My Tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales

This page is dedicated to the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. How many of us know exactly where we were, what we were doing when the tragic news of the Death of Diana was broadcast to the world. I for one sure do.

Childhood and Teenage Years

Diana, Princess of Wales, formally Lady Diana Frances Spencer, was born on 1 July 1961 at Prak House near Sandringham, Norfolk. She was the youngest daughter of the then Viscount and Vicountess Althorp, now the late Earl Spencer and the Hon Mrs Shand-Kydd.

Together with her two elder sisters Jane and Sarah, and her younger brother Charles, Diana was brought up at her father's house on the Queen's Estate at Sandringham and also at Althorp which is the families home in the English midlands. She was educated at Riddlesworth Hall Preparatory Schoolin Norfolk before going to West Heath School in 1974 as a boarding student. She completed her education at Institut Alpin Videmanette, a Swiss Finishing School in 1978. In 1979 she moved to a flat in Coleherne Court, London and for a short time looked after a child of an American couple while also working as a Kindergarten teacher at the Young England School in Pimlico.

Marriage and Family

On 24th Fabruary 1981 it was officially announced by Buckingham Palace that Lady Diana Spencer was to marry The Price of Wales at St Paul's Cathedral on 29th July 1981. This ceremony was watched by an estimated 1,000 million people around the world with another 600,000 lining the route from Buckingham Palace to St Paul's Cathedral. Diana was the first English woman to marry the heir to the throne in 300 years.

The Princess of Wales had two sons. Prince William Arthur Philip Louis was bborn on 21 June, 1982 and Prince Henry Charles Albert David on 15 September 1984. Both were born at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington London.

Public Role

After her marriage to the Prince of Wales, Diana quickly became involved inthe official duties of the Royal Family. Her first tour was a three day tour around Wales. In 1983 the Prince and Princess of Wales went on an offical Tour of Australia and New Zealand. In a break with royal tradition, they took Prince William with them. Prince William and Prince Harry joined their parents at the end of their tour of Italy in 1985.

Diana was best known for her charitable work. Notably publicising work on behalf of people with AIDS / HIV. In the year before her death, the Princess was an active campaigner for a ban on the manufacture of use of land mines, visiting Angola and bosnia as part of her campaign. Her love of children was also readily apparent in her charatible work.

The tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales occurred on Sunday 31 August 1997 in Paris, France. The vehicle in which the Princess was travelling was involved in a high speed accident in the Place de I'Alma underpass in central Paris shortly before midnight on Saturday 30 August. The Princess was taken to the La Pitie Salpetriere Hospital, where she underwent two hours of emergency surgery before being delcared dead at 0300 BST. The Princess's companion, Mr Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the vehicle died in the accident, whilst Trevor Rhys-Jones, the bodyguard was seriously injured.