Interesting facts relating to Princess Diana
- Princess Diana was born July 1, 1961 at 7:45 PM weighing 7lb 12oz at Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk, England, UK. She had her christening at Sandringham Church in Norfolk. Her full name is Lady Diana Frances Spencer. On July 29, 1981 she married her Prince Charming - Prince Charles of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II. On June 21 1982 her first son was born - Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis Windsor. Two years later, on September 15 1984, Diana's second and youngest son was born - Prince Henry Charles Albert David Windsor.
- When she and Charles got married in 1981, more than 700 million people tuned into the event on television sets in over 70 countries. Royal watchers were keen to get a glimpse of the huge ring that was created by Gerard. It had 14 solitaire diamonds that were situated around a 12 carat sapphire. Remarkably enough, this expensive ring was 18K gold instead of 24K gold to hold the jewels. Diana’s ring is still being worn today, but it’s on the finger of Kate Middleton instead.
- Charles and Diana officially separated from their marriage in 1992. The divorce took 4 years to be finalized. In a 1995 interview with BBC television, Diana admitted that she had committed adultery during her marriage. She told the people watching the interview that she hoped that she could still be a queen in their hearts, even if she couldn’t actually become the Queen of England in the future. When the divorce was finalized in 1996, she lost the title “Her Royal Highness,” although she was still officially titled the Princess of Wales.
- One of her most notable campaigns was to ban landmines in the theatre of war, work that she was truly passionate about. It took her to every corner of the world after her divorce from Prince Charles became official. In total, Diana is known to have supported over 100 charities, one of which even won the Nobel Peace Prize just a few months after death. Her most notable trip occurred in 1997 when she travelled to Angola for the express purpose of raising awareness for the International Red Cross and their campaign to remove landmines at the time. Diana would often instruct that her visits be kept secret from the media so that she could visit with people who were sick or in peace.
- Diana’s autobiography chronicles a number of personal struggles that she had during her first years of marriage to Prince Charles. She particularly struggled with some mental health issues, including eating disorders and suicide attempts. In the end, however, she was able to overcome these issues and be the loving mother that she knew her sons would need.
- In the earliest days of HIV/AIDS, there was a lot of negative stigma that surrounded people who had the disease. It was not uncommon for people who had AIDS to be discriminated against under the justification of not wanting to become ill. Diana showed that not only did people with this disease deserve compassion, but that those who were afflicted weren’t necessarily dangerous to the general public. Her strive and desire to pursue equality for those affected by this changed the world’s perception about who a person with AIDS really happened to be.
- Although Diana came from a broken home, it was still very much a loving home. Her two sisters, Jane and Sarah, would often dote on her. Diana would often recount how they would help to give her a bath, comb her hair, and help to dress her up. She also had two brothers, named John and Charles. She loved to go dancing, swimming, and she’d go skiing on occasion as well. Prince Charles knew of the family and was even neighbours to them. At one point, Charles was dating Diana’s older sister.
Her extended family is also filled with a number of historical figures with recognizable names. People like George Washington, Humphrey Bogart, and even the Bush family in the US are all part of Diana’s extended family
- Princess Diana always admired the strongest women that were working in her era. Names like Margaret Thatcher, Mother Teresa, and even Madonna were amongst her top idolized women. She often looked to the strength of these women so that she could endure a marriage that wasn’t very happy. Part of the reason why she sunk into the depression and eating disorders was because of how unhappy she really was, despite being the first lady to marry the heir to the British throne in over three centuries .
- Diana appeared on the cover of dozens of magazines. She was featured on the cover of People magazine more than 50 times. Time magazine featured her 8 times. Newsweek featured her on the cover 7 times. Other magazines around the world would also regularly put her image on their cover. Doing so made for good business. Just about every magazine issue that featured Princess Diana sold ou
- Although Diana has been gone from this world for several years, her charitable works continue to live on through the Princess of Wales Fund. This fund was established after her death, but the goal was simple: to make sure that the organizations she supported would continue to receive the advocacy that they deserved. Today this fund helps to take care of those who are sick in Africa, providing shelter and housing for refugees around the world, and continues to campaign against the use of landmines during conflict.
- When Diana talked about her life when she was dating Prince Charles, she would often tell people that she’d been bred for performing royal duties. When reality began to set in, however, she found out that being a princess was much more overwhelming that anticipated. She began to recover from many of her personal issues once she made the decision to get away from some of her royal duties to pursue some of her own interests. This didn’t always sit well with the family, but it did help her to win the hearts and minds of the rest of the population.
- The accident was breaking news around the world when it happened. Diana initially survived the accident and many people formed prayer groups and held vigilance over the last few hours of her life in the hopes that she would be able to pull through from her injuries. News broadcasts around the world routinely interrupted programming about her people condition.
- Princess Diana had a profound effect on the world and that effect continues on today. She was willing to stand up for what she believed, do so proudly, and many women looked to her as a strong example of leadership. Diana learned from her struggles, applied what she learned from them, and this allowed her to be an influential presence and a comfort to those in need.
Date of Birth
1 July 1961, Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk, England, UK
Died
31 August 1997, Paris, France (road accident)
Birth Name
Diana Frances Spencer
Nicknames
The People's Princess
Princess Di
The Queen of Hearts
Lady Di
The Princess of Hearts
Height
5' 10½" (1.79 m)