“Being a princess isn’t all it’s cracked up to me” – Princess Diana

Diana Frances Spencer, better known as Diana, Princess of Wales, was born 1 July 1961. Princess Diana was born into British nobility as the youngest child of Edward John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer. She grew up in close proximity to the British royal family on their Sandringham Estate but being born into nobility did not guarantee an easy life for Princess Diana and the divorce of her parents affected her greatly. It was a highly emotional time for her as a young adult, and so, in 1978 she moved to London where, due to financial constraints, she had to take up with roommates whilst she looked for employment. Although she was never what one might call an academic, she was highly talented when it came to music and dance and was also a talented athlete.

Her fortunes changed in 1981 when she became engaged to Prince Charles who is first in line to the British throne as the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II. The couple had first met in 1977 as Charles was at the time dating Diana’s older sister, Lady Sarah, but started to take more of an interest in Diana and they began dating through 1980. The relationship developed and Charles introduced Diana to his family, including the Queen in November. Charles proposed in February 1981. Following a relatively short engagement, they were married in St. Paul’s cathedral on 29 July 1981 when Diana was 22 years old. The highly televised wedding along with Diana’s natural glamour and kindness created a wholesome and positive image that she would foster for the remainder of her career as the quintessential fairytale princess adored and loved by so many. From this point forward she was no longer Lady Diana, she was Princess Diana.

The couple had two children – Prince William, who was born on 21 June 1982 and Prince Harry who was born on 15 September 1984 – however the marriage was a very unhappy one. It was clear that the couple were not a good match and the age difference of almost 13 years also caused issues. Charles started seeing a former girlfriend, Camilla Parker Bowles and Princess Diana had an affair with Major James Hewitt. Due to these extramarital affairs and ultimately a significant clash of personalities it became clear that their differences were irreconcilable. The couple divorced in 1992.

Despite her divorce from Prince Charles, Princess Diana continued to be actively involved in the work of the royal family, regularly representing the royals at different state functions around the world which continued to build and grow her persona and media presence.

Part of Princess Diana’s popularity stemmed from her efforts associated with what many saw as unique but sincere charity work for youth and later for those afflicted with AIDS. Princess Diana became a patron and a champion for those in need which continued to swell her already huge popularity. Her work would ultimately include not just youth and those with AIDS but also those affected by cancer and mental illness leading Princess Diana to be one of the best-known philanthropists and figureheads for the needy and unwell. Her friendly and charismatic nature made her a natural star helping to raise millions of dollars and lending a celebrity face to these important causes.

It may not have been something that she was looking for, but Princess Diana was also a beautiful woman with great taste in clothes which led to her becoming a fashion icon in the UK and worldwide during the 1980’s and 1990’s. It was during this period that she essentially became the most photographed woman of the 20th century.

In 1993 Princess Diana announced that she would be retiring from public life, but her retirement lasted barely a year as by 1994 she had announced a partial return which in actuality became another full-time globe-trotting schedule full of meetings with va...