Princess Diana
Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961. She was the third daughter of Frances Roche and Lord Althorp (also known as the Viscountess and Viscount Althorp). Her family descended from the Stuart kings Charles II and James II. Her grandmother had been a lady-in waiting to Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. She had two older sisters, Sarah and Jane and a younger brother Charles. As a child, Diana lived a life of luxury, living in a ten-room mansion on the queen 's country estate in Sandringham, Norfolk. Her future husband, Charles, Prince of Wales, lived next door. Charles, however, was twelve years older than Diana, so she was more acquainted with his younger brothers, Princes Andrew and Edward.
Though luxurious, Diana 's childhood held disappointments and sadness. Her parents divorced in 1969, and each remarried. After a bitter struggle, her father won custody of the children and moved them to the Spencer home at Althorp, a 14,000-acre estate located seventy-five miles north of London. Her father later became the eighth Earl of Spencer (making Diana 's title Lady Diana Spencer).
Charles and Diana 's lives crossed again in 1977. She was then sixteen, and he twenty-eight. To an interviewer, Diana explained, " 'Charles came to stay at my sister 's house for a shoot.. We met in a field '" (CNN.com "Royals, Part 2" 2002). In 1979, nurturing her love for children, Diana moved to London and found work as a nanny and, then, as a kindergarten teacher. In the summer of 1980, Prince Charles called her, asking for a date. Six months later, after a fairytale romance, Charles asked Diana to marry him. Diana was the first English woman in 300 years to become a Princess by marriage. As millions watched worldwide on television, Diana and Charles married in St. Paul 's Cathedral on July 29, 1981.
The world fell in love with Diana. " 'Everybody had gone completely Diana mad. It was amazing the sort of mania about her, ' says royal photographer, Jayne Dincher" (Ibid.). The
Though luxurious, Diana 's childhood held disappointments and sadness. Her parents divorced in 1969, and each remarried. After a bitter struggle, her father won custody of the children and moved them to the Spencer home at Althorp, a 14,000-acre estate located seventy-five miles north of London. Her father later became the eighth Earl of Spencer (making Diana 's title Lady Diana Spencer).
Charles and Diana 's lives crossed again in 1977. She was then sixteen, and he twenty-eight. To an interviewer, Diana explained, " 'Charles came to stay at my sister 's house for a shoot.. We met in a field '" (CNN.com "Royals, Part 2" 2002). In 1979, nurturing her love for children, Diana moved to London and found work as a nanny and, then, as a kindergarten teacher. In the summer of 1980, Prince Charles called her, asking for a date. Six months later, after a fairytale romance, Charles asked Diana to marry him. Diana was the first English woman in 300 years to become a Princess by marriage. As millions watched worldwide on television, Diana and Charles married in St. Paul 's Cathedral on July 29, 1981.
The world fell in love with Diana. " 'Everybody had gone completely Diana mad. It was amazing the sort of mania about her, ' says royal photographer, Jayne Dincher" (Ibid.). The
Bibliography: Alter, Jonathan. "Diana 's Real Legacy. (Diana, Princess of Wales)," Newsweek 130 (15 September 1997): 58-62. CNN.com International. "Royals, Part 2: Fairytale and Nightmare," CNN.com/World (3 June 2002) . [cited 26 April 2003]. Available from http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/05/29/people.royals.2/index.html. . CNN.com International. "Royals, Part 4: Shock and Sorrow," CNN.com/World (3 June 2002) . [cited 26 April 2003]. Available from http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/05/29/people.royals.4/. Kim Hubbard et al. "Special Report: Princess Diana, 1961-1997: Touched by Diana," Time.com (2 February 1998). [cited 26 April 2003]. Available from http://www.time.com/time/daily/special/diana/ readingroom/sept9798/9.html . Martin, James. "Holiness, Royalty, and Fame," America 177 (4 October 1998): 9, 26-27. Pieler, George. "Face of Charity: The Philanthropic Legacy of Princess Diana," Philanthropy Magazine (Winter 1998). The Philanthropy Roundtable. [cited 26 April 2003]. Available from http://philanthropyroundtable.org/magazines/1998/winter/pieler.html .