Lady Diana: the story of life, love and disappointments of the princess of human hearts. Real Mom: Sons' Intimate Memories of Princess Diana Sons of Lady Diana
On July 1, Diana would have turned 55 years old. Famous princess with her open demeanor she became a sip fresh air in the royal palace.
When she married Prince Charles in St Paul's Cathedral, wedding ceremony(according to Wikipedia) was watched by 750 million viewers around the world. Diana was in the center of public attention throughout her life. Everything connected with her, from clothes to hairstyle, immediately became an international trend. And even after almost two decades since her tragic death, public interest in the personality of the Princess of Wales does not fade. In memory of the universally beloved princess, we present twenty-six little known facts about her life.
1. Studying at school
Diana was not good at science, and after she failed two exams at West Heath Girls' School at the age of 16, her education ended. Her father intended to send her to study in Sweden, but she insisted on returning home.
2. Meeting Charles and getting engaged
Prince Charles and Diana met while he was dating Sarah. older sister Diana. Sarah and Charles' relationship came to a standstill after she publicly announced that she did not love the prince. Diana, on the other hand, really liked Charles and even hung his photograph above her bed at boarding school. “I want to become a dancer or the Princess of Wales,” she once admitted to her classmate.
Diana was just 16 when she first saw Charles (who was then 28) hunting in Norfolk. According to the recollections of her former music teacher, Diana was very excited and could not talk about anything else: “Finally, I met him!” Two years later, their engagement was officially announced, when Sarah proudly declared: “I introduced them, I am Cupid.”
After graduating from school and until the official announcement of the engagement, the young aristocrat worked first as a nanny and then as a teacher in kindergarten in Knightsbridge, one of the most prestigious areas of London.
4. An Englishwoman among royal wives
As surprising as it may sound, over the past 300 years, Lady Diana Frances Spencer was the first Englishwoman to become the wife of the heir to the British throne. Wives before her English kings were mainly representatives of German royal dynasties, there was also a Dane (Alexandra of Denmark, wife of Edward VII), and even the Queen Mother, wife of George VI and grandmother of Charles, was Scottish.
Princess Diana's wedding dress was decorated with 10,000 pearls and ended with an 8-meter train - the longest in history royal weddings. To support the English fashion industry, Diana turned to young designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel, whom she accidentally met through a Vogue editor. “We knew that the dress had to go down in history and at the same time please Diana. The ceremony was at St. Paul's Cathedral, so we needed something that would fill the center aisle and look impressive." For five months, the windows of the Emanuel boutique in central London were tightly closed with blinds, and the boutique itself was carefully guarded so that no one could see the silk taffeta creation ahead of time. On the wedding day it was delivered in a sealed envelope. But, just in case, a spare dress was sewn. “We didn’t try it on Diana, we didn’t even discuss it,” Elizabeth admitted in 2011, when the second dress became known.
6. "Commoner's Sapphire"
Diana chose a sapphire ring from the Garrard catalog for her engagement, instead of ordering one, as was customary in the royal environment. The 12-carat sapphire, surrounded by 14 diamonds in white gold, was called the “commoner's sapphire” because, despite the price of $60,000, anyone could buy it. “Many people wanted to have a ring like Diana’s,” a Cartier representative said in an interview The New York Times. Since then, the "commoner's sapphire" has become associated with Princess Diana. After her death, Prince Harry inherited the ring, but gave it to Prince William before his engagement to Kate Middleton in 2010. William is rumored to have taken the sapphire from the royal safe and carried it in his backpack during a three-week trip to Africa before giving it to Kate. The ring is now valued at ten times its original cost.
7. Oath at the altar
For the first time in history, Diana arbitrarily changed the words of her wedding vow, deliberately omitting the phrase “obey her husband.” Thirty years later, William and Kate repeated this vow.
8. Favorite dish
Diana's personal chef Darren McGrady recalls that one of her favorite foods was cream pudding, and when he was making it, she would often go into the kitchen and remove the raisins from the top. Diana liked stuffed peppers and eggplants; When dining alone, she preferred lean meat, a large bowl of salad and yogurt for dessert.
Some biographers claim that Diana's favorite color was pink, and she often wore dresses in various shades, from pale pink to deep crimson.
10. Favorite perfume
Her favorite perfume after the divorce was the French perfume 24 Faubourg from Hermès - a delicate solemn aroma with a bouquet of jasmine and gardenia, iris and vanilla, giving off peach, bergamot, sandalwood and patchouli.
Diana herself chose the names for her children and insisted that the eldest son be named William, despite the fact that Charles chose the name Arthur, and the youngest - Henry (that's how he was baptized, although everyone calls him Harry), while his father wanted name your son Albert. Diana breastfed her children, although this is not customary in the royal family. Diana and Charles were the first royal parents who, contrary to established tradition, traveled with their young children. During their six-week tour of Australia and New Zealand, they took nine-month-old William with them. Royal biographer Christopher Warwick claims that William and Harry were very happy with Diana, as her approach to raising children was radically different from that adopted at court.
12. William – the first prince to attend kindergarten
The preschool education of royal children was traditionally provided by private teachers and governesses. Princess Diana changed this order, insisting that Prince William be sent to a regular kindergarten. Thus, he became the first heir to the throne to visit preschool outside the palace. And although Diana, who was extremely attached to her children, considered it important, if possible, to create ordinary conditions for their upbringing, there were exceptions. One day for lunch at Buckingham Palace she invited Cindy Crawford because 13-year-old Prince William was crazy about the model. “It was a little awkward, he was still very young, and I didn’t want to look too confident, but at the same time I had to be stylish so that the child felt that he was a supermodel,” Cindy later admitted.
13. The usual childhood of the heirs to the throne
Diana tried to show her children the diversity of life outside the palace. They ate hamburgers together at McDonald's, rode the subway and bus, wore jeans and baseball caps, and went down the river in inflatable boats. mountain rivers and rode bicycles. At Disneyland, like ordinary visitors, we stood in line for tickets.
Diana showed children another side of life when she took them with her to hospitals and homeless shelters. “She really wanted to show us all the hardships of ordinary life, and I am very grateful to her, it was a good lesson, it was then that I realized how far many of us are from real life, especially myself,” William told ABC News in 2012.
14. Not a royal demeanor
Diana preferred round tables large royal banquets, so she could communicate more closely with her guests. However, if she was alone, she often dined in the kitchen, which is completely uncharacteristic of royalty. “No one else did it like that,” her personal chef Darren McGrady admitted in 2014. Elizabeth II visited the kitchen of Buckingham Palace once a year, for her ceremonial tour everything had to be cleaned to a shine, and the chefs lined up to greet the queen. If someone else from royal family entered the kitchen, everyone had to immediately stop working, put pots and pans on the stove, take three steps back and bow. Diana was simpler. “Darren, I want coffee. Oh, you're busy, then I'll do it myself. Should I do it? True, she didn’t like to cook, and why would she? McGrady cooked for her all week and stocked the refrigerator on the weekends so she could microwave meals.
15. Diana and fashion
When Diana first met Charles, she was very shy and blushed easily and often. But gradually she gained self-confidence, and in 1994 a photograph of her in a tight, low-cut minidress at an exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery blew up the covers of the world's tabloids, because this little black dress was a clear violation of the royal dress code.
16. Lady Di is against formalities
When Diana talked to children, she always crouched down to be eye level with them (her son and daughter-in-law now do the same). “Diana was the first royal to communicate with children in this way,” says Majesty magazine editor Ingrid Seward. "Usually the royal family considered themselves superior to the rest, but Diana said: 'If someone is nervous in your presence, or if you are talking to a small child or a sick person, get down to their level.'
17. Change in the queen's attitude towards her daughter-in-law
The bright, emotional Diana caused a lot of trouble in the royal court; her manner in public was completely inconsistent with how members of the royal family usually behaved. This irritated the queen more than once. But today, having crossed the threshold of her ninetieth birthday, looking at how people perceive her wonderful grandchildren, Diana’s sons William and Harry, Elizabeth is forced to admit that they see Diana in them, her sincerity and love of life. Unlike their father and other members of the royal family, William and Harry always attract everyone's attention and are very popular. “It’s probably all thanks to Diana in the end,” the queen says with a smile.
18. Diana's role in the approach to the problem of AIDS
When Diana told the Queen she wanted to take on AIDS and asked her to help fund research into a vaccine, Elizabeth encouraged her to do something more appropriate. It must be admitted that in the mid-80s, when this conversation took place, they tried to hush up the AIDS problem and not notice it; those infected were often treated as if they had the plague. However, Diana did not give up, and largely due to the fact that she was one of the first to draw attention to the problem of AIDS, publicly shaking hands with HIV-infected people and calling for funding for research, attitudes towards AIDS in society changed, drugs appeared that allow patients to manage relatively normal life.
19. Fear of horses
In all aristocratic families of England, and especially in the royal family, horseback riding is not only very popular, but also mandatory. The ability to stay in the saddle is taught from an early age, and this is part of the rules of good manners even for the most impoverished baronets. Lady Diana was naturally properly trained to ride, but she was such a clumsy rider and so afraid of horses that even the Queen had to back off and stop taking her on horseback rides at Sudnringham.
20. “Advanced training courses” for a young aristocrat
Despite the nobility of the Spencer family, to which Diana belonged, when she married Charles, she was still too young and inexperienced in palace protocol. Therefore, Elizabeth asked her sister, Princess Margaret, Diana's neighbor Kensington Palace, take your daughter-in-law under your wing. Margaret was enthusiastic about this request. She saw herself in her youth in the young creature and enjoyed communication, sharing with Diana a love of theater and ballet. Margaret told who to shake hands with and what to say. They got along well, although at times the mentor could be quite harsh with her protégé. Once Diana addressed the driver by his first name, although strict royal protocol involves addressing servants exclusively by their last name. Margaret slapped her on the wrist and made a stern reprimand. And yet, their warm relationship lasted quite a long time and changed dramatically only after the official break with Charles, when Margaret unconditionally took her nephew’s side.
21. Deliberate violation of royal protocol
To celebrate the Queen's 67th birthday, Diana arrived at Windsor Castle with William and Harry, carrying balloons and paper crowns. Everything would be fine, but Elizabeth can’t stand either one or the other, and after 12 years of close communication, Diana should have known about it. However, she still decorated the hall with balloons and distributed paper crowns to the guests.
22. Official break with Charles
Elizabeth tried to do everything in her power to save the marriage of Diana and Charles. This concerned, first of all, her relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, Charles' mistress. By unspoken order of the queen, Camilla was excommunicated from the court; all the servants knew that “that woman” should not cross the threshold of the palace. Obviously, this did not change anything, the relationship between Charles and Camilla continued, and the marriage with Diana was rapidly deteriorating.
Shortly after it was officially announced in December 1992 that the royal couple had separated, the princess asked for an audience with the queen. But upon arrival at Buckingham Palace, it turned out that the Queen was busy, and Diana had to wait in the lobby. When Elizabeth finally accepted her, Diana was on the verge of a breakdown and burst into tears right in front of the queen. She complained that everyone was against her. The fact is that as much as Lady Di was popular among the masses, she was just as undesirable in royal circles. After the break with Charles, the court unanimously sided with the heir, and Diana found herself isolated. Being unable to influence the family's attitude towards ex-daughter-in-law, the queen could only promise that the divorce would not affect the status of William and Harry.
23. Diana and the Taj Mahal
During an official visit to India in 1992, when the royal couple was still considered married couple, Diana was photographed sitting alone near the Taj Mahal, that majestic monument to the love of a husband for his wife. It was a visual message that, while officially together, Diana and Charles were actually separated.
24. Divorce
Despite all the queen's attempts to reconcile her son and daughter-in-law, including her invitation to Diana to formal reception in honor of the President of Portugal at the end of 1992, or at Christmas 1993, the parties continued to speak unflatteringly and publicly accuse each other of infidelity, so that there could be no talk of any restoration of relations. Therefore, in the end, Elizabeth wrote letters to them asking them to consider divorce. Both knew that this was tantamount to an order. And if the princess asked for time to think in her response letter, Charles immediately asked Diana for a divorce. In the summer of 1996, a year before the tragic death of Lady Di, their marriage was dissolved.
25. “Queen of Human Hearts”
In her interview with the BBC in November 1995, Diana made several frank confessions about her postpartum depression, broken marriage and strained relationship with royal family. About Camilla's constant presence in her marriage, she said: “There were three of us. A bit much for marriage, isn’t it?” But her most shocking statement was that Charles did not want to be king.
Developing her thought, she suggested that she herself would never become queen, but instead expressed the possibility of becoming queen "in the hearts of people." And she confirmed this fictitious status by being active community work and doing charity work. In June 1997, two months before her death, Diana put up for auction 79 ball gowns, which at one time appeared on the covers of glossy magazines around the world. Thus, she seemed to break with the past, and the $5.76 million received at the auction was spent to fund research into AIDS and breast cancer.
26. Life after divorce
Experiencing a breakup with Charles, Diana did not withdraw into herself and did not isolate herself from society; she began to enjoy a free life. Shortly before her tragic death, she met producer Dodi Al-Fayed, the eldest son of Egyptian billionaire, owner of the Ritz Hotel in Paris and the London department store Harrods. They spent several days together near Sardinia on his yacht, and then went to Paris, where on August 31, 1997 they were involved in a fatal car accident. There is still controversy over true reasons accidents ranging from a paparazzi chase and the driver's blood alcohol level to a mysterious white car whose paint marks were found on the door of the Mercedes in which Diana died. The accident was allegedly the result of a collision with this car. And it doesn’t matter that this is a mysterious car that appeared out of nowhere, disappeared into nowhere, and no one saw it. But for conspiracy theory lovers, this is not an argument. They insist that it was a murder planned by the British intelligence services. This version is supported by Dodi’s father, Mohammed Al-Fayed, citing as the basis Dodi and Diana’s plans to get married, which did not suit the royal family at all. We are unlikely to ever know how it really happened. One thing is for sure - the world has lost one of the best and brightest women of all time, who forever changed the life of the royal family and the attitude of society towards the monarchy. The memory of the “queen of hearts” will remain with us forever.
Childhood
Diana was born in Norfolk on the private estate of the Windsor dynasty, Sandringham. Diana's ancestors through her father John Spencer came from royal families through the illegitimate sons of King Charles II and illegitimate daughter James II. Frances Rood, Diana's mother, was also from an aristocratic family. Diana spent her childhood in her native Sandringham Palace. There the girl received her primary education at home.
Little Diana. (pinterest.com)
Diana in childhood. (pinterest.com)
Her governess was Gertrude Allen, who had previously taught Diana's mother. A little later, the girl entered the Silfield private school, and then - preparatory school Riddlesworth Hall.
Diana as a teenager. (pinterest.com)
In 1969, Diana's parents divorced. The girl stayed to live with her father in home. Diana's sisters and brother stayed with them. The eight-year-old girl was very upset about the separation of those closest to her. Soon John Spencer married for the second time. The new stepmother did not like the children. To live in own family Diana was getting harder and harder.
The Spencer Family, 1975. (pinterest.com)
When Diana was 12 years old, she was accepted into a privileged school for girls in Kent. Alas, Diana was unable to cope with her studies; she was never able to finish school. However, teachers noted her unconditional talent for music and dancing.
School years. (pinterest.com)
In 1975, Diana's grandfather, John's father, died. John Spencer automatically became the eighth Earl of Spencer, and Diana herself received the title of Lady. At the same time, the whole family moved to the ancient ancestral castle of Althorp House (Nottroughtonshire).
Youth
In 1977, Diana entered school in Rougemont (Switzerland). Soon the girl began to feel very homesick. As a result, in 1978, she decided to return to her native England.
Young Diana. (pinterest.com)
With a pony. (pinterest.com)
At first, Diana lived in the London apartment of her mother, who then mainly lived in Scotland. Two years later, in honor of her 18th birthday, Diana received an apartment in Earls Court as a gift. There she lived for some time with three friends.
Diana decided to find a job and got a job as an assistant teacher at the Young England kindergarten in central London. Diana adored children, so work was a joy for her.
Personal life
Diana met her future husband in the winter of 1977. At that time, Prince Charles came to Althrop to hunt. Diana took a liking to the noble young man at first sight.
On July 29, 1981, Diana and Charles married at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Lush Wedding Dress made of silk taffeta with huge sleeves, a deep neckline and a long train, decorated with hand embroidery, pearls and rhinestones, it became one of the most famous outfits in history.
Charles and Diana on their wedding day. (pinterest.com)
3.5 thousand guests were invited to the ceremony, and the wedding process in live 750 million people followed.
During honeymoon, 1981. (pinterest.com)
In Scotland, 1981. (pinterest.com)
In 1982, Diana gave birth to a son, William. Two years later, another child appeared in the family - son Harry.
Family photo. (pinterest.com)
Diana and Charles with children. (pinterest.com)
Diana with children. (pinterest.com)
In the early 1990s, the relationship between Diana and Charles became cold. The discord between the spouses occurred due to intimate relationships Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles - married woman, whom the prince met before the wedding.
Diana herself kept in touch for some time with James Hewitt, her riding instructor. As a result, in 1992, Diana and Charles separated, but decided not to file a divorce. Queen Elizabeth II insisted on an official break. In 1996, Diana and Charles signed everything Required documents.
In 1997, information appeared in the press that Lady Diana began a whirlwind romance with Dodi Al-Fayed, a successful film producer and son of Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed.
Diana and Dodi. (pinterest.com)
However, neither Diana herself nor her close friends confirmed this fact. It is likely that these were rumors.
Lady Diana was called the “queen of hearts” - the woman was famous for her tender attitude towards the people, her care for those who were much less fortunate in this life than herself. So, Diana was quite actively involved in charity work, was an activist in the fight against AIDS, and worked peacekeeping activities and opposed the production of anti-personnel mines.
Princess in Moscow, 1995. (pinterest.com)
In 1995, Princess Diana of Wales visited Moscow. She visited the Tushino Children's Hospital and donated expensive equipment. The next day Diana went to primary school secondary school No. 751, where she opened a branch of the Waverly House fund for helping disabled children.
Death of Princess Diana
On August 31, 1997, in a tunnel under the Pont Alma in Paris, Diana, Dodi Al-Fayed, Trevor Rhys Jones (bodyguard) and Henri Paul (driver) were involved in a car accident.
Dodi and Henri died on the spot. Diana was taken to the Salpêtrière hospital. For two hours, doctors fought for the life of the princess, but the injuries she received turned out to be incompatible with life.
The cause of the accident is still unknown. Trevor was unable to reconstruct the chain of events. Journalists put forward several versions of the disaster: Henri Paul's drunkenness, speeding in the hope of breaking away from the paparazzi, and a conspiracy theory against Diana.
Although Princess Diana died in 1997, the world will never forget her. There was everything in her life, from charity to personal secrets and problems that people know nothing about and do not suspect, since everything was carefully hidden by the 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
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
Princess Diana and 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
Princess Diana at a conference
In the 80s, there was a rapid growth of the disease AIDS on the planet, 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
Princess Diana
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
Diana's engagement ring
It is customary for royal families to have custom-made jewelry, but Diana broke this tradition by choosing her own wedding 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
Princess Diana and children
Diana had 17 godchildren and goddaughters, and very often she was taken as a godparent without her consent or presence. Godchildren include Lady Edwina Grosvenor, daughter of the Duke of Westminster, George Frost, son of the famous journalist David, and Domenica Lawson, a little girl with Down syndrome.
13. Diana found herself at odds with her mother
Princess Diana
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"
Princess Diana
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
Princess Diana on the cover of a magazine
Throughout her life, and even after her death, Diana appeared 55 times on the cover of the world's popular People magazine. This impressive record, who has not yet been beaten 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
Princess Diana with her family
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 sex 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 Nobel Prize
Princess Diana
Many people are aware of Diana’s active peacekeeping activities and 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 absolutely ruined on the wedding day
Wedding Dress
Princess Diana's wedding 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
Princess Diana
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
The Royal Family
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
Princess Diana in 1992
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
Wedding ceremony
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
Princess Diana
After the divorce, Diana did not want to be called "Your Highness." She became the first princess to choose 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.
Princess Diana
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 was using 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
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.
Celebrity biographies
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01.07.17 10:46
Princess Diana was included in the list of "100 Greatest Britons", taking third place in it. And even now, many years after the death of Princess Diana, her personality is of great interest, and daughter-in-law Kate Middleton is constantly compared to her mother-in-law. The death of Princess Diana and the life of Princess Diana are shrouded in mysteries that can no longer be solved.
Princess Diana - biography
Representative of an ancient aristocratic family
Princess Diana of Wales, whom everyone called “Lady Diana” or “Lady Di” for short, was born on July 1, 1961 in Sandringham (Norfolk). Then her name was Diana Frances Spencer. She belonged to a noble family: her father John Spencer was Viscount Althorp (and later Earl Spencer) and was distantly related to the Dukes of Marlborough (to which Winston Churchill belonged). Also in John's family tree were the bastards of the brother kings Charles the Second and James the Second. Princess Diana's mother's name was Frances Shand Kydd; she could not boast of such ancient noble roots.
The early biography of Princess Diana took place in the family nest of Sandgreenham, with the same governess who raised Frances working with her. After homeschooling(primary school) the future Princess Diana went to Sealfield private school, and then moved to Riddlesworth Hall preparatory school. Even then, her father and mother were divorced (divorced in 1969), Diana came under the care of John, like her brother and sisters. The girl was very worried about the separation from her mother, and after that she could not establish a relationship with her strict stepmother.
Newly hired teacher's assistant
In 1973, Princess Diana entered an elite girls' school in Kent, but did not graduate, showing poor results. Having become Lady Diana (when John took over the peerage from his deceased father), the 14-year-old girl moved with her family and her newly-made father, the Earl, to Althorp House Castle in Northamptonshire.
Another attempt to send Diana away from home was made in 1977, when she moved to Switzerland. But, unable to bear parting with her loved ones and her homeland, Diana left Rougemont and returned home. Princess Diana's biography continued in London, where she was given an apartment (for her 18th birthday). Having settled into her new home, Diana invited three friends to be neighbors and got a job in a kindergarten in Pimiliko as a teacher’s assistant.
Personal life of Princess Diana
Hunting meeting
In 1981 she was destined to become a princess Welsh Diana, that's what we'll talk about.
Before she left for Switzerland, Diana was introduced to Queen Elizabeth II's son, Prince Charles, who was taking part in a hunt held at Althorp. This happened in the winter of 1977. But serious relationship Princesses Diana and Charles began later, in the summer of 1980.
They went on a weekend together (on the royal yacht Britannia), and then Charles introduced Diana to her parents, Elizabeth II and Philip, at the Windsor's Scottish castle, Balmoral. The girl produced good impression, so Charles's family did not contradict their romance. The couple began dating, and on February 3, 1981, the heir to the throne proposed to Diana at Windsor Castle. She agreed. But the engagement was announced only on February 24. Princess Diana's famous ring with a large sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds cost £30,000. Later it was passed on to Kate Middleton - Princess Diana's eldest son William gave it to the bride upon their engagement.
The most expensive “wedding of the century”
Princess Diana's wedding took place on July 29, 1981 in London's St. Pavel. The celebration began at 11.20, 3.5 thousand distinguished guests were present in the temple, and 750 million viewers watched the “wedding of the century” on TV. Great Britain rejoiced; the Queen declared this day a holiday. After the wedding there was a reception for 120 people. The wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles is recognized as the most expensive in the history of the country - 2.859 million pounds were spent on it.
Princess Diana's wedding dress was made of airy taffeta and lace, with very puffy sleeves, by fashion designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel. Then it was valued at 9 thousand pounds. Hand embroidery, antique lace, a daring neckline, rhinestones and a long ivory train all looked stunning on the slender bride. To be on the safe side, two copies of Princess Diana's outfit were sewn together, but they were not needed. The newlywed's head was decorated with a tiara.
Desired heirs William and Harry
Princess Diana and Charles spent their honeymoon on a Mediterranean cruise on the yacht Britannia, stopping in Tunisia, Greece, Sardinia and Egypt. Returning to their homeland, the newlyweds went to Balmoral Castle and relaxed in a hunting lodge.
There is also a biopic “The Queen”, about the events after the death of Princess Diana; Helen Mirren portrays Elizabeth II in it.
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Biography, life story of Princess Diana of Wales
Diana Frances Spencer is the first wife of the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles of Wales.
Childhood
Diana was born on July 1, 1961 in Norfolk on the private estate of the Windsor dynasty Sandringham. The girl's father, John Spencer, was Viscount Elthropa, a member of the Spencer-Churchill family (the same family included the Duke of Marlborough and). Diana's paternal ancestors came from royal families through the illegitimate son of King Charles II and the illegitimate daughter of James II. Frances Rood, Diana's mother, was also from an aristocratic family.
Little Diana spent her childhood years in her native Sandringham Palace. There the girl received her primary education at home. The first grains of knowledge were laid in her by the experienced governess Gertrude Allen, who at one time taught Diana’s mother. A little later, Diana entered the Silfield private school, and then the Riddlesworth Hall preparatory school.
In 1969, Diana's parents divorced. The girl remained to live with her father in her home. Diana's sisters and brother stayed with them. The eight-year-old girl was very upset about the separation of those closest to her. Soon John Spencer married for the second time. The new stepmother did not like the children. Living in her own family was becoming harder and harder for Diana every day.
When Diana was twelve years old, she was accepted into a privileged school for girls in Kent. Alas, Diana was unable to cope with her studies; she was never able to finish school. However, teachers noted her unconditional talent for music and dancing.
In 1975, Diana's grandfather, John's father, died. John Spencer automatically became the eighth Earl of Spencer, and Diana herself received the title of Lady. At the same time, the whole family moved to the ancient ancestral castle of Althorp House (Nottroughtonshire).
Youth
In 1977, Diana entered school in Rougemont (Switzerland). Soon the girl began to feel very homesick. As a result, in 1978, she decided to return to her native England. At first, Diana lived in the London apartment of her mother, who at that time spent most of her time in Scotland. Two years later, in honor of her eighteenth birthday, Diana received an apartment in Earls Court as a gift. There she lived for some time with three friends. To earn her living, the hardworking Lady Diana worked as an assistant teacher at the Young England kindergarten (Pimlico, central London). Dina adored children, so work was a joy for her.
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Personal life
Diana met her future husband in the winter of 1977. At that time, Prince Charles came to Althrop to hunt. Diana took a liking to the noble young man at first sight.
On July 29, 1981, Diana and Charles were married at St. Paul's Cathedral (London). Diana looked simply magical - her fluffy dress made of silk taffeta with huge sleeves, a deep neckline and a long train, decorated with hand embroidery, pearls and rhinestones, it became one of the most famous outfits in history. The image of the happy bride was completed by an incomparable tiara, an heirloom from Diana’s family. Three and a half thousand guests were invited to the wedding ceremony, and seven hundred and fifty million people watched the wedding process live.
In 1982, Diana gave birth to a son. The firstborn was named. Two years later, another child appeared in the family - a son.
In the early 1990s, the relationship between Diana and Charles became cold. The rift between the spouses arose due to Prince Charles's intimate relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, a married woman whom Charles dated before his wedding to Diana. Diana herself, a prominent and attractive woman, kept in touch for some time with James Hewitt, her own riding instructor. As a result, in 1992, Diana and Charles separated, but decided not to file a divorce. The queen insisted on an official break. In 1996, Diana and Charles signed all the necessary documents.
In 1997, information appeared in the press that Lady Diana began a whirlwind romance with Dodi Al-Fayed, a successful film producer and the son of an Egyptian billionaire. However, neither Diana herself nor her close friends confirmed this fact. It is likely that these were just rumors without any basis.
Social activity
It was not for nothing that Lady Diana was called the “Queen of Hearts” - the woman was famous for her tender attitude towards the people, her care for those who were much less fortunate in this life than herself. Thus, Diana was quite actively involved in charity work, was an activist in the fight against AIDS, was engaged in peacekeeping activities and opposed the production of anti-personnel mines.
In 1995, Princess Diana of Wales visited Moscow. On June fifteenth of that year, Diana visited the Tushino Children's Hospital. Diana donated expensive equipment to the medical institution. The next day, Diana went to primary school No. 751, where a kind-hearted British aristocrat opened a branch of the Waverly House fund for helping disabled children.
Awards and prizes
Princess Diana of Wales was awarded the Queen's Royal Family Order.
In 1982, Diana received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown in the Netherlands. That same year, in Egypt, the princess was awarded a special class of the Order of Virtue.
Death of Princess Diana
On August 31, 1997, Diana, Dodi al-Fayed, Trevor Rhys Jones (bodyguard) and Henri Paul (driver) were involved in a car accident in a tunnel under the Alma Bridge (Seine embankment, Paris). Dodi and Henri died on the spot. Diana was taken to the Salpêtrière hospital. For two hours, doctors fought for the life of the “queen of hearts,” but the injuries she received turned out to be incompatible with life. Lady Diana died in her hospital bed. Trevor Rhys Jones managed to survive, but his face had to be reconstructed.
The cause of the accident is still unknown. Trevor was unable to reconstruct the chain of events. Journalists put forward several versions of the disaster: Henri Paul's drunkenness, speeding in the hope of breaking away from the paparazzi, and a conspiracy theory against Diana.
In 2007, former Scotland Yard commissioner Lord John Stevens published his report, which stated that alcohol was indeed found in the driver's blood, the car was moving at speeds exceeding the permitted speed, and the passengers were not wearing seat belts. All this together led to the accident.
Princess Diana of Wales was buried on September 6 at Elthrop Estate, Northamptonshire.
Lady Diana and her influence on culture
Many books have been written about Diana in different languages.
In 1986, the British rock band Depeche Mode included the song New Dress in their album, which talks about the too close attention of reporters to Diana’s personal life.
In 1997, the Soviet and Russian rock band “” dedicated the song “4D” to Lady Diana.
In 2006, director Stephen Frears presented the historical drama The Queen. The film tells about the life of the royal family after the death of Diana.
In 2007, a song by a soft rock artist entered the Guinness Book of Records.
