Diana, Princess of Wales: Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively ← Previous edit Next edit →Content deleted Content addedVisual WikitextInline

Revision as of 00:59, 21 May 2007 view sourceLondafungfung (talk \| contribs)2 edits ←Replaced page with 'eh? what you talking bout ?'← Previous edit		Revision as of 01:02, 21 May 2007 view source RichardWeiss (talk \| contribs)Extended confirmed users75,870 edits rm sillyNext edit →
Line 1:		Line 1:
			{{redirect\|Diana Spencer}}
	eh? what you talking bout ?
			{{Infobox British Royalty\|royal
			\| name =Diana
			\| title =Princess of Wales
			\| image =Diana, Princess of Wales.jpg
			\| imgw =234
			\| spouse =] (1981–1996<!-- THESE DATES ARE THOSE OF THE ROYAL MARRIAGE - i.e. FROM THEIR WEDDING TO THEIR DIVORCE! --><ref>. BBC. December 20.</ref>)
			\| issue =]<br />]
			\| full name =Diana Frances<ref name="sur">As a titled royal, Diana held no surname, but, when one ''was'' used, it was ''']'''</ref>
			\| titles =Diana, Princess of Wales<br />''HRH'' The Princess of Wales<br />''Lady'' Diana Spencer<br />''The Hon'' Diana Spencer
			\| royal house =]
			\| father =]
			\| mother =]
			\| date of birth =] ]
			\| place of birth =Park House, ]
			\| place of christening =St. Mary Magdalene Church, ]
			\| date of death ={{death date and age\|1997\|8\|31\|1961\|7\|1}}
			\| place of death =], ]
			\| place of burial =], ]
			}}
			'''Diana, Princess of Wales''' (Diana Frances<ref name="sur" />; ] ]; ] ] – ] ]) was the first ] of ]. Their two sons, Princes ] and ], are second and third in line to the thrones of the ] and 15 other ].
			==Early life==
			'''Diana Frances Spencer''' was born into the British aristocracy, the youngest daughter of Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, later ], and his first wife, ] (formerly the Honourable Frances Burke Roche). She was born at Park House, ] in ], ]. She was baptised at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, by Rt. Rev. ] (rector of the church and former ] and ]); her godparents included John Floyd (the chairman of ]).

			Diana's four siblings were:

			* ] (b. 19 Mar 1955)
			* ] (b. 11 Feb 1957)
			* Hon. John Spencer (b. 12 Jan 1960 - d. 12 Jan 1960)
			* ] (b. 20 May 1964)

			During her parents' acrimonious divorce over Lady Althorp's ] with wallpaper heir ], Diana's mother took her two youngest children to live in an apartment in London's ], where Diana attended a local day school. That Christmas, the Spencer children went to celebrate with their father and he subsequently refused to allow them to return to the capital and their mother. Lady Althorp sued for custody of her children, but Lord Althorp's rank, aided by Lady Althorp's mother's testimony against her daughter during the trial, contributed to the court's decision to award custody of Diana and her brother to their father. On the death of her paternal grandfather, ] in 1975, Diana's father became the 8th ], at which time she became ''Lady Diana Spencer'' and moved from her childhood home at Park House to her family's sixteenth-century ancestral home of ].

			A year later, Lord Spencer married ], the only daughter of romantic novelist ], after being named as the "other party" in the Earl and Countess of Dartmouth's divorce. During this time Diana travelled up and down the country, living between her parents' homes - with her father at the Spencer seat in ], and with her mother, who had moved north west of ] in Scotland. Diana, like her siblings, did not get along with her new stepmother.

			==Royal descent==

			Diana was born into an aristocratic background with royal Stuart ancestry.

			On her mother's side, Diana had ], ], ] and ] ancestry. Her great-grandmother was the famous New York heiress ].

			On her father's side, Diana was a direct descendant of ] through four illegitimate sons:

			*], son by ]
			*], son by ]
			*], leader of a famous rebellion, son by ]
			*], son by ]

			She was also a descendant of ] through an illegitimate daughter, ]. Arabella's mother was ], the sister of ], and so she is a distant relative of ]

			Diana's other notable ancestors included ] and ] (an aspect of family history in which Diana expressed great interest); ]; ]; ]; ]; ]; and ]'s brother ].

			The Spencers had been close to the ] for centuries; rising in royal favour during the mid 1600s. Diana's maternal grandmother, ], was a long-time friend and a ] to ].

			Actor ] is a second cousin, being another great-grandchild of Frances Work.

			==Education==

			Diana was educated at Riddlesworth Hall in ] and at West Heath Girls' School (later reorganised as the ], a special school for boys and girls) in ], ], where she was regarded as a poor student, having attempted and failed all of her ] twice.<ref>Nevin, Charles. . 1 September 1997. The Guardian. Accessed 11 May 2007.</ref> In 1977, at the age of 16, she left West Heath and briefly attended ], a ] in ], ]. At about that time, she first met her future husband, who was dating her sister, ]. Diana reportedly excelled in ] and ] and is said to have longed to be a ] but did not study ballet seriously and was too tall for such a career at 5'10".

			Once it was clear that she would not earn any formal educational qualifications, Diana begged her parents to allow her to move to London, a request granted before she was seventeen. An apartment was purchased for her at Coleherne Court in the ] area, and she lived there until 1981 with three ]. During that period, she studied for a ] cooking ], although she apparently hated cooking,{{Fact\|date=March 2007}} and worked at Madame Vacani's Dance Academy in ], but resigned because she didn't like the pushy stage school parents.{{Fact\|date=March 2007}} Lady Diana filled time as a ] and a cocktail waitress, before finding a job as a part-time aide at the Young England ].

			==Marriage==
			<!-- DO NOT use hard pixel sizes (i.e. 250px) or move them left and right: this disrupts reading flow and relative sizes allow for the user to modify how he/she likes the size -->
			].]]
			] ] and his wife, ].]]
			] at a ] dinner on ], ].]]
			], as Charles and ] look on.]]
			<!-- NOTE TO EDITORS: Do not introduce any fair use images in the infobox. Any fair use photos (i.e. promotional photos) are copyright violations and will be deleted. Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/Wikipedia:Fair_use_criteria -->
			Prince Charles's love life had always been the subject of press speculation, and he was linked to numerous glamorous and aristocratic women. In his early thirties, he was under increasing pressure to marry. Legally, the only requirement was that he could not marry a ]; a member of the ] was preferred. His great-uncle ], who was assassinated by an ] bomb in 1979, had advised him to marry a virginal young woman who would look up to him.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}} In order to gain the approval of his family and their advisors, any potential bride was expected to have a royal or aristocratic background, as well as be ] and, preferably, a ]. Diana seemed to meet all of these qualifications. They married at ] on ] ], watched by a global audience of almost one billion.<ref>]. , '']'', September 1, 1997.</ref>

			==Separation and divorce==
			In the mid-1980s, the marriage of Diana and Charles fell apart, an event at first suppressed, then sensationalised, by the world media. Both the Prince and Princess of Wales allegedly spoke to the ] through friends, each blaming the other for the marriage's demise.<ref>The suggestion that Charles authorised his story of the split to be communicated is disputed by his friends, who claim that he told his friends not to speak, a prohibition some of them breached under anonymity.</ref> Charles resumed his old, pre-marital affair with ], while Diana had an affair with her ] instructor, ]. She later confirmed the affair with Hewitt in a television interview with ] for the ] programme '']''. Charles confirmed his own adultery later in a televised interview with ]. Although no charges were ever considered, ] with the Queen consort or Princess of Wales has been ] in England at least since the ], so if there had been a trial and conviction of the Princess for adultery with Hewitt, both Diana and Hewitt could theoretically have been ].

			Diana was also alleged to have had a relationship with ], her telephone partner in the so-called ] affair. Another supposed lover was detective/bodyguard ], who was assigned to the Princess's security detail, although the Princess adamantly denied a sexual relationship with him. After her separation from Prince Charles, she was said to have become involved with married ] ], to whom she admitted making numerous telephone calls, and with rugby player ]. She also publicly dated respected heart ] ] before her brief involvement with ]. Other men rumoured to have been her lovers, both before and after her divorce, included property developer Christopher Whalley, banker Philip Waterhouse, ], singer ], and ]. There is little evidence to support the idea that her relationships with these men were anything more than friendships.

			The Prince and Princess of Wales were separated on ] ], by which time her relations with the some of the Royal Family, excepting the ], ], were difficult. Their ] was finalised on ] ]. Diana received a lump sum settlement of around £17,000,000 along with a legal order preventing her from discussing the details.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}} The Princess relinquished the style ''Her Royal Highness''<ref>Although some continued to style Diana ''HRH'' even after she had lost the style following her divorce.</ref> and instead was styled as '''Diana, Princess of Wales'''.<ref>When Diana divorced the Prince of Wales in 1996 she did not lose her title, Princess of Wales, she merely lose the prefix HRH thus assuming the title '''Diana, Princess of Wales'''.</ref> Buckingham Palace stated that Diana was still officially a member of the Royal Family, since she was the mother of the second- and third-in-line to the throne.{{Fact\|date=April 2007}} This has since been confirmed by the Deputy Coroner of the Queen’s Household, Baroness Butler-Sloss, who after a pre-hearing on 8 January 2007 ruled that: "I am satisfied that at her death, Diana Princess of Wales continued to be considered as a member of the Royal Household."<ref> at para 34</ref> (That opinion appeared to be overthrown, however, when three judges on appeal in February 2007 ruled that Baroness Butler-Sloss should not sit as a Coroner of the Royal Household but as an assistant of the Knightsbridge Coroner, and should conduct the inquest in public and with a jury.{{Fact\|date=April 2007}})

			After the divorce, Diana retained her apartment in ], which remained her home until her death. She also completely redecorated and gave her loyal staff members a pay rise.

			After her ] Diana did a great deal of useful work particularly for the Red Cross and in a campaign to rid the world of land mines. Her work was always on a humanitarian rather than a political level. She was extremely aware of her status as mother of a future King and was prepared to do anything to prevent harm to her sons. She pursued her own interests in ], music, fashion and travel - although she still required royal consent to take her children on holiday or represent the UK abroad. Without a holiday or weekend home, Diana spent most of her time in London, often without her sons, who were with Prince Charles or at ]. She assuaged her loneliness with visits to the ] and ], private charity work, incognito midnight walks through Central London and by compulsively watching her favourite soap operas ('']'' and '']'') with a 'TV dinner' in the isolation of her apartment.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}}

			The alternative 'court' she cultivated was sometimes seen as unconventional and controversial. Included within it were numerous ] healers and spiritualists, the ] empowerment therapist ], well known personalities such as ], ], ], and ] with whom she would visit ] ], bohemian members of the aristocracy such as ], university students, several tabloid journalists and ], nicknamed ']' for his influence. It was apparently Twigg who helped Diana realise her potential as an ], and introduced her to ] theories in general, which she had previously derided as an interest of her ex husband.

			==Contemporary opinions==
			An iconic presence on the world stage, Diana was noted for her sense of style, charisma, humour{{Fact\|date=March 2007}} and high-profile ] work, yet her philanthropic endeavours were overshadowed by her difficult marriage to Prince Charles.

			From the time of her ] to the Prince of Wales in 1981 until her death after a ] in 1997, Diana was one of the most famous women in the world - a pre-eminent ] of her generation. During her lifetime, she was often described as the world's most photographed woman. To her admirers, the Princess of Wales was a ] — after her death, there were even calls for her to be nominated for ]hood{{Fact\|date=February 2007}} — while her detractors, without evidence, consider her to have been suffering from a mental illness; it has been suggested that Diana was, according to one biographer, possibly suffering from ]. However, no medical proof has surfaced to provide proof of such allegations.<ref>{{cite book \|last= Bedell Smith \|first= Sally \|title= Diana in Search of Herself: Portrait of a Troubled Princess \|year= 1999 \|publisher= Times Books \|location= \|id= ISBN 0812930533}}</ref> Diana herself admitted to struggling with ], and the eating disorder ], which recurred throughout her adult life.

			===Charity work===
			Starting in the mid- to late 1980s, the Princess of Wales became well known for her support of charity projects. This stemmed naturally from her role as Princess of Wales - she was expected to engage in hospital visitations where she comforted the sick and in so doing, assumed the patronage of various charitable organizations - and from an interest in certain illnesses and health-related matters. Owing to ] efforts in which she agreed to appear as a figurehead, Diana used her influential status to positively assist the campaign against ], a cause which won the Nobel Prize in 1997 in tribute, and with helping to decrease discrimination against victims of ].

			==AIDS and landmines==
			In April 1987, the Princess of Wales was one of the first high-profile ] to be photographed touching a person infected with ]. Her contribution to changing the public opinion of ] sufferers was summarised in December 2001 by ] at the 'Diana, Princess of Wales Lecture on AIDS':

			{{Cquote\|''In 1987, when so many still believed that AIDS could be contracted through casual contact, Princess Diana sat on the sickbed of a man with AIDS and held his hand. She showed the world that people with AIDS deserve no isolation, but compassion and kindness. It helped change world's opinion, and gave hope to people with AIDS.''\|20px\|20px\|]}}

			Diana also made clandestine visits to show kindness to the sick. According to nurses, she would turn up unannounced (for example, at the Mildmay Hospice in London) with specific instructions that her visit was to be concealed from the media.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}}

			The pictures of Diana touring an Angolan minefield, in a ballistic helmet and ] were seen worldwide. It was during this campaign that conservatives accused the Princess of meddling in politics and declared her a 'loose cannon.'<ref>. BBC. January 15.</ref> In August 1997, just days before her death, she visited ] with the ]. Her interest in landmines was focused on the injuries they create, often to children, long after a conflict is over.

			She is believed to have influenced the signing, though only after her death, of the ], which created an international ban on the use of anti-personnel landmines.<ref>{{cite news \|first=Charles \|last=Reiss \|title=MPs to pass Diana mines Bill \|url=http://old.icbl.org/media/1998/july10a.html \|publisher=London Evening Standard/This is London \|date=1998-07-10 \|accessdate=2006-11-25}}</ref> Introducing the ] of the Landmines ] 1998 to the ], the ], ], paid tribute to Diana's work on landmines:

			{{Cquote\|''All Honourable Members will be aware from their postbags of the immense contribution made by Diana, Princess of Wales to bringing home to many of our constituents the human costs of landmines. The best way in which to record our appreciation of her work, and the work of ] that have campaigned against landmines, is to pass the Bill, and to pave the way towards a global ban on landmines.''<ref></ref> \|20px\|20px\|]}}

			The ] has appealed to the nations which produced and stockpiled the largest numbers of landmines (], ], ], ], ], and the ]) to sign the Ottawa Treaty forbidding their production and use, for which Diana had campaigned. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the ] (UNICEF), said that landmines remained "a deadly attraction for children, whose innate curiosity and need for play often lure them directly into harm's way". Diana should be credited with at least trying to bring to world attention the terrible damage such mines create in whole communities.<ref>{{cite web \|url=http://www.unicef.org/media/media_24360.html \|title=Landmines pose gravest risk for children \|accessdate=2006-11-25 \|date=2004-12-02 \|publisher=UNICEF}}</ref>

			==Death==
			<!-- DO NOT use hardcoded thumb sizes per ] -->
			]
			], which sits above the entrance to the Paris tunnel in which Diana was fatally injured. The public ] the base with commemorative material for several years. It should be noted that the Flame of Liberty, an exact replica of the ]'s flame, has been at the Pont de l'Alma since long before the accident and is in no way related to Lady Diana's death. However in the past ten years, tourists have assumed it to be a memorial, hence the commemorative material at its base after the accident. This material has since been removed by the French authorities.]]

			{{main\|Death of Diana, Princess of Wales}}
			On ] ] Diana was tragically killed after a ] in the ] road ] in ] along with ] and their driver ].<ref>{{cite web \| title=Timeline: How Diana died\|work=BBC News\|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6217366.stm\| accessdate=2007-01-08}}</ref> Blood analysis shows that Henri Paul was illegally intoxicated while driving. Tests confirmed that original postmortem blood samples were from driver Henri Paul, and that he had three times the French legal limit of alcohol in his blood. Conspiracy theorists had claimed that Paul's blood samples were swapped with blood from someone else—who was drunk—and contended that the driver had not been drinking on the night Diana died. Their ] crashed on the thirteenth pillar of the tunnel. The two-lane tunnel was built without ] between the pillars, so a slight change in vehicle direction could easily result in a head-on collision with the tunnel pillar.

			Fayed's ] ] was closest to the point of impact and yet the only survivor of the crash; he was the only one to be wearing a seatbelt. Henri Paul and Dodi Fayed were killed instantly, and Diana — unbelted in the back seat- slid forward during the impact and, having been violently thrown around the interior, "submarined" under the seat in front of her, suffering massive damage to her heart and subsequent ].{{Fact\|date=February 2007}} She was eventually, after considerable delay, transported by ambulance to the ], but on the way to casualty went into ] twice.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}} Despite lengthy ] attempts, including internal cardiac massage<!--is this worth mentioning? (is it worth asking?) -->, she died at 4 a.m. local time.<ref>{{cite web \| url = http://www.emergency.com/dianaded.htm \| title = Princess Diana Killed In Tragic Accident \| accessdate = 2007-01-25 \|date=August 31, 1997 \| publisher = EmergencyNet News}}</ref> Her funeral on ] ] was broadcast and watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide.<ref>{{cite news \| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/september/6/newsid_2502000/2502307.stm \| title = BBC ON THIS DAY \| 6 \| 1997: Diana's funeral watched by millions \| accessdate = 2007-02-06 \|date=September 6, 1997 \| publisher = BBC News}}</ref>

			The death of Diana has been the subject of widespread ], supported by ], whose son died in the accident. Her former father in law, ], seems to be at the heart of most of them but her ex husband has also been named, and was questioned by the ] in 2005. Some other theories have included claims that ] or the ] were involved. ] involvement has also been suspected, and this theory has been supported on US television by the intelligence specialist ] Michael Shrimpton. One particularly outlandish claim, appearing on the internet, has stated that the princess was battered to death in the back of the ambulance, by assassins disguised as paramedics. These were all rejected by French investigators and British officials, who claimed that the driver, Henri Paul, was drunk and on drugs. Blood tests later reported that Henri Paul was drunk at the time of the accident, although CCTV footage of Paul leaving the Ritz hotel with the princess and Dodi Fayed does not appear to depict a man in a drunken or incapable state.<ref>{{cite news \|author=Lal, Rashmee Roshan \|date=2006-12-09 \|title=Diana's ghost finally laid to rest \|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Dianas_ghost_finally_laid_to_rest/articleshow/755161.cms \|accessdate=2006-12-09 \|publisher=]}}</ref> Nonetheless, in 2004 the authorities ordered an independent inquiry by ], a former chief of the ], and he suggested that the case was "far more complex than any of us thought" and reported "new forensic evidence" and witnesses.<ref></ref> The French authorities have also decided to reopen the case.<ref></ref> Lord Stevens' report, ], was published on ], ].

			Within seconds of the crash, the paparazzi had surrounded the Mercedes, and proceeded to take pictures of the dying princess. Not one called for medical assistance.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}} On ] ] Italian magazine '']'' published photographs showing Diana in her "last moments"<!--is this a phrase used by the magazine? If not, no euphemisms here--> despite an unofficial blackout on such photographs being published.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}} The photographs were taken minutes after the accident and show the Princess slumped in the back seat while a paramedic attempts to fit an oxygen mask over her face. The photographs were also published in other Italian and Spanish magazines and newspapers.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}}

			The editor of ''Chi'' defended his decision by saying he published the photographs for the "simple reason that they haven't been seen before" and that he felt the images do not disrespect the memory of the Princess.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}} The British media publicly refused to publish the images, with the exception of the tabloid newspaper, '']'', which printed the picture but with the face blacked out.{{Fact\|date=February 2007}}

			===Grave===
			Diana was buried at 6pm <!--what time zone?-->on ], ]. The Prince of Wales, her sons, her mother, siblings, a close friend, and a clergyman were present. She wore a black long sleeved Catherine Walker dress. She had chosen that particular dress a few weeks before. She was buried with a set of rosary beads in her hands, a gift she received from Mother Teresa. Her grave is on an island in the grounds of Althorp Park, her family home.<ref>. 1997. BBC. Accessed May 11, 2007.</ref>

			The original plan was for her to be buried in the Spencer family vault at the local church in nearby Great Brington, but Diana's brother, Charles, the 9th ], said that he was concerned about public safety and security and the onslaught of visitors that might overwhelm Great Brington. He decided that he wanted his sister to be buried where her grave could be easily cared for and visited in privacy by her sons and other relations.

			The island is in an ornamental lake known as The Oval within Althorp Park's Pleasure Garden. A path with thirty-six oak trees, marking each year of her life, leads to the Oval. Four black swans swim in the lake, symbolizing sentinels guarding the island. In the water there are several water lilies. White roses and lilies were Diana's favourite flowers.

			On the southern verge of the Round Oval sits the Summerhouse, previously in the gardens of Admiralty House, London, and now serving as a memorial to Diana.<ref> Britain Express. Accessed May 11, 2007.</ref> An ancient arboretum stands nearby, which contains trees planted by Prince William and Prince Harry, other members of her family, and Diana herself.

			==Titles, styles, honours and arms==
			===Titles===
			<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ] -->
			<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: ] -->
			*'''1961-1975''': ''The Honourable'' Diana Frances Spencer
			*'''1975-1981''': ''Lady'' Diana Frances Spencer
			*'''1981-1996''': ''Her Royal Highness'' The Princess of Wales
			*'''1996-1997''': Diana, Princess of Wales

			===Styles===
			Posthumously, as in life, she is most popularly referred to as "Princess Diana", a title she never held.<ref>The style "Princess Diana", though often used by the public and the media during her lifetime, was always incorrect. With rare exceptions (such as ]) only women born to the title (such as ]) may use it before their given names. After her divorce in 1996, Diana was officially styled '''Diana, Princess of Wales''', having lost the prefix ]</ref> She is still sometimes referred to in the media as "Lady Diana Spencer", or simply as "Lady Di".<ref name="lady></ref>

			Diana's full style, whilst married, was ''Her Royal Highness'' '''The Princess Charles<!-- Some of the community seem to be under the impression that Diana was "The Princess Diana" - this is untrue, she was "The Princess Charles", because she was a princess by marriage, not by birth, like the Countess of Wessex is The Princess Edward, whereas the Princess Royal is The Princess Anne -->''' Philip Arthur George, '''Princess of Wales and Countess of Chester, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Carrick, Baroness of Renfrew, Lady of the Isles, Princess of Scotland'''<ref name="pow-tit"></ref>.

			===Honours===
			'''British Honours'''
			* ]

			'''Foreign Honours'''
			*{{flagicon\|NED}} Grand Officer, Order of the House of Orange

			===Arms===
			As the wife of the Prince of Wales, Diana used arms that included the ] with a plain, three-point label and the ] of the ] (the arms of the Prince of Wales), impaled with a shield bearing 1st and 4th ]s plain white, and the 2nd and 3rd quarters bearing a golden ] on a red background ] with three ] (the arms of the ], her father). The ] were the crowned golden lion from the Royal Arms, and a winged ] from the Spencer arms. The shield was topped by the ]. Her motto was ''Dieu Defend le Droit'' (English: ''God defends the right''), also used in the Spencer arms.

			After her divorce, Diana used the arms of the Spencer family, crowned by a royal ].

			==Legacy==
			Diana's interest in supporting and helping young people led to the establishment of the ], awarded to youths who have demonstrated the unselfish devotion and commitment to causes advocated by the Princess. In 2002, Diana was ranked 3rd in the ] poll, outranking ] and other British monarchs.

			{{Main\|Concert for Diana}}

			Princes ] and ] are currently organising a concert to be held in memory of their beloved mother on ] ] — it would have been her 46th birthday. The concert will be staged at the rebuilt ]. Confirmed acts include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Tickets went on sale on ] ] and were sold out within minutes. A memorial service is planned for ] ].

			==Ancestry==

			{\| class="wikitable"
			\|+'''Diana's ancestors in three generations'''
			\|-
			\|-
			\| rowspan="8" align="center"\| '''Diana, Princess of Wales'''
			\| rowspan="4" align="center"\| '''Father:'''<br />]
			\| rowspan="2" align="center"\| '''Paternal Grandfather:'''<br />]
			\| align="center"\| '''Paternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />]
			\|-
			\| align="center"\| '''Paternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />Margaret Baring
			\|-
			\| rowspan="2" align="center"\| '''Paternal Grandmother:'''<br />]
			\| align="center"\| '''Paternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />]
			\|-
			\| align="center"\| '''Paternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham
			\|-
			\| rowspan="4" align="center"\| '''Mother:'''<br />]
			\| rowspan="2" align="center"\| '''Maternal Grandfather:'''<br />]
			\| align="center"\| '''Maternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />]
			\|-
			\| align="center"\| '''Maternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />]
			\|-
			\| rowspan="2" align="center"\| '''Maternal Grandmother:'''<br />]
			\| align="center"\| '''Maternal Great-grandfather:'''<br />Col. William Smith Gill
			\|-
			\| align="center"\| '''Maternal Great-grandmother:'''<br />Ruth Littlejohn
			\|}

			{{start}}
			{{s-reg \| uk}}
			\|-
			{{s-vac \| last=]<br>(], ] – ] ];<br>as ] to the ]) }}
			{{s-ttl \| title=] to the ]<br>of the ] \| years=]–] }}
			{{s-vac \| rows=2 \| next=]<br>(since ], ];<br>unstyled as Princess of Wales) }}
			\|-
			{{s-vac \| last=]<br>(], ] – ], ]) }}
			{{s-ttl \| title=] \| years=]–] }}
			{{end}}

			==Footnotes==

			{{reflist\|2}}

			==See also==

			{{Commons\|Diana, Princess of Wales}}
			*] (Diana's mother)
			*]
			*]
			*]
			*]
			*]
			*], Mr. Al-Fayed's memorial to Diana
			*]
			*]
			*'']'' (2006 film)
			*'']'', 2006 novel which engages with conspiracy theories relating to Diana's death
			*]

			==External links==

			*
			*
			* Inquiry set to shock
			*
			*
			*
			*
			*
			* Documentary about the death of Diana.
			* ] ]
			*
			* ] ]
			*

			; Critics
			*
			*

			{{Princesses of Wales}}
			{{CPW}}

			<!-- Metadata: see ] -->

			{{Persondata
			\|NAME=Mountbatten-Windsor, Diana Frances
			\|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Diana, Princess of Wales; Spencer, Diana Frances
			\|SHORT DESCRIPTION=First wife of ]
			\|DATE OF BIRTH=] ]
			\|PLACE OF BIRTH=Park House, ], ]
			\|DATE OF DEATH=] ]
			\|PLACE OF DEATH=], ]
			}}
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]

			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]

Revision as of 01:02, 21 May 2007

"Diana Spencer" redirects here. For other uses, see Diana Spencer (disambiguation).

Diana

Princess of Wales

Burial

Althorp, Northamptonshire

Spouse

Charles, Prince of Wales (1981–1996)

Issue

Prince William of Wales
Prince Harry of Wales

Names
Diana Frances

House

House of Windsor

Father

Edward, Earl Spencer

Mother

Frances, Viscountess Althorp

Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances; née Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. Their two sons, Princes William and Harry, are second and third in line to the thrones of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth Realms.

Early life

Diana Frances Spencer was born into the British aristocracy, the youngest daughter of Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, later John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, and his first wife, Frances Spencer, Viscountess Althorp (formerly the Honourable Frances Burke Roche). She was born at Park House, Sandringham in Norfolk, England. She was baptised at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, by Rt. Rev. Percy Herbert (rector of the church and former Bishop of Norwich and Blackburn); her godparents included John Floyd (the chairman of Christie's).

Diana's four siblings were:

Lady Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer (b. 19 Mar 1955)
Lady Cynthia Jane Spencer (b. 11 Feb 1957)
Hon. John Spencer (b. 12 Jan 1960 - d. 12 Jan 1960)
Charles Edward Maurice Spencer (b. 20 May 1964)

During her parents' acrimonious divorce over Lady Althorp's adultery with wallpaper heir Peter Shand Kydd, Diana's mother took her two youngest children to live in an apartment in London's Knightsbridge, where Diana attended a local day school. That Christmas, the Spencer children went to celebrate with their father and he subsequently refused to allow them to return to the capital and their mother. Lady Althorp sued for custody of her children, but Lord Althorp's rank, aided by Lady Althorp's mother's testimony against her daughter during the trial, contributed to the court's decision to award custody of Diana and her brother to their father. On the death of her paternal grandfather, Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer in 1975, Diana's father became the 8th Earl Spencer, at which time she became Lady Diana Spencer and moved from her childhood home at Park House to her family's sixteenth-century ancestral home of Althorp.

A year later, Lord Spencer married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, the only daughter of romantic novelist Barbara Cartland, after being named as the "other party" in the Earl and Countess of Dartmouth's divorce. During this time Diana travelled up and down the country, living between her parents' homes - with her father at the Spencer seat in Northamptonshire, and with her mother, who had moved north west of Glasgow in Scotland. Diana, like her siblings, did not get along with her new stepmother.

Royal descent

Diana was born into an aristocratic background with royal Stuart ancestry.

On her mother's side, Diana had Irish, Scottish, English and American ancestry. Her great-grandmother was the famous New York heiress Frances Work.

On her father's side, Diana was a direct descendant of Charles II through four illegitimate sons:

Henry Fitzroy, 1st Duke of Grafton, son by Barbara Villiers
Charles Beauclerk, son by Nell Gwyn
James Crofts- Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, leader of a famous rebellion, son by Lucy Walter
Charles Lennox, son by Louise de Kérouaille, 1st Duchess of Portsmouth

She was also a descendant of James II and VII through an illegitimate daughter, Arabella FitzJames. Arabella's mother was Arabella Churchill, the sister of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and so she is a distant relative of Winston Churchill

Diana's other notable ancestors included Robert I (the Bruce) and Mary, Queen of Scots (an aspect of family history in which Diana expressed great interest); Mary Boleyn; Lady Catherine Grey; Maria de Salinas; John Egerton, 2nd Earl of Bridgewater; James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby; and George Washington's brother John Augustine Washington.

The Spencers had been close to the British Royal Family for centuries; rising in royal favour during the mid 1600s. Diana's maternal grandmother, Ruth, Lady Fermoy, was a long-time friend and a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

Actor Oliver Platt is a second cousin, being another great-grandchild of Frances Work.

Education

Diana was educated at Riddlesworth Hall in Norfolk and at West Heath Girls' School (later reorganised as the New School at West Heath, a special school for boys and girls) in Sevenoaks, Kent, where she was regarded as a poor student, having attempted and failed all of her O-levels twice. In 1977, at the age of 16, she left West Heath and briefly attended Institut Alpin Videmanette, a finishing school in Rougemont, Switzerland. At about that time, she first met her future husband, who was dating her sister, Lady Sarah. Diana reportedly excelled in swimming and diving and is said to have longed to be a ballerina but did not study ballet seriously and was too tall for such a career at 5'10".

Once it was clear that she would not earn any formal educational qualifications, Diana begged her parents to allow her to move to London, a request granted before she was seventeen. An apartment was purchased for her at Coleherne Court in the Earls Court area, and she lived there until 1981 with three flatmates. During that period, she studied for a Cordon Bleu cooking diploma, although she apparently hated cooking, and worked at Madame Vacani's Dance Academy in Kensington, but resigned because she didn't like the pushy stage school parents. Lady Diana filled time as a cleaner and a cocktail waitress, before finding a job as a part-time aide at the Young England kindergarten.

Marriage

File:Charles Diana wedding.jpg

The Prince and Princess of Wales return from their 1981 wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral.

File:C31859-4.jpg

Diana talking with First Lady of the United States, Nancy Reagan, as Charles and President Ronald Reagan look on.

Prince Charles's love life had always been the subject of press speculation, and he was linked to numerous glamorous and aristocratic women. In his early thirties, he was under increasing pressure to marry. Legally, the only requirement was that he could not marry a Roman Catholic; a member of the Church of England was preferred. His great-uncle Lord Mountbatten of Burma, who was assassinated by an IRA bomb in 1979, had advised him to marry a virginal young woman who would look up to him. In order to gain the approval of his family and their advisors, any potential bride was expected to have a royal or aristocratic background, as well as be Protestant and, preferably, a virgin. Diana seemed to meet all of these qualifications. They married at St Paul's Cathedral on 29 July 1981, watched by a global audience of almost one billion.

Separation and divorce

In the mid-1980s, the marriage of Diana and Charles fell apart, an event at first suppressed, then sensationalised, by the world media. Both the Prince and Princess of Wales allegedly spoke to the press through friends, each blaming the other for the marriage's demise. Charles resumed his old, pre-marital affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, while Diana had an affair with her riding instructor, James Hewitt. She later confirmed the affair with Hewitt in a television interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC programme Panorama. Charles confirmed his own adultery later in a televised interview with Jonathan Dimbleby. Although no charges were ever considered, adultery with the Queen consort or Princess of Wales has been high treason in England at least since the Treason Act 1351, so if there had been a trial and conviction of the Princess for adultery with Hewitt, both Diana and Hewitt could theoretically have been executed.

Diana was also alleged to have had a relationship with James Gilbey, her telephone partner in the so-called Squidgygate affair. Another supposed lover was detective/bodyguard Barry Mannakee, who was assigned to the Princess's security detail, although the Princess adamantly denied a sexual relationship with him. After her separation from Prince Charles, she was said to have become involved with married art dealer Oliver Hoare, to whom she admitted making numerous telephone calls, and with rugby player Will Carling. She also publicly dated respected heart surgeon Hasnat Khan before her brief involvement with Dodi Al-Fayed. Other men rumoured to have been her lovers, both before and after her divorce, included property developer Christopher Whalley, banker Philip Waterhouse, King Juan Carlos of Spain, singer Bryan Adams, and John F. Kennedy, Jr.. There is little evidence to support the idea that her relationships with these men were anything more than friendships.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were separated on 9 December 1992, by which time her relations with the some of the Royal Family, excepting the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, were difficult. Their divorce was finalised on 28 August 1996. Diana received a lump sum settlement of around £17,000,000 along with a legal order preventing her from discussing the details. The Princess relinquished the style Her Royal Highness and instead was styled as Diana, Princess of Wales. Buckingham Palace stated that Diana was still officially a member of the Royal Family, since she was the mother of the second- and third-in-line to the throne. This has since been confirmed by the Deputy Coroner of the Queen’s Household, Baroness Butler-Sloss, who after a pre-hearing on 8 January 2007 ruled that: "I am satisfied that at her death, Diana Princess of Wales continued to be considered as a member of the Royal Household." (That opinion appeared to be overthrown, however, when three judges on appeal in February 2007 ruled that Baroness Butler-Sloss should not sit as a Coroner of the Royal Household but as an assistant of the Knightsbridge Coroner, and should conduct the inquest in public and with a jury.)

After the divorce, Diana retained her apartment in Kensington Palace, which remained her home until her death. She also completely redecorated and gave her loyal staff members a pay rise.

After her divorce Diana did a great deal of useful work particularly for the Red Cross and in a campaign to rid the world of land mines. Her work was always on a humanitarian rather than a political level. She was extremely aware of her status as mother of a future King and was prepared to do anything to prevent harm to her sons. She pursued her own interests in philanthropy, music, fashion and travel - although she still required royal consent to take her children on holiday or represent the UK abroad. Without a holiday or weekend home, Diana spent most of her time in London, often without her sons, who were with Prince Charles or at boarding school. She assuaged her loneliness with visits to the gym and cinema, private charity work, incognito midnight walks through Central London and by compulsively watching her favourite soap operas (EastEnders and Brookside) with a 'TV dinner' in the isolation of her apartment.

The alternative 'court' she cultivated was sometimes seen as unconventional and controversial. Included within it were numerous New Age healers and spiritualists, the feminist empowerment therapist Susie Orbach, well known personalities such as Gianni Versace, George Michael, Elton John, and Michael Barrymore with whom she would visit Soho nightclubs, bohemian members of the aristocracy such as Annabel Goldsmith, university students, several tabloid journalists and Stephen Twigg, nicknamed 'Rasputin' for his influence. It was apparently Twigg who helped Diana realise her potential as an INFP, and introduced her to Jungian theories in general, which she had previously derided as an interest of her ex husband.

Contemporary opinions

An iconic presence on the world stage, Diana was noted for her sense of style, charisma, humour and high-profile charity work, yet her philanthropic endeavours were overshadowed by her difficult marriage to Prince Charles.

From the time of her engagement to the Prince of Wales in 1981 until her death after a car accident in 1997, Diana was one of the most famous women in the world - a pre-eminent celebrity of her generation. During her lifetime, she was often described as the world's most photographed woman. To her admirers, the Princess of Wales was a role model — after her death, there were even calls for her to be nominated for sainthood — while her detractors, without evidence, consider her to have been suffering from a mental illness; it has been suggested that Diana was, according to one biographer, possibly suffering from Borderline personality disorder. However, no medical proof has surfaced to provide proof of such allegations. Diana herself admitted to struggling with depression, and the eating disorder bulimia, which recurred throughout her adult life.

Charity work

Starting in the mid- to late 1980s, the Princess of Wales became well known for her support of charity projects. This stemmed naturally from her role as Princess of Wales - she was expected to engage in hospital visitations where she comforted the sick and in so doing, assumed the patronage of various charitable organizations - and from an interest in certain illnesses and health-related matters. Owing to Public Relations efforts in which she agreed to appear as a figurehead, Diana used her influential status to positively assist the campaign against landmines, a cause which won the Nobel Prize in 1997 in tribute, and with helping to decrease discrimination against victims of AIDS.

AIDS and landmines

In April 1987, the Princess of Wales was one of the first high-profile celebrities to be photographed touching a person infected with HIV. Her contribution to changing the public opinion of AIDS sufferers was summarised in December 2001 by Bill Clinton at the 'Diana, Princess of Wales Lecture on AIDS':

In 1987, when so many still believed that AIDS could be contracted through casual contact, Princess Diana sat on the sickbed of a man with AIDS and held his hand. She showed the world that people with AIDS deserve no isolation, but compassion and kindness. It helped change world's opinion, and gave hope to people with AIDS.
— Bill Clinton

Diana also made clandestine visits to show kindness to the sick. According to nurses, she would turn up unannounced (for example, at the Mildmay Hospice in London) with specific instructions that her visit was to be concealed from the media.

The pictures of Diana touring an Angolan minefield, in a ballistic helmet and flak jacket were seen worldwide. It was during this campaign that conservatives accused the Princess of meddling in politics and declared her a 'loose cannon.' In August 1997, just days before her death, she visited Bosnia with the Landmine Survivors Network. Her interest in landmines was focused on the injuries they create, often to children, long after a conflict is over.

She is believed to have influenced the signing, though only after her death, of the Ottawa Treaty, which created an international ban on the use of anti-personnel landmines. Introducing the Second Reading of the Landmines Bill 1998 to the British House of Commons, the Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, paid tribute to Diana's work on landmines:

All Honourable Members will be aware from their postbags of the immense contribution made by Diana, Princess of Wales to bringing home to many of our constituents the human costs of landmines. The best way in which to record our appreciation of her work, and the work of NGOs that have campaigned against landmines, is to pass the Bill, and to pave the way towards a global ban on landmines.
— Robin Cook

The United Nations has appealed to the nations which produced and stockpiled the largest numbers of landmines (China, India, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, and the United States) to sign the Ottawa Treaty forbidding their production and use, for which Diana had campaigned. Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that landmines remained "a deadly attraction for children, whose innate curiosity and need for play often lure them directly into harm's way". Diana should be credited with at least trying to bring to world attention the terrible damage such mines create in whole communities.

Death

Main article: Death of Diana, Princess of Wales

On 31 August 1997 Diana was tragically killed after a high speed car accident in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris along with Dodi Al-Fayed and their driver Henri Paul. Blood analysis shows that Henri Paul was illegally intoxicated while driving. Tests confirmed that original postmortem blood samples were from driver Henri Paul, and that he had three times the French legal limit of alcohol in his blood. Conspiracy theorists had claimed that Paul's blood samples were swapped with blood from someone else—who was drunk—and contended that the driver had not been drinking on the night Diana died. Their Mercedes-Benz S280 sedan crashed on the thirteenth pillar of the tunnel. The two-lane tunnel was built without metal barriers between the pillars, so a slight change in vehicle direction could easily result in a head-on collision with the tunnel pillar.

Fayed's bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones was closest to the point of impact and yet the only survivor of the crash; he was the only one to be wearing a seatbelt. Henri Paul and Dodi Fayed were killed instantly, and Diana — unbelted in the back seat- slid forward during the impact and, having been violently thrown around the interior, "submarined" under the seat in front of her, suffering massive damage to her heart and subsequent internal bleeding. She was eventually, after considerable delay, transported by ambulance to the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, but on the way to casualty went into cardiac arrest twice. Despite lengthy resuscitation attempts, including internal cardiac massage, she died at 4 a.m. local time. Her funeral on 6 September 1997 was broadcast and watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide.

The death of Diana has been the subject of widespread conspiracy theories, supported by Mohamed Al-Fayed, whose son died in the accident. Her former father in law, Prince Philip, seems to be at the heart of most of them but her ex husband has also been named, and was questioned by the Metropolitan Police in 2005. Some other theories have included claims that MI6 or the CIA were involved. Mossad involvement has also been suspected, and this theory has been supported on US television by the intelligence specialist barrister Michael Shrimpton. One particularly outlandish claim, appearing on the internet, has stated that the princess was battered to death in the back of the ambulance, by assassins disguised as paramedics. These were all rejected by French investigators and British officials, who claimed that the driver, Henri Paul, was drunk and on drugs. Blood tests later reported that Henri Paul was drunk at the time of the accident, although CCTV footage of Paul leaving the Ritz hotel with the princess and Dodi Fayed does not appear to depict a man in a drunken or incapable state. Nonetheless, in 2004 the authorities ordered an independent inquiry by Lord Stevens, a former chief of the Metropolitan Police, and he suggested that the case was "far more complex than any of us thought" and reported "new forensic evidence" and witnesses. The French authorities have also decided to reopen the case. Lord Stevens' report, Operation Paget, was published on December 14, 2006.

Within seconds of the crash, the paparazzi had surrounded the Mercedes, and proceeded to take pictures of the dying princess. Not one called for medical assistance. On 13 July 2006 Italian magazine Chi published photographs showing Diana in her "last moments" despite an unofficial blackout on such photographs being published. The photographs were taken minutes after the accident and show the Princess slumped in the back seat while a paramedic attempts to fit an oxygen mask over her face. The photographs were also published in other Italian and Spanish magazines and newspapers.

The editor of Chi defended his decision by saying he published the photographs for the "simple reason that they haven't been seen before" and that he felt the images do not disrespect the memory of the Princess. The British media publicly refused to publish the images, with the exception of the tabloid newspaper, The Sun, which printed the picture but with the face blacked out.

Grave

Diana was buried at 6pm on September 6, 1997. The Prince of Wales, her sons, her mother, siblings, a close friend, and a clergyman were present. She wore a black long sleeved Catherine Walker dress. She had chosen that particular dress a few weeks before. She was buried with a set of rosary beads in her hands, a gift she received from Mother Teresa. Her grave is on an island in the grounds of Althorp Park, her family home.

The original plan was for her to be buried in the Spencer family vault at the local church in nearby Great Brington, but Diana's brother, Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer, said that he was concerned about public safety and security and the onslaught of visitors that might overwhelm Great Brington. He decided that he wanted his sister to be buried where her grave could be easily cared for and visited in privacy by her sons and other relations.

The island is in an ornamental lake known as The Oval within Althorp Park's Pleasure Garden. A path with thirty-six oak trees, marking each year of her life, leads to the Oval. Four black swans swim in the lake, symbolizing sentinels guarding the island. In the water there are several water lilies. White roses and lilies were Diana's favourite flowers.

On the southern verge of the Round Oval sits the Summerhouse, previously in the gardens of Admiralty House, London, and now serving as a memorial to Diana. An ancient arboretum stands nearby, which contains trees planted by Prince William and Prince Harry, other members of her family, and Diana herself.

Titles, styles, honours and arms

Titles

1961-1975: The Honourable Diana Frances Spencer
1975-1981: Lady Diana Frances Spencer
1981-1996: Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales
1996-1997: Diana, Princess of Wales

Styles

Posthumously, as in life, she is most popularly referred to as "Princess Diana", a title she never held. She is still sometimes referred to in the media as "Lady Diana Spencer", or simply as "Lady Di".

Diana's full style, whilst married, was Her Royal Highness The Princess Charles Philip Arthur George, Princess of Wales and Countess of Chester, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of Carrick, Baroness of Renfrew, Lady of the Isles, Princess of Scotland.

Honours

British Honours

Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II

Foreign Honours

Grand Officer, Order of the House of Orange

Arms

As the wife of the Prince of Wales, Diana used arms that included the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom with a plain, three-point label and the inescutcheon of the Coat of Arms of the Principality of Wales (the arms of the Prince of Wales), impaled with a shield bearing 1st and 4th quarters plain white, and the 2nd and 3rd quarters bearing a golden fret on a red background defaced with three escallopes (the arms of the Earl Spencer, her father). The supporters were the crowned golden lion from the Royal Arms, and a winged griffin from the Spencer arms. The shield was topped by the Prince of Wales crown. Her motto was Dieu Defend le Droit (English: God defends the right), also used in the Spencer arms.

After her divorce, Diana used the arms of the Spencer family, crowned by a royal coronet.

Legacy

Diana's interest in supporting and helping young people led to the establishment of the Diana Memorial Award, awarded to youths who have demonstrated the unselfish devotion and commitment to causes advocated by the Princess. In 2002, Diana was ranked 3rd in the 100 Greatest Britons poll, outranking Queen Elizabeth II and other British monarchs.

Main article: Concert for Diana

Princes William and Harry are currently organising a concert to be held in memory of their beloved mother on 1 July 2007 — it would have been her 46th birthday. The concert will be staged at the rebuilt Wembley Stadium. Confirmed acts include Duran Duran, Joss Stone, Elton John, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lily Allen, English National Ballet, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Natasha Bedingfield, Status Quo, The Feeling, Orson, James Morrison, and Bryan Ferry. Tickets went on sale on 13 December 2006 and were sold out within minutes. A memorial service is planned for 31 August 2007.

Ancestry

**Diana's ancestors in three generations**
Diana, Princess of Wales	Father: John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer	Paternal Grandfather: Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer	Paternal Great-grandfather: Charles Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Margaret Baring
		Paternal Grandmother: Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer	Paternal Great-grandfather: James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn
			Paternal Great-grandmother: Lady Rosalind Cecilia Caroline Bingham
	Mother: Frances Shand Kydd	Maternal Grandfather: Maurice Burke Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy	Maternal Great-grandfather: James Burke Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Frances Work
		Maternal Grandmother: Ruth Burke Roche, Baroness Fermoy	Maternal Great-grandfather: Col. William Smith Gill
			Maternal Great-grandmother: Ruth Littlejohn

Peerage of the United Kingdom
VacantTitle last held byPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (November 20, 1947 – February 6 1952; as prince consort to the heiress presumptive)	Princess Consort to the Heir Apparent of the United Kingdom 1981–96	VacantTitle next held byCamilla, Duchess of Cornwall (since April 9, 2005; unstyled as Princess of Wales)
VacantTitle last held byMary of Teck (July 6, 1893 – May 6, 1910)	Princess of Wales 1981–96

Footnotes

"1995: 'Divorce': Queen to Charles and Diana". BBC. December 20.
^ As a titled royal, Diana held no surname, but, when one was used, it was Mountbatten-Windsor
Nevin, Charles. "Haunted by the image of fame". 1 September 1997. The Guardian. Accessed 11 May 2007.
Robinson, Eugene. "From Sheltered Life to Palace Life, of Her Own", Washington Post, September 1, 1997.
The suggestion that Charles authorised his story of the split to be communicated is disputed by his friends, who claim that he told his friends not to speak, a prohibition some of them breached under anonymity.
Although some continued to style Diana HRH even after she had lost the style following her divorce.
When Diana divorced the Prince of Wales in 1996 she did not lose her title, Princess of Wales, she merely lose the prefix HRH thus assuming the title Diana, Princess of Wales.
"In the matter of the Inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, 8 January 2007, per Butler-Sloss at para 34
Bedell Smith, Sally (1999). Diana in Search of Herself: Portrait of a Troubled Princess. Times Books. ISBN 0812930533.
"1997: Princess Diana sparks landmines row". BBC. January 15.
Reiss, Charles (1998-07-10). "MPs to pass Diana mines Bill". London Evening Standard/This is London. Retrieved 2006-11-25.
"Landmines pose gravest risk for children". UNICEF. 2004-12-02. Retrieved 2006-11-25.
"Timeline: How Diana died". BBC News. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
"Princess Diana Killed In Tragic Accident". EmergencyNet News. August 31, 1997. Retrieved 2007-01-25.
"BBC ON THIS DAY". BBC News. September 6, 1997. Retrieved 2007-02-06. {{cite news}}: Text "1997: Diana's funeral watched by millions" ignored (help); Text "6" ignored (help)
Lal, Rashmee Roshan (2006-12-09). "Diana's ghost finally laid to rest". The Times of India. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
"Diana Returns Home". 1997. BBC. Accessed May 11, 2007.
"Althorp Park, Home of Princess Diana." Britain Express. Accessed May 11, 2007.
The style "Princess Diana", though often used by the public and the media during her lifetime, was always incorrect. With rare exceptions (such as Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester) only women born to the title (such as Princess Anne) may use it before their given names. After her divorce in 1996, Diana was officially styled Diana, Princess of Wales, having lost the prefix HRH
Concert article
Prince of Wales - Titles

External links

Critics

v t e Princesses of Wales and Duchesses of Cornwall
Joan, Countess of Kent (1361–1376) Lady Cecily Neville (1460; disputed) Lady Anne Neville (1470–1471) Infanta Catherine of Aragon (1501–1502) Princess Caroline of Ansbach (1714–1727) Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1736–1751) Princess Caroline of Brunswick (1795–1820) Princess Alexandra of Denmark (1863–1901) Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (1901–1910) Lady Diana Spencer (1981–1996) Camilla Shand* (2005–2022) Catherine Middleton (2022–present)
* Though legally Princess of Wales, she did not use the title

Princesses of Wales and Duchesses of Cornwall

Joan, Countess of Kent (1361–1376)
Lady Cecily Neville (1460; disputed)
Lady Anne Neville (1470–1471)
Infanta Catherine of Aragon (1501–1502)
Princess Caroline of Ansbach (1714–1727)
Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1736–1751)
Princess Caroline of Brunswick (1795–1820)
Princess Alexandra of Denmark (1863–1901)
Princess Victoria Mary of Teck (1901–1910)
Lady Diana Spencer (1981–1996)
Camilla Shand* (2005–2022)
Catherine Middleton (2022–present)

* Though legally Princess of Wales, she did not use the title

Charles III

King of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms (2022–present)

Realms

Titles and
honours

Family

Camilla Shand (wife)
Diana Spencer (former wife)
William, Prince of Wales (elder son)
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (younger son)
Elizabeth II (mother)
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (father)
Anne, Princess Royal (sister)
Prince Andrew, Duke of York (brother)
Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh (brother)
Mountbatten-Windsor (family)

Life as Prince of Wales

Accession and
coronation

Reign

Charities
and campaigns

Residences

As Prince of Wales	Clarence House (official) Highgrove House (private) Birkhall Llwynywermod
As King	Buckingham Palace (official) Windsor Castle (official) Holyrood Palace (official, Scotland) Hillsborough Castle (official, Northern Ireland) Sandringham House (private) Balmoral Castle (private) Craigowan Lodge (private)

Awards given
and created

Business ventures

Depictions

Televised addresses	Royal address to the nation Royal Christmas Message
Documentaries	Royal Family (1969) Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role (1994) Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work (2007) Elizabeth at 90: A Family Tribute (2016) Charles R: The Making of a Monarch (2023) Charles III: The Coronation Year (2023)
Film and television	Chorus Girls (1981) Charles & Diana: A Royal Love Story (1982) The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana (1982) Spitting Image (1984–1996, 2020–2021) Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After (1992) Willi und die Windzors (1996) Whatever Love Means (2005) The Queen (2006 film) The Queen (2009 TV serial) King Charles III (2017 film) The Windsors (2016–2020 TV series) The Crown (2016–2023) The Prince (2021) Spencer (2021)
Plays	Her Royal Highness..? (1981) King Charles III (2014) Diana (2019/2021) The Windsors: Endgame (2021)
Portraits	Jonathan Yeo (2024)
Bibliography	The Old Man of Lochnagar (1980) A Vision of Britain: A Personal View of Architecture (1989) Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World (2010) Climate Change (2023)

Eponyms

← Elizabeth II

Template:Persondata

Categories: