Diana Project

Biography

Table of Contents

s. no

Page no.

1. Childhood of Princess Diana 32. Family & Marriage 53. Accomplishments of Princess Diana 74. Problems & Separation 115. Divorce 136. Princess Diana Biography in Fashion 157. Death 198. Styles 269. Inquiry into Dina’s death 2610 Timeline for Princess Diana 2811. Princess Diana Quotes 31

Consumer Behaviour 1

Biography

iana, Princess of Wales, (1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was the first wife of

Charles, Prince of Wales. Their sons, Princes William and Harry,[3] are second

and third in line to the throne of the United Kingdom and fifteen other

Commonwealth Realms.

DA public figure from the announcement of her engagement to Prince Charles, Diana remained

the focus of worldwide media scrutiny before, during and after her marriage. This continued

in the years following her death in a car crash and in the subsequent display of public

mourning. Contemporary responses to Diana's life and legacy are mixed but popular interest

with the Princess endures.

CHILDHOOD OF PRINCESS DIANA

Diana Frances Spencer was born at Park House, Sandringham in Norfolk, England on 1 July

1961. She was the youngest daughter of Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp and his first

wife Frances Spencer, Viscountess Althorp (formerly the Honorable Franc es Burke Roche).

The Spencers are a very old English family. They have been the friend s and helpers of the

Royal Family for hundreds of years. The romantic link to the Royal Family began with Sarah,

Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744), who was determined that her favorite granddaughter,

the first Lady Diana Spencer, would marry the

Prince of Wales. The prime minister, however,

objected and forbade the marriage. It took the

Spencers of Althorp another two-and-a-half

centuries for one of their daughters to marry a Prince

of Wales. And by historical coincidence, her name

was also Lady Diana Spencer…

Diana had two elder sisters, Sarah Spencer and Jane

Spencer, and the younger brother, Charles Spencer.

Diana’s early years were spent almost “next door” to

the Sandringham House of Royal Family. Her first


Biography

meeting with the man she would eventually marry took place, as she recalled, “when I was

still wearing nappies. I’ve known him all my life.”

Princess Diana childhood was darkened with her parents’ separation when she was only six,

when her mother left with another man, the wallpaper heir Peter Shand Kydd. The divorce

was very painful for the children, especially for the youngest Diana and Charles. The custody

of the children was awarded to the father of Diana, Lord Spencer.

Diana was not an easy child. One of her nannies recalls: “Some children will do as they are

told immediately. Diana wouldn’t. It was always a little battle of wills.” Diana will remain

with a will of her own until the end of her life.

Childhood of Princess Diana – The years at school

Like the children in many rich or old families in England, the Spencer children went to the

boarding school. Diana never rose to any noticeable academic heights, but she came to excel

in many other ways. Miss Lowe, her teacher, particularly remembered Diana for her

“kindness to the smaller members of the community, her general helpfulness, her love of

animals, and her excellence at swimming and indeed her considerable prow ess in general

physical activities.”

Diana was very good at music and sport. She played tennis fairly well, she won the diving

prize, she excelled at netball. At Riddlesworth she won the Pets Corner cup, the prize for the

best-kept pet. West Heath rewarded her social work with a special award for service.

Diana’s grades were not enough, however, to continue her

education at the age of sixteen. Later she made an attempt

to stay at prestigious Swiss finishing school to improve her

French. But she quickly became homesick and flew home

with a firm intention to start working.

After leaving school she got a job as a nanny and part time

cook. Later she took a assistant teaching post at a

kindergarten school in Knightsbridge, London. It was

whilst working as an assistant here that she was first

introduced to her future husband Charles


Biography

FAMILLY & MARRIAGE

Diana's family, the Spencers, had been close to the British Royal Family for decades. Her

maternal grandmother, Ruth, Lady Fermoy, was a longtime friend of, and a lady-in-waiting to

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

The Prince's love life had always been the subject of press speculation, and he was linked to

numerous women. Nearing his mid-thirties, he was under increasing pressure to marry. In

order to gain the approval of his family and their advisors, including his great-uncle Lord

Mountbatten of Burma, any potential bride had to have an aristocratic background, could not

have been previously married, should be Protestant and, preferably, a virgin. Diana fulfilled

all of these qualifications.

Reportedly, the Prince's former girlfriend (and, eventually, his second wife) Camilla Parker

Bowles helped him select the 19-year-old Lady Diana Spencer as a potential bride, who was

working as an assistant at the Young England kindergarten in Pimlico. Buckingham Palace

announced the engagement on 24 February 1981. Mrs. Parker Bowles had been dismissed by

Lord Mountbatten of Burma as a potential

spouse for the heir to throne some years

before, reportedly due to her age (16 months

the Prince's senior), her sexual experience, and

her lack of suitably aristocratic lineage.

The wedding took place at St Paul's Cathedral

in London on Wednesday 29 July 1981 before

3,500 invited guests (including Mrs. Parker

Bowles and her husband, a godson of Queen

Elizabeth the Queen Mother) and an estimated

1 billion television viewers around the world.

Diana was the first Englishwoman to marry an

heir to the throne since 1659, when Lady

Anne Hyde married the Duke of York and

Albany, the future King James II. Upon her


Biography

marriage, Diana became Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales and was ranked as the

most senior royal woman in the United Kingdom after the Queen and the Queen Mother.

Children

The Prince and Princess of Wales had two children, Prince William of Wales on 21 June

1982 and Prince Henry of Wales (commonly called Prince Harry) on 15 September 1984.

On 5 November 1981, Diana's first pregnancy was officially announced, and she frankly

discussed her pregnancy with members of the press corps. In the private Lindo Wing of St.

Mary's Hospital, Paddington on 21 June 1982, Diana gave birth to her and Prince Charles's

first son and heir, William. Among some media, she decided to take William, still a baby, on

her first major overseas visit to Australia and New Zealand, but th e decision was popularly

applauded. By her own admission, Diana had not initially intended to bring William until it

was suggested by the Australian Prime Minister.

A second son, Harry, was born about two years after William on 15 September 1984. Diana

asserted that she and Prince Charles were closest during her pregnancy with "Harry", as the

younger prince became known. She was aware their second child was a boy, but did not share

the knowledge with anyone else, including Prince Charles.

She was universally regarded as a devoted and demonstrative mother. However, she rarely

deferred to Prince Charles or to the Royal Family,

and was often intransigent when it came to the

children. She chose their first given names, defied

the royal custom of circumcision, dismissed a royal

family nanny and engaged one of her own choosing,

in addition to selecting their schools and clothing,

planning their outings and taking them to school

herself as often as her schedule permitted. She also

negotiated her public duties around their timetables.

After the birth of Prince William, the Princess of

Wales suffered from post-natal depression. She had

previously suffered from bulimia nervosa, which

recurred, and she made a number of suicide


Biography

attempts. In one interview, released after her death, she claimed that, while pregnant with

Prince William, she threw herself down a set of stairs and was discovered by her mother-in-

law (that is, Queen Elizabeth II). It has been suggested she did not, in fact, intend to end her

life (or that the suicide attempts never even took place) and that she was merely making a 'cry

for help'. In the same interview in which she told of the suicide attempt while pregnant with

Prince William, she said her husband had accused her of crying wolf when she threatened to

kill herself. It has also been suggested that she suffered from borderline personality disorder.

ACCUMPLISHMENTS OF PRINCESS DIANA

Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, and the mother of

Princes William and Henry.

One of the greatest accomplishments of Princess Diana was without any doubt the fact that

she did succeed in making the world a better place for a lot of people all over the world.

Princess Diana helped very many people personally, but she was also a supporter of many

charity projects.

She played an active role in the International

Campaign to Ban Landmines, a campaign that

won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997. Her

participation was due to her concern about

injuries landmines create, often to children.

One of the accomplishments of Princess Diana

was her help to raise AIDS awareness. At the

time when people were frightened about

catching AIDS by touching someone, she

visited people with AIDS to show that this

wasn’t true. She showed to the world that people with AIDS deserve compassion and

kindness. A lot of charity work of Princess Diana involved children of any kinds. As a patron

of the British Deaf Association Princess Diana had taken the initiative to learn a number of

words in sign language. She would work on her skill, master it and later use it in her work.


Biography

The children at East End school for the deaf invented a special sign for her: you run your

hand from the front of your hair to the back, referring to her famous hairstyle…

One of the achievements of Princess Diana was raising funds for various charities. A lot of

charities raised substantial amounts of money from just one appearance by the Princess at a

ball or film premiere. However Diana always made sure not to be associated with the

glamorous side of things. She would visit every charity under her patronage at least twice a

year, talking to the staff personally.

Princess Diana had a rare ability to make people happy just by talking to them, shaking their

hands, or giving a hug. Her ability to listen, look directly into the eye, and talk to a person in

a way that “made you feel that you were the only person that she was at all interested”, made

her a subject of true admiration and love of a lot of people that she helped. Once asked if she

ever felt depressed about visiting terminally ill patients, she replied: "No, sitting on the edge

of someone's bed in those situations is the least complicated relationship you can have in your

life. They're happy to see you, you're happy to do whatever small amount you can do just by

being there. And it's incredibly energizing. It's what keeps me going."

One of the greatest accomplishments of Princess Diana was raising her two children in love

and devotion to them, and with a very high degree of awareness of her role as a mother of a

future king. Like in many other aspects of her royal life, with her children she would also

follow her heart rather than follow the royal protocols.

Diana was a different royal mother: she wanted to keep her children with her, and to give

them plenty of love. She would not be afraid to give them love and hugs in public. From their

younger years Diana’s children were involved in her charity work: writing letters to some of

the people she had met and talked about,

visiting sick people in hospitals, visiting

together with her the places where homeless

people lived. Her sons would never forget the

other side of life their mother showed them. It

was an idea of Prince William to sell a lot of her

dresses for charity.


Biography

The accomplishments of Princess Diana can be best summarized in the words of Queen

Elizabeth II:

“She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her

capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness. I admired

and respected her - for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion

to her two boys. ...”

Charity work

Starting in the mid-to-late 1980s, the Princess of Wales became well known for her support

of charity projects, and is credited with considerable influence for her campaigns against the

use of landmines and helping the victims of AIDS.

AIDS

In April 1987, the Princess of Wales was the first high-profile celebrity to be photographed

knowingly touching a person infected with the

HIV virus. Her contribution to changing the

public opinion of AIDS sufferers was

summarized in December 2001 by Bill Clinton

at the 'Diana, Princess of Wales Lecture on

AIDS', when he said:

In 1987, when so many still believed that AIDS

could be contracted through casual contact,

Princess Diana sat on the sickbed of a man with AIDS and held his hand. She showed the

world that people with AIDS deserve no isolation, but compassion and kindness. It helped

change world opinion, and gave hope to people with AIDS with an outcome of saved lives of

people at risk.

Landmines

Perhaps her most widely publicized charity appearance was her visit to Angola in January

1997, when, serving as an International Red Cross VIP volunteer, she visited landmine

survivors in hospitals, toured de-mining projects run by the HALO Trust, and attended mine


Biography

awareness education classes about the dangers of mines immediately surrounding homes and

villages.

The pictures of Diana touring a minefield, in a ballistic helmet and flak jacket, were seen

worldwide. (In fact, mine-clearance experts had already cleared the pre-planned walk that

Diana took wearing the protective equipment.) In August that year, she visited Bosnia with

the Landmine Survivors Network. Her interest in landmines was focused on the injuries they

create, often to children, long after the conflict has finished.

She is widely acclaimed for her influence on the signing by the governments of the UK and

other nations of the Ottawa Treaty in December 1997, after her death, which created an

international ban on the use of anti-personnel landmines. Introducing the Second Reading of

the Landmines Bill 1998 to the British House

of Commons, the Foreign Secretary, Robin

Cook, paid tribute to Diana's work on

landmines:

All Honorable Members will be aware from

their postbags of the immense contribution

made by Diana, Princess of Wales to

bringing home to many of our constituents

the human costs of landmines. The best way

in which to record our appreciation of her

work, and the work of NGOs that have

campaigned against landmines, is to pass the Bill, and to pave the way towards a global ban

on landmines.

As of January 2005, Diana's legacy on landmines remained unfulfilled. The United Nations

appealed to the nations which produced and stockpiled the largest numbers of landmines

(China, India, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and the United States) to sign the Ottawa Treaty

forbidding their production and use, for which Diana had campaigned. Carol Bellamy,

Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that landmines

remained "a deadly attraction for children, whose innate curiosity and need for play often

lure them directly into harm's way".


Biography

Princess Diana once admitted that her work came “from the heart, not from the head.” And it

was not merely a part of royal protocol to her. She was not afraid of illness, nor meeting

people who were dying. She was ready with a hug and kiss for everyone.

Once a man who could not see, but wanted to know what Diana was like, asked her if he

could touch her face. “Of course you can,” she said. He moved his hands over her face until

he could make a picture of her in his head. “You are very pretty!” he said.

In 1982, the newspapers reported that Diana was working with five charities. In 1985 this

number grew to eighteen. Diana frequently visited children’s’ hospitals, and often little

children felt that she was their special friend.

Princess Diana once said: “I’m not frightened of dying, if

I can die happy.”

PROBLEMS & SEPARATION

From left to right, Prince Charles and the Princess

of Wales, the United States First Lady Nancy

Reagan, and United States President Ronald

Reagan in November 1985.

During the early 1990s, the marriage of Diana

and Charles fell apart, an event at first

suppressed, then sensationalised, by the world

media. Both the Prince and Princess of Wales

allegedly spoke to the press through friends, each blaming the other for the marriage's

demise.

The chronology of the break-up identifies reported difficulties between Charles and Diana as

early as 1985. During 1986, Prince Charles turned again to his former girlfriend, Camilla

Shand, who had become Camilla Parker-Bowles, wife of Andrew Parker-Bowles. This affair

was exposed in May 1992 with the publication of Diana: Her True Story, by Andrew

Morton. The book, which also laid bare Diana's allegedly suicidal unhappiness, caused a

media storm. This publication was followed during 1992 and 1993 by leaked tapes of


Biography

telephone conversations which negatively reflected on both the royal antagonists. Transcripts

of taped intimate conversations between Diana and James Gilbey were published by the Sun

newspaper in Britain in August 1992. The article's title, "Squidgygate", referenced Gilbey's

affectionate nickname for Diana. Next to surface, in November 1992, were the leaked

"Camillagate" tapes, intimate exchanges between Charles and Camilla, published in Today

and the Mirror newspapers.

In the meantime, rumours had begun to surface about Diana's relationship with Major James

Hewitt, her former riding instructor. These would be brought into the open by the publication

in 1994 of Princess in Love.

In December 1992, Prime Minister John Major announced the Wales' "amicable separation"

to the House of Commons, and the full Camillagate transcript was published a month later in

the newspapers, in January 1993. On 3 December 1993, Diana announced her withdrawal

from public life. Charles sought public understanding via a televised interview with Jonathan

Dimbleby on 29 June 1994. In this he confirmed his own extramarital affair with Camilla,

saying that he had only rekindled their association in 1986, after his marriage to the Princess

of Wales had "irretrievably broken down.”

While she blamed Camilla Parker-Bowles for her marital troubles, Diana at some point began

to believe Charles had other affairs. In October 1993 Diana wrote to a friend that she believed

her husband was now in love with Tiggy Legge-Bourke and wanted to marry her. Legge-

Bourke had been hired by Prince Charles as a young companion for his sons while they were

in his care, and Diana was extremely resentful of

Legge-Bourke and her relationship with the young

princes.

DIVORCE

Diana at the Cannes film festival in 1987

Diana was interviewed in a BBC Panorama interview

with journalist Martin Bashir, broadcast on 20

November 1995. In it, Diana asserted of Hewitt, "Yes, I

loved him. Yes, I adored him." Of Camilla, she claimed


Biography

"There were three of us in this marriage." For herself, she said "I'd like to be a queen of

people's hearts." On Charles's suitability for kingship, she said: "Because I know the

character I would think that the top job, as I call it, would bring enormous limitations to him,

and I don't know whether he could adapt to that."

In December 1995, the Queen asked Charles and Diana for "an early divorce," as a direct

result of Diana's Panorama interview. This followed shortly after Diana's accusation that

Tiggy Legge-Bourke had aborted Charles's child, after which Legge-Bourke instructed Peter

Carter-Ruck to demand an apology. Two days before this story broke, Diana's secretary

Patrick Jephson resigned, later writing Diana had "exulted in accusing Legge-Bourke of

having had an abortion".

On 20 December 1995, Buckingham Palace publicly announced the Queen had sent letters to

Charles and Diana advising them to divorce. The Queen's move was backed by the Prime

Minister and by senior Privy Councillors, and, according to the BBC, was decided after two

weeks of talks. Prince Charles immediately agreed with the suggestion. In February Diana

announced her agreement after negotiations with Prince Charles and representatives of

Queen, irritating Buckingham Palace by issuing her own announcement of a divorce

agreement and its terms.

The divorce was finalised on 28 August 1996.

Diana received a lump sum settlement of around £17 million along with a clause standard in

royal divorces preventing her from discussing the details. Diana and her advisers negotiated

with Charles and his representatives, with Charles reportedly having to liquidate all of his

personal holdings, as well as borrowing from the Queen, to meet her financial demands. The

Royal Family would have preferred an alimony settlement, which would have provided some

degree of control over the erstwhile Princess of Wales.[citation needed]

Days before the decree absolute of divorce, Letters Patent were issued with general rules to

regulate royal titles after divorce. In accordance, as she was no longer married to the Prince

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

Wales. Buckingham Palace issued a press release on the day of the decree absolute of divorce

was issued, announcing Diana's change of title.


Biography

Buckingham Palace stated Diana was still a member of the Royal Family, as she was the

mother of the second- and third-in-line to the throne, which was confirmed by the Deputy

Coroner of the Queen’s Household, Baroness Butler-Sloss, after a pre-hearing on 8 January

2007: "I am satisfied that at her death, Diana, Princess of Wales continued to be considered

as a member of the Royal Household." This appears to have been confirmed in the High

Court judicial review matter of Al Fayed & Ors v Butler-Sloss. In that case, three High Court

judges accepted submissions that the "very name ‘Coroner to the Queen’s Household’ gave

the appearance of partiality in the context of inquests into the deaths of two people, one of

whom was a member of the Family and the other was not."

Personal life after divorce

After the divorce, Diana retained her double apartment on the north side of Kensington

Palace, which she had shared with Prince Charles since the first year of their marriage, and it

remained her home until her death.

Diana dated the respected heart surgeon Hasnat

Khan, from Jhelum, Pakistan, who was called

"the love of her life" after her death by many of

her closest friends,[35] for almost two years,

before Khan ended the relationship.[36][37] Khan

was intensely private and the relationship was

conducted in secrecy, with Diana lying to

members of the press who questioned her about

it. Khan was from a traditional Pakistani family

who expected him to marry from a related

Muslim clan, and although Diana expressed

willingness to convert to Islam, their differences,

not only religion, became too much for Khan.

According to Khan's testimonial at the inquest

for her death, it was Diana herself, not Khan, who ended their relationship in a late-night

meeting in Hyde Park, which adjoins the grounds of Kensington Palace, in June 1997.


http://affiliates.allposters.com/link/redirect.asp?item=4176581&AID=473436031&PSTID=1&LTID=2&lang=1

Biography

Within a month Diana had begun dating Dodi Al-Fayed, son of her host that summer,

Mohamed Al-Fayed. Diana had considered taking her sons that summer on a holiday to the

Hamptons on Long Island, New York, but security officials had prevented it. After deciding

against a trip to Thailand, she accepted Fayed's invitation to join his family on the south of

France, where his compound and large security detail would not cause concern to the Royal

Protection squad. Mohamed Al-Fayed bought a multi-million pound yacht on which to

entertain the princess and her sons.

PRINCESS DIANA BIOGRAGHY IN FASHION

Princess Diana biography in fashion is a story of Diana expressed in her style. Her looks as

well as her life were the reflection of the constant work on herself and development of her

personality. Diana clearly became more attractive as she matured.

She was one of the most photographed women in the world.

Everything she wore, from her handbags and shoes, hats and jewelry and even jeans, was

scrutinized and commented on.

How did Lady Di, a shy young girl, transform into the international fashion icon?

How did she develop her style from being named one of the Ten Worst Dressed Women in

1982 (a nomination given by one of London’s

newspapers) to being named to the 1991/1992

International Best Dressed List’s Hall of Fame

for “having established an appropriate, non-

dowdy modern style of royal dressing and

bringing world recognition to young British

designers”?

The beginning of her own

style

Before her engagement Diana wore little make-

up and her dress style was not sophisticated. She


Biography

liked the comfort clothes that suited her position as an assistant at the Young England

Kindergarten.

From the moment of her engagement Princess Diana image was very traditional and very

British. She was often a subject of criticism for dressing older than her years. “In the

beginning she found it quite difficult to know what kind of clothes were required and she

tended to follow what the other royals did,” commented Sassoon, one of the first British

designers who made clothes for her. Slowly she would find her own way in a whole new

world of occasion dressing, ceremonial costume, tiaras, coordinated shoes, bags and hats. She

would use the help and advice of Vogue deputy editor Anna Harvey, and would begin to

experiment with a list of designers. But even in fashion Diana would always remain a woman

of her own: listening to advice, but following her own instincts.

In the beginning of her public life the Princess Diana style was often too coordinated: she

could wear a red dress, red tights and a red hat all at once. Diana would, however, quickly

learn from her mistakes. Once she said: “Clothes are not my priority.” However her public

life would show that appearance counted for a great deal.

At that early period of Princess Diana biography in fashion she videotaped every one of her

television appearances, carefully analyzing every detail, including her hair, makeup and, of

course, clothing. Princess Diana

wedding dress.

Her style evolution

Princess Diana was always

conscious of dressing

appropriately, having learnt to

master the art of how to dress

diplomatically. She developed a

finely tuned sense of the right

clothes for the occasion and place.

She would wear an Escada coat to visit Germany, a Yuki dress to meet the Japanese Emperor

Hirohito, a Chanel suit to Paris. She would always visit hospitals and sick children wearing

something bright and cheerful. One particular floral dress created by Bellville Sassoon was


Biography

her favourite "working dress" for visiting children. Princes Di noticed that it had a particular

positive effect on children, who obviously loved the color very much. She wore it frequently

over a period of five years in spite of the critical articles in the press about her having worn

the same outfit for so long.

Much of what made Princess Diana very popular and beloved by the public was her modern

approach to her own life, both public and private. As with the other great style icons of this

century, it was Diana’s ability to look cool and chic in the simplest attire.

The style icon

After her divorce, she changed. Once she became an independent woman, this added a

different tint to her style. Over the last two years of her life the Princess style transformed her

into the international style icon. She started wearing clothes from foreign designers, including

Versace, Valentino, John Galliano, Ungaro, Lacroix, Ferraud and Moschino. Her new image

was young and confident. Her sense of style was finally able to shine out.

Everything about her body language and dress sense pointed to a more assured, self-confident

woman in control of her life. She stopped trying to color co-ordinate every outfit and would

wear beige shoes, a black bag and a pale green suit with more confidence than when she once

wore monochrome red or green from head to foot. Her use of color became more low key and

subtle. Even

her hairstyle

changed to the

more modern

and

sophisticated.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1566492939?ie=UTF8&tag=famwomandbea-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1566492939


Biography

With divorce behind her, she concentrated on her most heartfelt charity work as well as

bringing up her children. She invested her efforts on fewer charities and devoted more time

and energy to each one.

Until the end of her life, though, she

was faithful to her favorite British

designers. Princess Diana's fashion

style had been simply edited down so

that her wardrobe included the clothes

she liked most. Catherine Walker was

one of the most important designers in

Diana’s life, responsible for most of

her outfits for all of Diana’s public life.

Jacques Azagur would also remain in a

group of her favorite designers until

the end of her life.

It was not what she wore but the way

she wore it that was really important – she looked as stylish in a pair of jeans, as she did in a

couture ball gown. The famous Princess Diana fashion image had much more to do with the

twinkle in her eye and the smile that made everyone who knew her or who came into her life

feel at ease.

The glamorous dresses of the Princess Diana sold at Christie's auction in 1997, raised more

than $3 million, and additional $2.5 million from catalog sales and fund-raising events, which

went for various charities. Princess Diana biography in fashion is a remarkable example of

the Princess, the Queen of style, who used her image for the benefit of others.



Biography

Her favorite small details

Diana had a star quality that few people naturally possess – she had a style.

Princess Diana popularized pearl chokers and designer handbags. Dior handbags became her

favorites since 1995 when Princess visited Paris and Bernadette Chirac, the First Lady of

France, gave her a Lady Dior handbag. Almost overnight it became the must-have accessory

of the time.

Annick Goutal Passion is known to have been her signature scent.

Princess Diana favorite cosmetics came from Clinique. Also Body Shop range was very

much liked by the Princess, who used to call herself "a fan of Body Shop."

DEATH

On 31 August 1997 Diana was involved in a car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in

Paris, along with her friend and lover Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul. Fayed's

bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones is the only person who survived the wreckage.

Circumstances

Late in the evening of Saturday 30

August, Diana and Fayed departed

the Hôtel Ritz in Place Vendome,

Paris, and sped along the north bank

of the Seine. Shortly after midnight

on 31 August, their Mercedes-Benz S

280 entered the underpass below the

Place de l'Alma, travelling at high

speed and pursued by nine French

photographers in various vehicles and

a motorcycle courier.


Biography

At the entrance to the tunnel, their car struck a glancing blow to the right-hand wall. It

swerved to the left of the two-lane carriageway and collided head-on with the thirteenth pillar

supporting the roof, then spun to a stop.

As the casualties lay seriously injured in their wrecked car, the photographers continued to

take pictures.

Dodi Fayed and Henri Paul were both declared dead at the scene of the crash. Trevor Rees-

Jones was severely injured, but later recovered. Diana was freed, alive, from the wreckage,

and after some delay due to attempts to stabilize her at the scene, she was taken by ambulance

to Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, arriving there shortly after 2:00 a.m.. Despite attempts to save

her, her internal injuries were too extensive. Two hours later, at 4:00 that morning, the

doctors pronounced her dead. At 5:30, her

death was announced at a press conference

held by a hospital doctor, Jean-Pierre

Chevènement (France's Interior Minister)

and Sir Michael Jay (Britain's ambassador to

France).

Later that morning, Chevenement, together

with Lionel Jospin, the French Prime

Minister, Bernadette Chirac, the wife of the

French President Jacques Chirac, and Bernard Kouchner, French Health Minister, visited the

hospital room where Diana's body lay and paid their last respects. After their visits, the

Anglican Archdeacon of France, Father Martin Draper, said commendatory prayers from the

Book of Common Prayer.

At around 2:00 p.m. the Prince of Wales and Diana's two sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale

and Lady Jane Fellowes, arrived in Paris to collect Diana's body. They left with her body 90

minutes later.

Subsequent events

Initial media reports stated Diana's car had collided with the pillar at over 190 km/h (120

mph), and that the speedometer's needle had jammed at that position. It was later announced


Biography

the car's actual speed on collision was about 95-110 km/h (60-70 mph), and that the

speedometer had no needle as it was digital (which conflicts with the list of available

equipment and features of the W140 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which used a computer-

controlled analogue speedometer, with no digital readout for speed). The car was certainly

travelling much faster than the legal speed limit of 50 km/h (30 mph), and faster than was

prudent for the Alma underpass. In 1999 a French investigation concluded the Mercedes had

come into contact with another vehicle (a white Fiat Uno) in the tunnel. The driver of that

vehicle has never come forward, and the vehicle itself has not been found.

The investigators concluded that the crash was an accident brought on by an intoxicated

driver attempting to elude pursuing paparazzi at high speed.

In November 2003, Christian Martinez and Fabrice Chassery, the photographers who took

photos of the casualties after the crash, and Jacques Langevin, who took photos as the couple

left the Ritz Hotel, were cleared of breaching French privacy laws.

On 6 January 2004, seven years after her death, an inquest into the death of Diana opened in

London held by Michael Burgess, the coroner of The Queen's Household.

Conspiracy theories

Although the official investigation found Diana had died as a result of an accident, there are a

significant number of conspiracy theories that she was assassinated.

The French investigators' conclusion that Henri Paul was drunk was made largely on the

basis of an analysis of blood samples, which were stated to contain an alcohol level that

(according to Jay's September 1997 report) was three times the legal limit. This initial

analysis was challenged by a British pathologist hired by the Fayeds; in response, French

authorities carried out a third test, this time using the medically more conclusive fluid from

the sclera (white of the eye), which confirmed the level of alcohol measured by blood and

also showed Paul had been taking antidepressants.

The samples were also said to contain a level of carbon monoxide sufficiently high as to have

prevented him from driving a car (or even from standing). Some maintain this strongly


Biography

indicates the samples were tampered with. No official DNA test has been carried out on the

samples, and Henri Paul's family has not been allowed to commission independent tests on

them.

The families of Dodi Fayed and Henri Paul have not accepted the French investigators'

findings. In the Scottish courts, Mohamed Al-Fayed applied for an order directing there be a

public inquiry and is to appeal against the denial of his application. Fayed, for his part, stands

by his belief that the Princess and his son were killed in an elaborate conspiracy launched by

the SIS (MI6) on the orders of the "racist" Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. This was

apparently based on the grounds that the Duke abhorred the idea of his grandsons potentially

having Muslim or half-Arab siblings.

Other motivations which have been advanced for murder include suggestions Diana intended

to convert to Islam, and that she was pregnant with Dodi's child. In January 2004, the former

coroner of The Queen's Household, Dr. John Burton, said (in an interview with The Times)

that he attended a post-mortem examination of the Princess's body at Fulham mortuary,

where he personally examined her womb and found her not to be pregnant.

Later in 2004, US TV network CBS showed pictures of the crash scene showing an intact

rear side and an intact centre section of the Mercedes, including one of an unbloodied Diana

with no outward injuries, crouched on the rear floor of the vehicle with her back to the right

passenger seat — the right rear car door is completely opened. The release of these pictures

caused uproar in the UK, where it was widely felt that the privacy of the Princess was being

infringed, and spurred another lawsuit by Mohammed Al-Fayed.

Rumours and conspiracies theories aside, it is clear that Diana, Dodi and Henri were not

wearing seat belts when the car crashed. Rees-Jones, the only survivor, had his seat belt on.

Also, the underpass at the Place de l'Alma is known as an accident black spot; it is on a

stretch of high-speed road but only has limited visibility ahead in places; and there are

square-shaped pillars in the central reservation which could lead to collisions.

Funeral and public reaction


Biography

Diana's death was greeted with extraordinary public grief, and her funeral at Westminster

Abbey on 6 September drew an estimated 3 million mourners in London, as well as

worldwide television coverage.

More than one million bouquets were left at her London home, Kensington Palace, while at

her family's estate of Althorp the public was asked to stop bringing flowers, as the volume of

people and flowers in the surrounding roads was causing a threat to public safety.

The reaction of the Royal Family to the death of Diana caused unprecedented resentment and

outcry. The Royal Family's rigid adherence to protocol was interpreted by the public as a lack

of compassion: the refusal of Buckingham Palace to fly the Union Flag at half mast provoked

angry headlines in newspapers. "Where is our Queen? Where is our Flag?" asked The Sun.

The Queen, who returned to London from Balmoral, agreed to a television broadcast to the

nation. At the urging of Downing Street, what was to be a recorded piece became a live

broadcast, and the script was revised by Alastair Campbell to be more "human".

Mourners cast flowers at the funeral procession for almost the entire length of its journey

before and after the service, and vehicles even stopped on the opposite carriageway of the M1

as the cars passed on the route to Althorp. Outside Westminster Abbey crowds cheered the

dozens of celebrities who filed inside, including singer Sir Elton John (who performed a re-

written version of his song Candle in the Wind). The service was televised live throughout

the world, and loudspeakers were placed outside so the crowds could hear the proceedings.

Tradition was defied when the guests applauded the speech by Diana's brother, Lord Spencer,

who strongly criticized the press

and indirectly criticized the Royal

Family for their treatment of her,

although Lord Spencer himself had

years earlier refused Diana

permission to use a cottage at

Althorp as a sanctuary due to his

fears about press intrusion into his

family home.


Biography

In the midst of this "public outpouring of grief" many commentators and members of the

public found themselves nonplussed by what they considered to be mawkish, sentimental and

self-indulgent displays of insincere emotion.

The writer Francis Wheen recalls: On that Sunday afternoon I was telephoned by a neighbor,

a ferociously conservative columnist on the Daily Mail: “I can’t bear much more of this.

Fancy a drink in the pub?” Disgust was also aroused through what was perceived by many as

a hypocritical turnaround on the part of many sectors of the media, in particular the tabloid

press, who had abruptly shifted from the portrayal of Diana as a promiscuous, manipulative

bimbo to the depiction of Diana as a saintly martyr.

When the satirical magazine Private Eye issued a mock editorial consisting of a retraction of

previous negative statements made against Diana, the magazine found itself subjected to

heavy criticism from the press and was temporarily removed from the shelves of WH Smith

and other newsagents. Defenders of the magazine argued that the parody had been directed

towards the attitude of the media, and not the death in itself; the episode was seen by many to

be indicative of a pervasive self-righteous and bullying mentality.

Diana, Princess of Wales is buried at Althorp in Northampton shire on an island in the middle

of a lake called the Round Oval. A visitors' centre is open during summer months, allowing

visitors to see an exhibition about her and walk around the lake.

During the four weeks following her funeral, the overall suicide rate in England and Wales

rose by 17%, compared with the average reported for that period in the four previous years.

Researchers suggest that this was caused by the "identification" effect, as the greatest

increase in suicides was by people most similar to Diana: women aged 25 to 44, whose

suicide rate increased by over 45%.


Biography

In the years after her death, interest in the life of Diana has remained high, especially in the

United States of America. Numerous manufacturers of collectables continue to produce

Diana merchandise. Such items have drawn strong derision from certain quarters for their

alleged kitsch value. Some even suggested making Diana a saint, stirring much controversy.

As a temporary memorial, the public co-opted the Flame de Liberté (Flame of Liberty), a

monument near the Alma Tunnel, and related to the French donation of the Statue of Liberty

to the United States. The messages of condolence have since been removed, and its use as a

Diana memorial has discontinued, though visitors visit and still leave messages at the site in

her memory. The concrete wall at the edge of the tunnel is still used as an impromptu

memorial for people to write their thoughts and feelings about Diana. A permanent memorial,

the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain was opened in Hyde Park in London on 6

July 2004, but it has been plagued with problems and has been declared off-limits to the

public at least twice for repairs.

In 1999, a little more than a year after her death, the journalist Christopher Hitchens made a

comment about her while on a cruise ship. He stated that Diana "has in common with a

minefield the following: relatively easy to lay but extremely difficult, expensive, and

dangerous to get rid of." When there was a backlash concerning his quip he said he thought,

"it was funny."

Diana was ranked third in the (2002) Great Britons poll sponsored by the BBC and voted for

by the British public. In this

poll, she was ranked just

above Charles Darwin (4th),

who changed the course of

history through his theory of

natural selection, William

Shakespeare (5th), regarded

by many as the greatest

writer in the English

language, and Isaac Newton

(6th), widely held to be the most influential scientist in the history of humanity.


Biography

In 2003, Marvel Comics announced it was to publish a five-part series entitled Di Another

Day (a reference to the James Bond film Die Another Day) featuring a resurrected Diana,

Princess of Wales as a mutant with superpowers, as part of Peter Milligan's satirical X-Statix

title. Amidst considerable (and predictable) outcry, the idea was quickly dropped. Heliograph

Incorporated produced a role playing game, Diana: Warrior Princess by Marcus L. Rowland

about a fictionalized version of the twentieth century as it might be seen a thousand years

from now.

After her death, the actor Kevin Costner, who had been introduced to the Princess by her

former sister-in-law, Sarah, Duchess of York claimed he had been in negotiations with the

divorced Princess to co-star in a sequel to the thriller film The Bodyguard, which starred

Costner and Whitney Houston. Buckingham Palace dismissed Costner's claims as unfounded.

STYLES

The Honorable Diana Spencer (1 July 1961–9 June 1975)

The Lady Diana Spencer (9 June 1975–29 July 1981)

Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales (29 July 1981–28 August 1996)

Diana, Princess of Wales (28 August 1996–31 August 1997)

The style "Princess Diana" was incorrect at all times of her life, though often used by the

public and the media. After her divorce she ceased to be the Princess of Wales but was styled

Diana, Princess of Wales acting on precedent of divorced peeresses where the former title

acts as a surname.

INQUIRY INTO DIANA’S DEATH (SHOKING

REPORTS)

The findings of a two-year investigation in the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, will

contain some shocking conclusions, British newspapers reported at the weekend. But the

inquiry's findings won't become public for some time: Michael Burgess, the Royal Coroner,

will receive the report in the next few months and an inquest is not expected until next year.


Biography

Lord Stevens, the former Metropolitan Police commissioner heading the investigation, told

the Daily Telegraph the inquiry was "far more complex than any of us thought". He said

some of the issues raised by Mohammed Fayed, owner of Harrods store, whose son Dodi

died with the princess in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, were "right to be raised".

Mr Fayed has claimed the couple were victims of an assassination plot orchestrated by Prince

Philip and involving British intelligence agencies.

The princess's friends have dismissed suggestions that she was pregnant and the couple were

to marry. Lord Stevens said in a recent television interview that his investigation had been

"certainly worthwhile'. "It is right to say that some of the issues that have been raised by Mr

Fayed have been right to be raised. We are pursing those. It is a far more complex inquiry

than any of us thought," he said.

The official conclusion that car driver Henri Paul was drunk and on anti-depressants at the

time, and that the car was likely to be the vehicle involved, have never been accepted by the

families of Dodi Fayed or Paul.

The Independent on Sunday said Lord Stevens' remarks were a deliberate attempt to prepare

public opinion for some shocking conclusions."People are going to be very surprised about

what we have to say," said one senior officer closely involved with the inquiry.

Mr Fayed's spokesman refused to comment, saying it was "not appropriate" while the process

was ongoing. Another source close to the Harrods boss said Mr Fayed felt "vindicated" by

Lord Stevens' comments.


Biography

TIMELINE FOR PRINCESS DIANA

Diana, Princess of Wales and first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, was one of the

most charismatic British royal figures in the history of Britain. She was a popular media

figure and one of the most photogenic women in the world. She was also associated with

charity work and was a patron of several charitable organizations. Her tragic death in a car

accident shook the entire world.

1961: Lady Diana was born on 1 July 1961 Sandringham, Norfolk, and England. She

was the third child of Edward John Spencer and Frances Spencer.

1976: Diana’s parents were separated through a legal battle, following which her father

won the custody of Lady Diana.

1977: She first got introduced to Prince Charles when he was dating her elder sister,

Lady Sarah Spencer.

1981: Lady Diana got married to Charles, Prince of Wales and the 20 year old Lady

Diana became Princess of Wales. The fairytale wedding, which was telecasted live, was

watched by 750 million people worldwide.

1982: Princess Diana gave birth to Prince William after a lengthy labor.

1984: She gave birth to her second child Prince Henry, better known as Prince Harry.

1987: Princess Diana became the first high-profile person to shake hand with AIDS-

victim. By doing so she showed the world that AIDS victim needed love and compassion,

and not isolation.

1989: Prince Charles started dating Camilla Parker-Bowles in early 1990s due to which

Charles and Diana's marriage fell apart.

1992: Diana’s father died of heart attack.


Biography

1995: In December 1995, the queen agreed that Charles and Diana could seek an early

divorce. On 20 December 1995, Buckingham Palace publicly announced the separation of the

royal couple.

1996: The divorce was finalized on 28 August 1996. Princess Diana received thirty

million dollars as part of her divorce settlement. Though she retained her title as “Princess”

but she was ceased to be called “Your Highness”. After her divorce, Diana worked for Red

Cross and championed the anti-landmine campaign, which went on to win Nobel Peace Prize

in 1997.

1997: Princess Diana life came to an abrupt end on 31 August 1997 as her Mercedes

Benz crashed into the 13th pillar of the Ponte De Alma Road tunnel in Paris. Diana died

along with her friend Dodi Al Fayed. Princess Diana’s death was mourned by whole world.

What Did Princess Diana Do For The World?

Diana, Princess of Wales, often referred to as “The People’s Princess”, was a

humanitarian and known all over the world for her generosity and kindness. She used her

position, power and aristocracy to garner financial and emotional support to the victims of

poverty, disease and drug abuse.

Princess Diana was associated with many charitable organizations. Many charitable

organizations raised substantial amount of money by ensuring that the princess was present

for their fund-raising events. In April 1987, she became the first high profile celebrity to

touch the AIDS patient publicly. By doing so Diana showed to the world that AIDS victim

were not contagious and one could be in their presence without worrying about contracting

the disease. She also visited starving kids in Africa as a humanitarian leader. Apart from this,

she used to make surprise visits to hospitals and mental asylums. She possessed the rare

ability to make people happy by simply touching and hugging them. She was also the patron

of many charitable organizations. While working for charity she always made sure to keep

glamor away from her work. She was the Vice President of the British Red Cross Society and

she was a member of the International Red Cross advisory board.

Princess Diana also led the international campaign for banning anti-personnel landmine

which went on to win Nobel Peace Prize in 1997. She played significant role in getting the


Biography

Ottawa Treaty signed, which placed an international ban on stockpiling, production and use

of anti-personnel landmine.

Princess Diana died on 31 August 1997 in a car accident in Paris. Millions of people

across the globe mourn her untimely death.

Princess Diana will be remembered as women who worked for victims of HIV, drug

abuse, poverty, mental diseases and social injustice. Millions of people followed her

charitable work.


Biography

PRINCESS DIANA QUOTES

"I want to walk into a room, be it a hospital for the dying or a

hospital for sick children and feel that I am needed. I want to

do, not just to be."

“It’s important to show love”.

“The greatest problem in the world today is intolerance.

Everyone is so intolerant of each other.” “I don’t think many

people will want me to be Queen. I do things differently – I

don’t go by the rule book.”

“People think that at the end of the day, a man is the only

answer. Actually, a fulfilling job is better for me.”

“Hugs can do great amounts of good - especially for children.”

Quotes about her

Jackie Kennedy-Onassis referred to Princess Diana as to

“beautiful, elegant, charming, very stylish and wonderful

mother.”

(Christopher Anderson. “Jackie After Jack”)

“She was very easy to be with. She certainly never seemed

arrogant in the least. There was certain humility about her.”

(Ann Jackson, Publisher of In Style Magazine)


Biography

“She was a naturally beautiful woman inside and out and a lady

of great warmth, humility and compassion.”

(Jimmy Choo, Designer)

“She was very charismatic as a person, not just because she

was a princess. She had this caring quality. She had

compassion… She was a woman who showed her heart. She

showed the pain of divorce; the jealousy of another woman

being in the background – she was human. She was divine with

her children. They always came first.”

(David Sassoon, Designer)

“She was a princess. She had a style. She did everything with grace and

charm.”

(David Thomas, the Crown Jeweller)

“I could see…how well she was handling her public persona.

Everyone was enchanted. Later that same year she presided

over a reception at the State Apartments at Kensington Palace

with Prince William at her side. I asked her if she often brought

the Princes along on official duties and she told me she did

because, she said, “I want them to see what I do.”

(MaryLou Luther, Journalist)


Documents

Diana Project