Hey, ever wanted to know anything about Princess Diana? Well here you go, I had to write this for Student Government, and I thought what the hey, I spent forever on this and Mister Demott will only glance at it might as well post it. I am sorry it is so long.
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales, was born Lady Diana Frances Spencer on 1 July 1961, In Park House near Sandringham, Norfolk. (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web."Childhood and Teenage Years)
Lady Diana was the youngest daughter of the Viscount and Viscountess Althorp; they are now the late (8th) Earl Spencer and the late Hon. Mrs. Shand-Kydd, daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy.Earl Spencer was Equerry to George IV; 1950 to 1952, and to the Queen; 1952 to 1954.
Lady Diana's parents were married in 1954, but were separated by 1967 and they had their marriage dissolved in 1969. Earl Spencer then married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth in 1976. Lady Diana continued to live together with her elder Sisters Sarah (born 1955), Jane (born 1957) and her little brother Charles (born 1964) in Sandringham, until the demise of her grandfather, the 7th Earl Spencer. The family moved to the Spencer seat at Althorp (a grand and stately house from 1508) in Northhamptonshire in the English Midlands during the year of 1975. (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Childhood and Teenage Years")
Lady Diana received her education from preparatory school, Riddlesworth Hall at Diss, Norfolk. In 1974 Lady Diana went as a boarder to West Heath, near Sevenoaks, Kent. Lady Diana was an accomplished Pianist, she also showed an interest and talent in dancing and domestic science, she gained the school's award for the girl giving maximum help to the school and her schoolfellows. (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Childhood and Teenage Years")
She departed from West Heath in 1977 and enrolled in finishing school at the Institute in alpine Videmanette in Rougemont, Switzerland, which she departed from after the Easter term of 1978. The next year she moved into a flat in Coleherne Court, London. During that year she looked after the child of an American couple, and she taught as a kindergarten teacher at the Young England School in Pimlico. (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Childhood and Teenage Years")
It was officially announced on 24 February 1981, that Lady Diana would be married to The Prince of Wales. Lady Diana and the Prince of Wales had known each other, as neighbours at Sandringham until 1975, and their families had known each other for years, Lady Diana and the Prince met again when he was invited to a weekend at Althorp during the month of November 1977. (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Marriage and Family")
On 29 July 1981 they were married at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, in a globally televised and played on the radio with a audience estimated to include over 1,000 million people. The queue to catch even a glimpse of the wedding was all the way from Buckingham Palace to the Cathedral and included hundreds of thousands of people. The wedding reception was held in Buckingham Palace. (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Marriage and Family")
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Runcie Solemnized the marriage, with the Dean of St. Paul's clergy from other denominations read prayers. The hymns "Christ is made sure foundation", "I Vow Thee My Country" and the anthem "I Was Glad" (Sir Hubert Parry) and a specially composed anthem "Let the People Raise Thee";Professor Mathias, and Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim" performed by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, were all performed at the wedding. The Speaker of the House of Commons, Mr. George Thomas (the late Lord Tonypandy), read the lesson. (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Marriage and Family")
"The Princess was the first Englishwoman to marry an heir to the throne for 300 years (when Lady Anne Hyde married the future James II from whom The Princess was descended)." (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Marriage and Family")
Diana, Princess of Wales had two children, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis was born on 21 June 1982 and Prince Henry (Harry) Charles Albert David on 15 September 1984. They were both born in St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, in London. The princess had 17 Godchildren. (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Marriage and Family")
The Prince and Diana, Princess of Wales announced that they were going to separate in December 1992. The Prince and Princess divorced on 28 August 1996. (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Marriage and Family")
As Diana began to focus more on her charitable works, she traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, India, Canada, Nigeria, Cameroon, Indonesia, Spain, Italy, and France, Portugal, Japan, Norway, Germany, The United States, Pakistan, Switzerland, Hungary, Egypt, Belgium, and, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Nepal. Most of these trips were to work in developing communities and promote local charities. (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Marriage and Family")
"During her marriage, the Princess was President or Patron of over 100 Charities. The Princess did much of her work on behalf of homeless and also disabled people, children and people with HIV/Aids." (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Marriage and Family")
After her divorce she relinquished most of her Presidencies and Patronages, but stayed Patron of Centrepoint (homeless charity), Leprosy Mission, English National Ballet, and National Aids Trust, and as President of the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street and of The Royal Marsden Hospital. (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Marriage and Family")
"The year preceding her death Princess Diana worked on a campaign to ban the use of and manufacture of land mines. In 1997, January, she visited Angola as part of her campaign. In June, the Princess spoke at the landmines conference at the Royal Geographical Society in London, and this was followed by a visit to Washington DC in the United States on 17/18 June to promote the American Red Cross landmines campaign." (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Public Role")
" It was in recognition of her charity work that representatives of the charities with which she worked during her life were invited to walk behind her coffin with her family from St James's Palace to Westminster Abbey on the day of her funeral." (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Public Role")
The Death of Diana, Princess of Wales, occurred on Sunday 31 August 1997 following a car accident in Paris, France. The Princess was declared dead at 0300 BST, after two hours of emergency surgery at La Pitie Salpetriere Hospital. The driver of the vehicle died and her bodyguard was injured. After the funeral service the coffin was then taken by road to the family estate at Althorp for a private internment. "The Princess was buried in sanctified ground on an island in the center of an ornamental lake." (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "Death")
"The Queen spoke to the nation live at 6.00pm on Friday 5 September, from the Chinese Dining Room at Buckingham Palace."
" Since last Sunday's dreadful news we have seen, throughout Britain and around the world, an overwhelming expression of sadness at Diana's death.
We have all been trying in our different ways to cope. It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings: disbelief, incomprehension, anger - and concern for those who remain. We have all felt those emotions in these last few days. So what I say to you now, as your Queen and as a grandmother, I say from my heart.
First, I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness. I admired and respected her - for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys. This week at Balmoral, we have all been trying to help William and Harry come to terms with the devastating loss that they and the rest of us have suffered.
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.
This is also an opportunity for me, on behalf of my family, and especially Prince Charles and William and Harry, to thank all of you who have brought flowers, sent messages and paid your respects in so many ways to a remarkable person. These acts of kindness have been a huge source of help and comfort.
Our thoughts are also with Diana's family and the families of those who died with her. I know that they too have drawn strength from what has happened since last weekend, as they seek to heal their sorrow and then to face the future without a loved one.
I hope that tomorrow we can all, wherever we are, join in expressing our grief at Diana's loss, and gratitude for her all-too-short life. It is a chance to show to the whole world the British nation united in grief and respect.
May those who died rest in peace and may we, each and every one of us, thank God for someone who made many, many people happy." (http://www.royal.gov.uk royal.gov.uk Web "The Queen's Message")
I think that through the short life of the Princess a great amount of good was done. She was a truly good person; everything she did had some sort of positive impact on people and the world. She is the kind of leader we should all strive to be, not only could she organize, and get things done, but people genuinely loved her. She ran and helped organize many, many, many, charities and organizations. All of the organizations she was a part of did good and helped people. She traveled all over the globe just to help people.
It's hard to be a leader and still have people like you, but Princess Diana managed to keep these things in balance. The work she did inspired many people to do the same. Because of Princess Diana charity work became the "cool" thing to do, thus charities around the world had more helping hands. Princess Diana worked hard to be a role-model, but not because of WHO she was, but because of what she DID.
I chose Diana, Princess of Wales, because she, even in only about thirty years, achieved more charitable deeds than most eighty year olds. She was bright, brave, smart, loved, charitable, loving, and was one of the lucky people who actually enjoy what they do. Since she liked her role, she did it better.
To end this essay I would like to leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Princess Diana; "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?" I don't know why I like it so much, maybe it is because I find it funny.
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