Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University

Faculty of Foreign Languages

Department of English
Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine

Report
Topic: Diana, Princess of Wales

Leheza Vira
Group 407

Chernivtsi
2021
 CONTENT
1. Introduction
2. Early Life and Family
3. Courtship With Prince Charles
4. Engagement Ring
5. Wedding to Prince Charles
6. Sons
7. Divorce from Prince Charles
8. Relationship With Dodi Fayed
9. Death
10. Conspiracy Theories
11. Funeral and Gravesite
12. Memorials and Charities
13. Princess Diana’s Quotes
14. Interesting Facts
 Introduction
Princess Diana was Princess of Wales while married to Prince Charles. One of the
most adored members of the British royal family, she died in a 1997 car crash.
Princess Diana became Lady Diana Spencer after her father inherited the title of
Earl Spencer in 1975. She married the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, on
July 29, 1981. They had two sons and later divorced in 1996. Diana died on
August 31, 1997, from injuries she sustained in a car crash in Paris. She is
remembered as the "People's Princess" because of her widespread popularity and
global humanitarian efforts.
Early Life and Family
Diana was born on July 1, 1961, near Sandringham, England. Diana was the
daughter of Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and Frances Ruth Burke
Roche, Viscountess Althorp (later known as the Honorable Frances Shand Kydd).
Her parents divorced when Diana was young, and her father won custody of the
children.
Diana had two older sisters, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale,
and a younger brother, Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer.
Following her initial education at home, Diana attended Riddlesworth Hall School
and then West Heath School. Although she was known for her shyness while
growing up, she showed an interest in music and dancing. She became Lady Diana
Spencer after her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer in 1975.
Diana had a great fondness for children. After attending finishing school at Institut
Alpin Videmanette in Switzerland, she moved to London. She began working with
children, eventually becoming an assistant at Young England Kindergarten.
Courtship With Prince Charles
Diana began dating Prince Charles, heir to the British throne who was 13 years her
senior, in 1977. The couple first met when Diana was a child and reportedly played
with Charles’s younger siblings, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, while her
family rented Park House, an estate owned by Queen Elizabeth II.
Charles was usually the subject of media attention, and his courtship of Diana was
no exception. The press and the public were fascinated by this seemingly odd
couple — the reserved, garden-loving prince and the shy young woman with an
interest in fashion and popular culture.
Engagement Ring
On February 6, 1981, Prince Charles proposed to Diana with an 18-karat white
gold ring topped with a 12-carat oval Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 14 solitaire
diamonds. It was made by the crown jeweler Garrard and reportedly inspired by a
brooch created in 1840 for Prince Albert as a wedding present for Queen Victoria.
The ring reportedly cost Charles £28,000 at the time (about $35,000).
After Diana's death, her son Prince William proposed with the ring to Kate
Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge.
Wedding to Prince Charles
Diana Spencer became Diana, Princess of Wales, when she married Charles on
July 29, 1981. Their wedding took place at St. Paul’s Cathedral in the presence of
2,650 guests. The couple arrived separately and departed together by a carriage
ride through the streets of London.
Diana wore a taffeta wedding dress made with silk and antique lace and 10,000
pearls, created by husband-and-wife design team David and Elizabeth Emanuel.
She donned an 18th-century Spencer family tiara with a 25-foot veil. Her ensemble
barely fit in the carriage, and it took Diana 3 and a half minutes to walk down the
aisle.
The royal wedding ceremony was broadcast on television around the world; nearly
one billion people from 74 countries tuned in to see what many considered to be
the wedding of the century.
Sons
Diana and Charles had two sons together: Prince William Arthur Philip Louis,
born on June 21, 1982, and Prince Henry Charles Albert David — known widely
as "Prince Harry" — born on September 15, 1984.
Divorce from Prince Charles
Diana’s separation from Charles was announced in December 1992 by British
Prime Minister John Major, who read a statement from the royal family to the
House of Commons. Their divorce was finalized in August 1996.
The couple became estranged over the years, and Diana struggled with depression
and bulimia. During their union, there were reports of infidelities from both parties.
According to The Diana Chronicles, a book by Tina Brown, Diana had fallen head
over heels for Hasnat Khan, a Pakistani heart surgeon whom she met in 1995.
Queen Elizabeth II urged Diana and Charles to officially end their marriage. Diana
retained her title of “Princess of Wales” and her apartments at Kensington Palace,
but she agreed gave up the title “Her Royal Highness” and any claim to the British
throne.
After the couple’s fairy tale wedding, Diana felt overwhelmed by her royal duties
and the intense media coverage of nearly every aspect of her life. She began to
develop and pursue her own interests. She served as a strong supporter of many
charities and worked to help the homeless, people living with HIV and AIDS and
children in need.
Following her divorce, Diana devoted herself to her sons and charitable efforts,
including raising awareness about the dangers of leftover landmines in war-torn
Angola. She maintained a high level of popularity with the public.
Relationship With Dodi Fayed
Diana whipped the British tabloids into a frenzy when she began dating Egyptian
film producer and playboy Dodi Fayed in 1997. Fayed invited Diana and her
family on his yacht in the south of France.
The couple reportedly met at a 1986 polo match when Fayed and Charles played
on opposing teams. They reconnected and openly dated over the summer of 1997,
spending time together in Sardinia, the south of France and Paris.
Their courtship was widely covered in the tabloids. It was reported that some
members of the royal family and former Prime Minister Tony Blair did not
approve of their relationship. Diana’s butler and confidant Paul Burrell told the
BBC that Fayed was “a rebound” from her relationship with Hasnat Khan.
Death
While visiting Paris, Diana and Dodi Fayed were involved in a car crash after
trying to escape from the paparazzi early in the morning of August 31, 1997. Fayed
and the driver were pronounced dead at the scene. Diana initially survived the
crash but succumbed to her injuries at a Paris hospital a few hours later. She was
36 years old.
News of her sudden, senseless death shocked the world. Queen Elizabeth II, who
was criticized for not immediately responding publicly to Diana’s death, made a
televised address from Buckingham Palace on September 5, in which she said: “No
one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her,
but felt they knew her, will remember her. I, for one, believe there are lessons to be
drawn from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death. I
share in your determination to cherish her memory.”
Conspiracy Theories
Following an investigation into Diana’s fatal car accident, a report released in 1999
determined that the driver was at fault for driving at a high speed while under the
influence of alcohol and antidepressant drugs. Charges were dropped against
several photographers who were initially blamed for causing the crash.
Despite the report, rumors persisted for years about alternative reasons for the
accident. One conspiracy theory held that it was part of an assassination arranged
by the royal family, although no additional evidence emerged to support that
theory.
Funeral and Gravesite
On the morning of September 6, Diana's funeral procession commenced from
Kensington Palace, her coffin resting on a gun carriage drawn by six black horses.
Thousands of mourners packed the street to watch, with 15-year-old William and
12-year-old Harry joining the final stretch of the four-mile procession for their
mother.
An estimated 2.5 billion people tuned in on television to watch the ceremony at
Westminster Abbey, which featured a powerful eulogy from Diana's brother, Earl
Charles Spencer, and a performance from Elton John.
Diana’s body was laid to rest at a gravesite on a small island at her family's estate,
Althorp.
Memorials and Charities
In 2007, just before the 10th anniversary of her death, William and Harry honored
their beloved mother with a special concert that took place on what would have
been her 46th birthday. The proceeds of the event went to charities supported by
Diana and her sons.
William and his wife Kate Middleton also remembered Diana when naming their
second child, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, who was born on May 2, 2015.
Continuing her charitable efforts, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund
was founded after her death to provide resources for palliative care, penal reform,
asylum and other issues. In 2013, the fund was incorporated into The Royal
Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.
Princess Diana’s Quotes
“They say it is better to be poor and happy than rich and miserable, but how about
a compromise like moderately rich and just moody?”
“Helping people in need is a good and essential part of my life, a kind of destiny.”
“Everyone needs to be valued. Everyone has the potential to give something back.”
“I'd like people to think of me as someone who cares about them.”
“A voice said to me inside: 'You won't be Queen but you'll have a tough role.'”
“The higher the media put you, place you, is the bigger the drop.”
“When people are dying they're much more open and more vulnerable, and much
more real than other people.”
“I'd like to be a queen of people's hearts, in people's hearts, but I don't see myself
being Queen of this country. I don't think many people will want me to be Queen.”
“Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.”
“If you find someone you love in life you must hang on to it and look after it.”
“You know, people think that at the end of the day a man is the only answer.
Actually, a fulfilling job is better for me.”
“I am a free spirit - unfortunately for some.”
“I think the biggest disease this world suffers from in this day and age is the
disease of people feeling unloved, and I know that I can give love for a minute, for
half an hour, for a day, for a month, but I can give - I'm very happy to do that and I
want to do that.”
Interesting Facts
1. When Diana Spencer was young, she wanted to be a ballerina.
2. Princess Diana struggled in school and dropped out when she was 16.
3. When Princess Diana and Prince Charles met, he was dating her older sister.
4. The couple only met 13 times before they tied the knot.
5. When Diana married Charles, she was just 20 years old.
6. Princess Diana reportedly chose her own engagement ring from a catalog.
7. Princess Diana's wedding dress is estimated to have cost $115,000.
8. Princess Diana was the first royal to give birth in a hospital.
9. Princess Diana chose both of her sons' names and disagreed with Charles on
what William and Harry should be named.
10.Princess Diana quickly became one of the most popular royals in modern
history, a worldwide phenomenon called "Diana fever."
11.Princess Diana struggled with depression and bulimia.
12.Diana reportedly confronted Camilla Parker Bowles about her affair with her
husband, Prince Charles.
13.Among the princess' famous friends were Liza Minnelli, Kurt Russell,
Goldie Hawn, Elton John, Freddie Mercury, Christy Turlington, Cindy
Crawford, and Naomi Campbell.
14.Princess Diana's grave can be found on a small island at the Spencer family's
Althorp home in Northampton, England.