Date of Birth
1 July 1961, Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk, England, UK
Date of Death
31 August 1997, Paris, France (road accident)
Birth Name
Diana Frances Spencer
Nickname::
The People's Princess
Princess Di
The Queen of Hearts
Lady Di
Princess Diana was born Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961. Her parents were Edward John and Frances Spencer Viscount and Viscountess Althorp, later Earl and Countess Spencer. When she was 6 her parents split up and her mother got married to Peter Shand-Kydd. Diana lived with her father her two older sisters and her younger brother Charles.
When she was about 8 she was sent to boarding school. After that she went to another boarding school and then finally to a school in Switzerland where only French was spoken. She was not what one would call an academic, and actually would be considered a high school drop out. When she was at her final boarding school in England she met Prince Charles for the first time. He was dating Diana's sister Sarah at the time and Diana was so exited about finally meeting him that she could not concentrate on her O level exams the following week.
It was only when her grandfather died that she inherited the title of Lady. Diana lived in an apartment with roommates and was a nanny and a school teacher when she got engaged to the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles. They got married in the summer of 1981 and on July 21 1982, Prince William Arther Phillip Louis was born. On September 15 1984, she had Prince Henry Charles Albert David. Her marriage started to fail then. In 1992 she and Prince Charles separated and in 1996 they divorced. She then lost the privilege of being called Her Royal Highness. In 1996 she fell in love with Dodi Fayed, the son of the owner of Harrods Department Store in London. On the night of August 31 1997, they were both tragically killed in a motor accident when the car they were in collided with a beam on the Pont D'Alma near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. Her funeral was held on September 6 1997, just 9 days before Henry's 13th birthday. She is buried on an island at her ancestral home at Althorp.
Spouse
Prince Charles (29 July 1981 - 28 August 1996) (divorced) 2 children
Facts::
Buried on an island in Althorp, Northamptonshire, England, UK.
Two sons with Prince Charles: Prince William Windsor (b. 21 June 1982) and Prince Harry Windsor (b.15 September 1984).
Former daughter-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
"Candle In The Wind", the Elton John song about Marilyn Monroe, was changed to fit her, and performed by John at her funeral. Coincidentally, both women died at age 36.
Had her look-alike puppet in the French show "Les guignols de l'info" (1988).
Her death was used by Jean-Pierre Jeunet as a plot device for Amélie (2001).
Invited Supermodel Cindy Crawford to Buckingham Palace for dinner, when Prince William Windsor had a secret crush on the model.
Portrayed by Catherine Oxenberg, Edita Brychta, Julie Cox, and Nicola Formby.
Was a fan of the Swedish pop band Abba.
Step-granddaughter of Barbara Cartland.
Distantly related to actor Humphrey Bogart, who was her 7th cousin.
Once referred to Camilla Parker-Bowles as a rottweiler.
Appeared on the cover of People Weekly magazine a record-breaking 81 times. The "Goodbye Diana" issue (9/22/97) racked up sales of almost $3m making the issue the magazine's best-seller in its existence.
Fell in love with Dodi Fayed after a food fight on his father's yacht Jonikal.
Sister of Earl Charles Spencer (b. 1964), Sarah Spencer (b. 1955) and Jane Spencer (b. 1957).
Told an intimate friend that, while walking down the aisle in Saint Paul's Cathedral, she thought about turning back like "Elaine" did in The Graduate (1967)'.
Loved animated movies, especially the ones that were musicals.
Best friends with Lúcia Flecha Flecha de Lima, Rosa Monckton, Sarah Ferguson, Lana Marks, Lady Annabel Goldsmith and her daughter Jemima Khan.
The Brazilian ambassador Lúcia Flecha Flecha de Lima was her best friend.
When her photo made the cover of Time magazine after her untimely death, the Commemorative Issue sold more than 1 million copies at the newsstands.
Personal Quotes::
"There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." - "Panorama" (1953) Interview, 1995
"Any sane person would have left long ago. But I cannot. I have my sons."
"I'd like to be a queen in people's hearts but I don't see myself being queen of this country."