The death of Diana, the princess of Wales, in a car crash in Paris in 1997, was met by perhaps the deepest mourning of this century. An unprecedented amount of press covered every aspect of the funeral procession and service, which was viewed on television by more than two and one-half billion people worldwide. Why so many who had never met the princess would lament her death is part of the phenomenon that had grown up around her person in the years after her marriage in 1981 to Charles, the prince of Wales and heir to British throne.
Lady Diana Spencer was born on July 1, 1961, the third daughter of Viscount Althorp (who became the eighth Earl Spencer after his father died in 1975) and Viscountess Althorp. Her family was one of England’s oldest, and her ancestry included five lines of descent from Charles II (1660–85). She went to a finishing school in Switzerland, the Institute Alpin Videmanette, but was unhappy there and convinced her father to allow her to come home.
After returning home she worked as a waitress, a charlady, and a babysitter. Diana soon found a job at the Young England kindergarten where she taught children drawing, dancing, and painting. She continued to supplement her income by working as a cleaner at her sister Sarah’s house.
Diana first met Prince Charles in November 1977 on the Althorp estate. At the time he was dating her sister Sarah. It was not until July 1980 that Diana would see Charles again. Their engagement was announced on February 24, 1981. The wedding took place on July 29, 1981. The couple and the wedding became a national obsession as people marketed and sold Charles and Di mugs, plates, bookmarks, and coins. The wedding was televised and there was a mood of universal celebration as the beautiful, shy bride married what seemed to be her “prince charming.” In the early 1990s, Diana revealed that she had begun to suffer from bulimia shortly before her marriage, an eating disorder that would haunt her for much of her life. She became depressed and believed Charles was still seeing Camilla Parker Bowles, his former mistress. Her life was plagued by depression and apparent suicide attempts, but the marriage produced two sons.
Diana gave birth to Prince William, on June 21,1982. Another son, Prince Henry, followed in September 1984. As Charles and Diana made official tours around the world, her popularity grew. Eventually, Diana overcame her shyness and grew more comfortable with photographers. Diana’s public persona emerged as a warm and caring person who loved her children deeply. She also transformed her style of clothing and became one of the most glamorous women in the world.
Diana’s marriage, however, disintegrated. Both she and Charles reportedly had affairs during their marriage. In 1991, the publication of excerpts from the book by Andrew Morton, Diana: Her True Story, shocked and horrified the royal family. Although Diana denied contributing to the book, it was widely believed by Charles—and was later confirmed—that she had cooperated with the author. The book portrayed Charles as a cruel and neglectful husband who flaunted his mistress. It also depicted the royal family as cold and indifferent. On December 9, 1992, the government announced that the two would separate, but not divorce. Diana did not surfer the humiliations that Charles did over the separation. She was elevated to a kind of secular sainthood as she toured orphanages, homeless shelters, and hospices, hugged lepers in Nepal, and touched the untouchables in India. People continued to be mesmerized by her warmth and beauty. Her involvement with charitable organizations raised hundreds of million of pounds annually.
Relations between Charles and Diana did not get any better, and in August 1996 they divorced, reportedly at the insistence of the queen. After the divorce, Diana continued her charity work, developing a special interest in ridding the world of land mines. Diana had taken her sons with her on holiday in July 1997 to the south of France, where they stayed as guests of Dodi al-Fayed, the son of a wealthy Egyptian businessman who resided in London. On August 31, 1997, shortly after leaving the Ritz Hotel in Paris, Diana and Dodi’s car crashed into a concrete dividing pillar inside the Alma Tunnel. The driver and Dodi Fayed were killed instantly. A bodyguard was seriously injured and Diana lay near death. Despite efforts to save her, she died two hours later. Later, investigators determined that the driver’s blood contained four times the legal amount of alcohol permitted.
As news of her death spread, London became engulfed in flowers. People left them along the gates of Buckingham Palace, lamp posts, park benches, and monuments. Almost every flag in the kingdom flew at half mast. Diana’s funeral was held at Westminster Abbey. In order to accommodate the 1,500,000 who were expected to line the route of the funeral procession, Charles ordered that the procession be doubled to two miles. The cortege began at Diana’s home, Kensington Palace. Behind Diana’s coffin walked Prince Philip; Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother; Charles; William; and Harry. Behind them walked five representatives from each of the one-hundred ten charities Diana had supported. Diana’s body was laid to rest on an island inside the grounds of Althorp.
Since her death, Diana has become an icon. Some believe that because Diana revealed herself as a normal, flawed person that people felt close to her. In comparison to the rest of the royal family, Diana seemed genuine and warm. Her compassion toward the sick and her insistence that her sons be raised as normal boys brought her even closer to people’s hearts.
