The People's Princess

One interesting, albeit strange, thing about me is that I have an obsession with British royalty.It's actually a joke in my family that being obsessed with those famous Brits across the pond is an inherited trait, and that it only gets worse by generation.I practically stalk them all, every last one of them, but, as an honorary British person, I have a much deeper obsession with Diana--The People's Princess. And, as you may or may not know, this Sunday would have been her 51st birthday. So, this one is all about/for the former Princess of Wales, who, I'm sure, is still the Queen of many people's hearts.

The Honourable, Lady Diana Frances Spencer, HRH, Princess of Wales, Duchess of Rothesay

Born July 1, 1961

Died August 31, 1997

In high summer, on the first of July, 1961, Diana Frances Spencer was born to John Spencer, 8th Earl of Spencer and his wife, Frances. She was the 3rd of their four children, having two elder sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother, Charles. She had somewhat of a tumultuous childhood, even admitting herself that her parents were too busy "sorting themselves out," which they never did successfully, having separated and divorced in 1969. She maintained a respectful and fairly good relationship with her father throughout his life, whereas she had a difficult, on-again, off-again relationship with her mother.

Diana was very shy and kept to herself, although she was reportedly bubbly and affectionate with her intimate friends. She was very popular at school, people easily being drawn to her. She was very athletic, and musically talented, although she herself was known to have said that she was not a model student, and didn't necessarily excel in academics. When she left school, aiming to be independent, she moved to London, where she worked several odd jobs, eventually becoming a nanny/preschool aid, and shared a small flat with some of her friends--a time that she looked back on very fondly, stating that she adored living with her best girlfriends.

Coming from a family of nobility, Diana had connections to the royal family from an early age, but it wasn't until she was about 19 that she became connected more intimately to the British crown, when she became Charles, the Prince of Wales' love interest. The more time the two spent together, the more obsessed the media became with "Shy Di"--enchanted by this beautiful woman who potentially held the country's future in her hands. Suspicions were confirmed, and Diana's life changed forever when she and Charles stepped out onto the lawns of Buckingham Palace in February of 1981 to publicly announce their engagement.

The entire world watched with bated breath, entranced, as Diana and Charles exchanged their vows and became man and wife on July 29,1981. To everyone else in the world, they were a fairytale, come to life. But even as soon as their honeymoon, fault lines in their relationship were already beginning to take strain. The Prince and new Princess of Wales kept the show running for several years, Diana even saying later on that they "made a good team." They appeared to be just like any other newlywed couple as the entire world watched them. They made all their public appearances, they danced together, posed for pictures, welcomed their first son, William, in 1982, and a second son, Harry, in 1984. Yet, as time went on, the cracks that had been taking so much strain began to expand and crumble.

So many, especially the public, didn't have the slightest idea what went on behind closed doors in the Wales household. Many were shocked, therefore, when the Prince and Princess announced their separation in 1992. Once they were publicly separated, all of their marital problems began to out themselves. Charles and Diana lashed out at eachother via interviews.Diana gained sympathy and walked away with the final word after her notorious tv interview with Martin Bashir on Panorama,where she questioned Charles' ability to carry the weight of the crown and admitted her previous struggles with depression and an eating disorder, among other things. This interview was the last straw for what remained of the marriage, and in 1995 the Queen herself asked the Prince and Princess to consent to divorce, which they did, their divorce being finalized that next year.

Life after her divorce took a drastic turn for Diana. She was free of a broken down relationship, out into the open, and able to truly come into her own. Many magazines and tabloids wrote pieces about her transformation. Some criticized her for various things, but she stood her ground and made a name for herself, focusing all of her time that wasn't spent with her own children on donations, fundraisers and humanitarian efforts. She tirelessly worked for AIDS fountation, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Leprosy Mission, cancer patients, and the homeless. People started to see that Diana wasn't like the rest of the royal family--where they had stiffness of character and were reserved and often even distant at times, she was personable, real, and not afraid to get on a common level with those she came in contact with. If possible, the world fell even more in love with Diana than they had been before. But it wouldn't become clear just how special she was until later on...

In the early hours of the morning on August 31, the Queen was woken by a phone call informing her that the Princess of Wales, who had been in Paris, had been in a very serious car accident. Confusion and panic reigned within the royal household, trying to figure out why Diana had been in Paris, what was really going on, how badly she was injured, and when someone could be dispatched to the hospital to see her. All of it was brought to an abrupt end when another phone call came through to the Queen's Balmoral estate--this time to say that Diana, Princess of Wales, was dead. She was only 36 years old.

The world was shocked, stunned, and heartbroken. Absolutely unbelievable amounts of mourners ventured out into public just to lay something at the former doorstep of their Princess. Literal seas of flowers, cards, bears, candles, handwritten notes, and pictures were formed outside of Buckingham Palace, and Kensington Palace--Diana's former residence.

Small fraction of flowers in memory of Princess Diana outside Kensington Palace

Even more people all over the world tuned in just to watch her funeral procession on September 6, 1997 than they did to watch her wedding to Prince Charles all those years before. Perhaps most shocked were the remaining members of the royal family. They were astounded at such a reaction and such demonstrations of love, respect, and mourning over Diana.

But one thing was certain--in losing Diana, Princess of Wales, the world had lost a beautiful woman, loving mother, and a loyal, hardworking, and genuinely sympathetic humanitarian.

 "Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life--a kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running wherever they are."

Princess Diana with her son, William

L to R: Prince Harry, Princess Diana, Prince William

Princess Diana holds a young and camera shy Prince Harry

"I like to be a free spirit. Some don't like that, but that's the way I am."

"Hugs can do great amounts of good--especially for children."

"Everyone needs to be valued. Everyone has the potential to give something back."

"I knew what my job was. It was to go out and meet the people and love them."

"Every one of us needs to show how much we care for each other, and in the process, care for ourselves."

Diana, Princess of Wales rose

"I think the biggest disease the world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of people feeling unloved. I know that I can give love for one minute, for half an hour, for a day, for a month--but I can give. I am very happy to do that. I want to do that."

"I remember when I used to sit on hospital beds and hold people's hands--people used to be sort of shocked because they said they'd never seen this before. To me, it was quite a normal thing to do. And when I saw the reassurance that an action like that gave, I did it everywhere, and will always do that."