks after Diana's death.

8. Her wedding dress was completely ruined on her wedding day.

Wedding dress Princess Diana's dress was beautiful and incredibly expensive, but, unfortunately, the designers did not think through all the nuances, including the fact that Diana would be taken to church in a small carriage. The fairy-tale effect was completely ruined after Diana arrived at St. Paul's Cathedral in a rumpled dress.

7. While pregnant with Prince William, Princess Diana fell down the stairs

In 1982, Diana made everyone worry, including Queen Elizabeth. The fact is that in the third month of pregnancy, Diana fell down the stairs. Fortunately, both she and the child remained alive and healthy. Many believed that Diana did this deliberately to attract the attention of her family due to mental illness.

6. Among Diana’s relatives there are many famous personalities

Despite her non-royal origins, Diana would have been proud of her family tree. Among her relatives were Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Queen of Scots, Mary, a British duchess who lived in the 18th century, and Georgiana Cavendish, about whose life a film was made in Hollywood. IN family ties Diana was with Audrey Hepburn and George Bush.

5. Princess Diana once invited Cindy Crawford to Buckingham Palace

Even those who disliked Diana considered her a real mother. Diana was a good and loving mother. In 1996, she invited supermodel Cindy Crawforth to Buckingham Palace only because her son William was secretly in love with her. Diana and the American star remained friends after this meeting until the end of their days.

4. During the wedding ceremony, Diana said the name of Prince Charles incorrectly

During her wedding ceremony in 1981, Diana misspelled her fiancé's long name and pronounced it Philip Charles Arthur George instead of Charles Philip Arthur George.

3. Diana voluntarily renounced her royal title

After the divorce, Diana did not want to be called "Your Highness." She became the first princess to decide to renounce her title in order to gain absolute freedom from royal control. Although, as she herself admitted, she did it with regret.

2. Diana was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

Perhaps Diana could have been saved in that terrible car accident if she was wearing a seat belt. But not a single Mercedes-Benz passenger used seat belts that fateful day, including the drunk driver. An attempt to break away from the paparazzi cost Diana Spencer her life.

1. Freddie Mercury took Diana to a gay club

Princess Diana was friends with the leader of the rock group Queen, Freddie Mercury, and he, according to comedian Cleo Rokos, once took the princess to a gay bar, while she was wearing a man's outfit. As Rokos recalls, Diana looked like a handsome young man and no one recognized her. Unfortunately, there is no other evidence about this case; even Freddie Mercury himself kept silent about it.

More than 20 years have passed since Princess Diana died in a car accident, but new facts about her life continue to appear regularly in the press. In the InStyle review - all the most interesting and unexpected things about the “Queen of Hearts”.

1. She was the fourth of five children in the family

Princess Diana had two sisters, Sarah and Jane, and younger brother Charles. Another Spencer child, a boy named John, was born in January 1960 and died a few hours later.

2. Her parents divorced when she was 7 years old.

Diana's parents, Francis Shand Kydd and Earl John Spencer, separated in 1969.

3. Diana's grandmother served at court

Ruth Roche, Lady Fermoy, Princess Diana's maternal grandmother, was the Queen Mother's personal assistant and companion. They were very friendly, and Lady Fermoy often helped her in organizing holidays.

4. Diana grew up on Sandrigham Estate

Sandrigham House is located in Norfolk and belongs to the royal family. On its territory there is Park House, where Princess Diana's mother was born, and then Diana herself. The princess spent her childhood there.

5. Diana dreamed of becoming a ballerina

Diana studied ballet for a long time and wanted to become a professional dancer, but she was too tall for this (Diana’s height is 178 cm).

6. She worked as a nanny and teacher

Before meeting Prince Charles, Diana was a nanny. She later became a kindergarten teacher. At that time, Diana received about five dollars an hour.

7. She was the first royal bride to have a paid job

And Kate Middleton is the first to have a higher education.

8. Prince Charles first dated her older sister

It was thanks to her sister Sarah that Diana met her future husband. “I introduced them, became their Cupid,” Sarah Spencer later said.

9. Prince Charles was a distant relative of Diana

Charles and Diana were each other's 16th cousins.

10. Before the wedding, Diana saw Prince Charles only 12 times

And he became the initiator of their wedding.

11. Her wedding dress broke all records

The ivory wedding dress created by designer duo David and Elizabeth Emmanuel made history. More than 10 thousand pearls were used to embroider the dress, and the train was almost 8 meters long. By the way, this is the longest train among all wedding dresses princesses

12. Diana deliberately left out part of her wedding vows

Instead of the traditional promise to “obey” her husband, Diana vowed only to “love him, comfort him, honor him and protect him, in sickness and in health.”

13. She was the first royal to give birth in hospital.

Before her, representatives of the royal family practiced only home births, so Prince William became the first future monarch to be born in a hospital.

14. She practiced parenting methods that were unconventional for the royal family.

Princess Diana wanted her sons to live ordinary lives. “She made sure that William and Harry experienced everything: Diana took them to the cinema, made them stand in lines, bought food at McDonald's, rode roller coasters with them,” said Patrick Jephson, who worked with Diana in for six years.

15. She had many famous friends

Diana was friends with Elton John, George Michael, Tilda Swinton and Liza Minnelli.

16. ABBA was her favorite band

It is known that Diana was a big fan of the Swedish pop group ABBA. The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William paid tribute to Diana by playing several ABBA songs at their 2011 wedding.

17. She had an affair with a bodyguard

Barry Mannaki was part of the royal security team, and in 1985 became personal bodyguard Princess Diana. After a year of service, he was removed due to his too close relationship with Diana. In 1987, he crashed on a motorcycle.

18. After the divorce, her title was taken away from her

Princess Diana has lost her title "Her Royal Highness". Prince Charles insisted on this, although Queen Elizabeth II was not against leaving Diana the title.

19. She invited Cindy Crawford to Kensington Palace

Diana invited supermodel Cindy Crawford to tea to please Prince Harry and Prince William, who were then teenagers. In 2017, on the anniversary of Diana's death, Cindy Crawford shared a throwback photo of the Princess of Wales on Instagram. “She asked if I could come and have tea with her the next time I was in London. I was nervous and didn't know what to wear. But when I walked into the room, we immediately started chatting as if she were an ordinary girl,” Crawford wrote.

20. She is buried on her family's island

Diana is buried at the Spencer family estate of Althorp in Northamptonshire. The estate has been in the Spencer family for over 500 years. The small island also houses a temple on the Oval Lake, where anyone can pay tribute to the princess.

Diana, Princess of Wales (photo posted later in the article) - ex-wife Prince Charles and mother of the second in line to the British throne, Prince William. When she seemed to have found new love, died tragically along with her new friend.

Diana, Princess of Wales: biography

Diana Frances Spencer was born on 07/01/1961 at Park House, near Sandringham, Norfolk. She was the most youngest daughter Viscount and Viscountess Elthrop, the now late Earl Spencer and Mrs Shand-Kydd. She had two older sisters, Jane and Sarah, and a younger brother, Charles.

The reason for Diana's lack of self-confidence should be sought in her upbringing, despite her privileged position. The family lived at the Queen's estate at Sandringham, where the father rented Park House. He was the royal equerry to the king and the young Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen was the chief guest at the wedding of Diana's parents in 1954. The ceremony that took place at Westminster Abbey became one of the social events of the year.

But Diana was only six when her parents divorced. She will always remember the sound of her mother's footsteps walking down the gravel road. The children became pawns in a bitter custody dispute.

Lady Diana was sent to boarding school, and eventually ended up at West Heath School. Here she excelled in sports (her height of 178 cm helped this), especially in swimming, but failed all her exams. However, she subsequently remembered her school days fondly and supported her school.

After finishing her studies, she worked in London as a nanny, cook and then assistant teacher at the Young England nursery school in Knightsbridge.

Her father moved to Althrop near Northampton and became the 8th Earl Spencer. Her parents divorced and a new Countess Spencer emerged, daughter of the writer Barbara Cartland. But Diana soon became a family celebrity.

Engagement

Rumors spread that her friendship with the Prince of Wales had developed into something more serious. The press and television besieged Diana at every turn. But her days at work were numbered. The palace tried in vain to cool the speculation. And on February 24, 1981, the engagement became official.

Wedding

The wedding took place at St Paul's Cathedral on a perfect July day. Millions of television viewers around the world were mesmerized by the event, and another 600,000 people gathered along the route from Buckingham Palace to the cathedral. Diana became the first Englishwoman in the last 300 years to marry the heir to the throne.

She was only 20. Under with a gaze mother, leaning on her father’s hand, Diana of Wales (photo posted in the article) prepared to take a wedding vow. The only time she showed nervousness was when she was trying to put her husband's many names in the correct order.

Welcomed the newcomer. It was a moment of special satisfaction for the Queen Mother, who herself came from a simple family and had also walked this path 60 years ago.

Popularity

After the wedding, Diana, Princess of Wales, immediately began to take an active part in the performance of official duties of the royal family. She soon began making visits to schools and hospitals.

The public noted her love for the people: she seemed to sincerely rejoice in her stay among ordinary people, although she herself was no longer like that.

Diana brought her own fresh style to the mix that was the House of Windsor. The idea of royal visits was nothing new, but it added a spontaneity to it that captivated almost everyone.

On her first official trip to the United States, she provoked near-hysteria. There was something special about someone other than the American president becoming the center of attention, especially among Americans. Since her dazzling appearance during her first public appearance with her husband, Diana's wardrobe has become a constant focus of attention.

Charity

Princess Diana of Wales, whose rise in popularity owes much to her charitable activities, has played an important role in spreading awareness about the plight of people with AIDS. Her speeches on this issue were frank, and she put an end to many prejudices. Simple gestures, such as Diana of Wales shaking hands with an AIDS patient, proved to society that social contact with patients was safe.

Her patronage was not limited to boardrooms. Sometimes she went to tea at the charities she supported. Abroad, Princess Diana of Wales spoke about the plight of the disadvantaged and marginalized. During her visit to Indonesia in 1989, she publicly shook hands with lepers, dispelling widespread myths about the disease.

Family life

Diana always dreamed of big family. A year after her marriage, on June 21, 1982, she gave birth to a son, Prince William. In 1984, on September 15, he had a brother, Henry, although he was better known simply as Harry. Diana advocated raising her children as normally as royal circumstances could allow.

William became the first male heir to be raised in kindergarten. Private teachers did not teach their sons; the boys went to school with others. Their mother insisted that their education be as normal as possible, showering them with love and providing entertainment during the holidays.

But by the time Prince Harry was born, the marriage had become just a façade. In 1987, when Harry went to kindergarten, the couple's separate life became public knowledge. It's a holiday for the press.

During an official visit to India in 1992, Diana sat alone at the Taj Mahal, the great monument to love. It was a graphic public announcement that, although the couple technically remained together, they had in fact broken up.

Revealing book

Four months later, the publication of the book “Diana: Her true story Andrew Morton is done with the fairy tale. The book, based on interviews with some of the princess's closest friends, and with her own tacit consent, confirmed that the relationship with her husband was cold and distant.

The author recounted the princess's half-hearted suicide attempts during the early years of her marriage, her struggle with bulimia, and her obsession with the belief that Charles continued to love the woman he had dated several years before her, Camilla Parker Bowles. The prince later confirmed that he and Camilla were indeed having an affair.

During a state visit to South Korea It was clear that Diana, Princess of Wales, and Charles were moving away from each other. Soon after, in December 1992, the divorce was officially announced.

Divorce

Diana continued her charitable activities even after the disagreement. She talked about social problems, and sometimes, as in the case of bulimia, her donations were based on personal suffering.

Wherever she went, on public or private business, often with her children to whom she devoted herself, the media was present to document the event. It became something of a PR battle with her ex-husband. After her divorce, Princess Diana of Wales showed her skill in using funds mass media to present yourself in a favorable light.

She later spoke about what she thought the camp had done to her ex-husband to make her life more difficult.

On November 20, 1995, she gave an unprecedented and surprisingly open interview to the BBC. She told millions of television viewers about her post-natal depression, the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles, her tense relationship with the royal family in general and, most shockingly, she claimed that her husband did not want to be king.

She also predicted that she would never become a queen and that she would instead like to become a queen in people's hearts.

Diana, Princess of Wales and her lovers

The pressure on her from popular newspapers was relentless, and stories about male friends destroyed her image offended wife. One of these friends, army officer James Hewitt, became the source of a book about their relationship, to her horror.

Diana of Wales accepted the divorce only after insistence from the Queen. When things came to a head on August 28, 1996, she said it was the saddest day of her life.

Diana, now officially Princess of Wales, abandoned most of her charitable work and began to look for a new field of activity. She had a clear idea that the role of “queen of hearts” should remain hers, and she illustrated this with visits abroad. In June 1997, Diana visited who was in poor health.

In June, she auctioned off 79 dresses and ballgowns that appeared on magazine covers around the world. The auction raised £3.5 million for charity and also symbolized a break with the past.

Tragic death

In the summer of 1997, Diana of Wales was spotted with Dodi Fayed, the son of millionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed. Photos of the princess with Dodi on a yacht in the Mediterranean Sea appeared in all tabloids and magazines around the world.

The couple returned to Paris on Saturday 30 August after another vacation in Sardinia. After dinner at the Ritz that evening, they left in a limousine and were pursued by photographers on motorcycles who wanted to take more pictures of the couple in love. The chase led to tragedy in an underground tunnel.

Princess Diana of Wales became a sip fresh air and brought glamor to the House of Windsor. But she became a sad figure for many when the truth about her failed marriage was revealed.

Critics accuse her of stripping the monarchy of the mysticism so important to its survival.

But by the strength of her character in difficult personal circumstances and the unflagging support she provided to the sick and disadvantaged, Diana of Wales earned herself respect. She remained a figure of public admiration and love to the end.

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 Kate Middleton’s daughter-in-law 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 preparatory school Riddlesworth Hall. 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 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 eminent 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 country's history - £2.859 million was 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.