♛~Princess Diana~♛

Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961 at Park House, thehome her parents rented on the British royal family's estate atSandringham. As a child she occasionally played with Prince Andrewand Prince Edward, who were near her in age. Diana had two oldersisters, Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother, Charles.When Diana was six, her mother left her father. The Spencers divorcedin 1969, and Diana's father received custody of the children. In 1975Diana's father became the eighth Earl Spencer, making Diana a Lady.Diana and her siblings moved to Althorp, the Spencer family estate inNorthampton.Diana attended private boarding schools. Although she wasn't anespecially good student, she was excelled at sports, and won trophiesfor her swimming. She dreamed of being a ballerina, but grew too tall(as an adult she was 5'10"). After leaving school in 1978 she workedas a nanny, waitress, and cleaning woman before becoming a teacherat the Young England kindergarten in Pimlico, London.Her romance with the Prince of Wales began in 1980. The oldest childof British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, he was 12 years older thanDiana, and had previously dated her sister Sarah. Almost from thestart, the press took a special interest in "Lady Di." They staked outher apartment and followed her everwhere. Diana later said that shefound the constant attention unbearable.Diana and Charles were married July 29, 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral.The wedding was broadcast in 74 countries and watched by 750million people worldwide. Diana was the first English woman to marryan heir to the throne in over 300 years.At the ceremony the Archbishop of Canterbury said, "Here is the stuff of which fairy tales are made." But the fairy tale was an illusion, asDiana had already discovered. Prince Charles was still in love with anold girlfriend, Camilla Parker-Bowles. "There were three of us in thismarriage, so it was a bit crowded," Princess Diana remarked yearslater. Distraught, Diana developed bulimia and attempted suicide.Despite her problems, she was a devoted mother to her two sons,Prince William and Prince Harry. She worked tirelessly for charity, andwas beloved by the public for her warmth and humanity.

In 1992 Princess Diana decided to expose the truth about herrelationship with Prince Charles to the public. She secretly collaboratedwith author Andrew Morton on his book Diana, Her True Story. Theprincess's direct involvement in the writing of the book was notrevealed to the public until after her death.The separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales was announced onDecember 9, 1992. The divorce became official August 28, 1996.Princess Diana kept the title Princess of Wales and continued to workfor her favorite charities. She and Prince Charles had joint custody of their sons.In 1997 Princess Diana began a love affair with Emad "Dodi" Fayed,the son of billionaire businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed. Their romanceended abruptly on August 31, 1997 when both were killed in a caraccident in Paris while fleeing from paparazzi. Princess Diana's suddendeath led to an unprecedented worldwide outpouring of grief and love.As her brother said at her funeral, she was "the unique, the complex,the extraordinary and irreplacable Diana, whose beauty, both internaland external, will never be extinguished from our minds."