Жизнь принцессы Дианы (1961-1997)
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AN EARL’S DAUGHTER
Diana
Frances Spencer was not royal by birth. She was born on 1 July 1961 at Park
House on the Sandringham Estate in
Diana had two elder
sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother, Charles; there was also a
brother called John, born in 1960, who survived only ten hours.
Diana spent her
early children’s years in
Diana continued her
education in Sulfide, in private school near the Kings Lynn, then in
preparatory
Her life changed a
lot in 1975 when Viscount Althorp becoming 8th Earl Spencer, and
Diana becoming Lady Diana, and they moved to the stately home at Althorp in
Northamtonshire. The following year Earl Spencer married Raine, Countess of
Dartmouth, whose mother was the romantic novelist, Barbara Cartland. Diana went
to a finishing school in
LADY DIANA SPENCER
When
Diana returned to
Most of Diana’s
circle of friends came from similar backgrounds, and when her relationship with
The Prince of Wales began they automatically provided her protection. Once the
media suspected Lady Diana and Prince Charles’ new romance, press reporters and
cameramen pursued her relentlessly. They besieged her flat at
Diana learned to keep her head down, literally, becoming known as ‘Shy Di’. So the highly intensive media attention which was to continue throughout her life began. But ones the engagement was official, Diana moved into an apartment in Clarence House, home of the late Queen Mother, where she would be under the protection of the Royal Press Office.
A FAIRY-TALE BRIDE
The
wedding of The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer took place at
Diana was
everyone’s idea of a fairy-tail bride; her dress, designed by David and
Elizabeth Emanuel, was a triumph of ivory silk taffeta, hand embroidered with
thousands of tiny mother-of-pearl sequins and pearls, and with a 25-foot train
trimmed with sparking old lace. Diana wore the Spencer family tiara, and
diamond earrings borrowed from her mother.
She left Clarence House
in the Glass Coach accompanied by her father, to the thunderous cheers of the
crowds lining The Mall. At
After the ceremony
the couple returned to
They
left the Palace in a balloon-bedecked carriage, starting their honeymoon at
Broadlands, the Hampshire home of the late Lord Mountbatten, then flying to
PRINCESS OF WALES
From
the moment they were married, The Prince and Princess of Wales became the focus
of public attention to an extent never before experienced in
Her early days as
Princess of Wales were not always easy. She was coming to grips with being a
working member of the Royal Family, finding ways to impress her own style upon
her new homes at
For one so young,
Diana displayed an extraordinary sense of duty, yet she insisted that her prime
role in life was to be a good mother to her children. When she and Prince
Charles visited
A DEVOTED MOTHER
Diana’s natural
role in life was motherhood. She had always had a special affinity with
children of all ages and she never doubted for a moment that she was intended
to be a mother. Speaking about her children she once said, ‘They mean
everything to me’ and later added, ‘I always feed my children love and
affection — it’s so important’.
Although
the royal marriage ended in divorce there were many times when the couple enjoyed
great happiness together. One such time was at 9.03 p.m. on 21 June 1982, when
Diana gave birth to her first son, Prince William, in the private Lindo Wing of
St. Mary’s Hospital in
They were
affectionate parents and Diana said she had found her true destiny. She was
never happier than when she was playing with William, whom she called Wills.
Two years later, on 15 September 1984, Harry was born.
Off duty Diana
would attempt to shrug off the rigid controls of royal protocol and relax with
her sons. She was determined that, although they would never forget who they
were, they should have as normal an upbringing as possible. She took them to
the cinema, letting them choose the films they wanted to see, and introduced
them to the delights of fast food hamburger cafes, where she queued with other
parents to serve herself. She was a thoroughly modern mother who refused to
allow her royal role to interfere with the ordinary, every day joys of bringing
up her children.
Diana turned up at
the prices’ annual sports day, kicked off her shoes and ran barefoot in the
mothers’ race — which the won, to her sons’ great delight. When the time came
for Prince William to go away to school, Diana expressed a very clear reference
for
Diana
impressed upon her sons their connection with the principality whose name they
shared, telling them never to forget what they were: Prince William and Prince
Harry of
She
instilled in her sons her own sense of public awareness from an early age, and
showed them, at first hand, how the underprivileged are forced to live by
taking them with her to a Seamen’s
Diana will be remembered in many different ways, but undoubtedly the most important legacy of her extraordinary life is her two sons, William and Harry.
A SPECIAL TOUCH
As she freely admitted,
Diana was not an intellectual. But despite her lack of academic achievement she
possessed a quick wit and an understanding that enabled her to survive those
early years and adapt to her new role, while her empathywith the public prevented her from being
dismissed as merely a ‘walking clothes-horse’.
Diana believed that
the monarchy should be in touch with the people, and she won many hearts with
her spontaneity and genuine warmth. She was a tactile person who loved to give
a hug or a kiss, whether to a child in a Nigerian village or an old lady in a
British geriatric ward. People from all walks of life and of all ages
identified with her, for her sense of style as well as for the compassion she
showed to the sick and the suffering, and to those who had been the outcasts of
society.
The public turned out in droves whenever and wherever she appeared, and she always found time to stop and talk, often delaying her official programme in order to chat with people who had waited hours to see her.
It
was her common touch, combined with her grace and aristocracy, which made her
so popular with the press. They adored her, and followed her wherever she went,
knowing that she would always provide them with a winning 
picture or story.
She never let them down. Some of them whom she grew to trust, and took into her
confidence, became personal friends who would mourn her in death as much as
they had respected her in life.
PRINCESS OF STYLE
If ever a person
could rightly claim to be a one-woman fashion industry, that person mast have
been Diana, Princess of Wales. Almost single-handed she rejuvenated the British
fashion scene, practically from the moment she first stepped onto the royal
stage.
Legions of women,
from
Diana never saw herself as a fashion icon and she disliked the description, believing it detracted from more serious side. She said she never followed fashion, only dressing ‘for the job in hand’. It is true that she was not a follower but a trend-setter, and if she was set up as an icon it was only because women so admired her innate sense of styleand her ability to choose what was right for her. She managed to combine a modern look with the requirements of royal dignity and cool elegance. The demands of her position necessitated a large wardrobe, and Diana was determined to show the very best of British design and manufacture wherever she went on her overseas tours, performing an extraordinary service for the fashion industry and bringing a new glamorous image to the Royal Family.
She was not dressed
exclusively by British designers. Diana was often seen, in recent years, in
outfits by Christian Dior, John Galliano, Gianni Versace and Jacques Azagury,
as well as those she wore from Bruce Oldfield and Catherine Walker.
Diana
was fascinated by showbusiness and the arts and missed no opportunity to mix
with stars of stage and screen. Ballet was her first love, and as Patron of the
English National Ballet she played an active role in the organization, often
turning up to watch rehearsals and staying behind to talk with the dancers. She
once wistfully remarked that she would have loved to have been a ballet dancer
but ‘at 5ft joins I’m too tall’. So when she sprang a surprise Christmas
present for Prince Charles in 1985 by dancing on stage with Wayne Sleep, she
was also achieving a life-time ambition. Some years later at a reception at the
White House in
It was Diana’s
first change in hairstyle that seemed to transform her the most. Just after the
birth of Prince Harry her pageboy hair-cut was replaced by a new style that was
classic, sophisticated and totally stunning. The Diana look had arrived; the
photographic image had been created.
In June 1997, responding to a suggestion by Prince William, Diana assigned Christie’s to auction 79 of her dresses, raising £1,960,150 for charity. They ranged from short cocktail dresses to formal ball-gowns and included her favourite: a Victor Edelstein creation in duchesse satin with matching bolero jacket, which sold for £54,436.
A MODERN PRINCESS
With the collapse
of her marriage in 1992 — separation, followed in 1996 by divorce — Diana set
out to find a new life for herself as a single parent. She wanted to create an
independent role outside the Royal Family but, as the mother of a future King,
she was never completely able to shed her responsibilities, or her imagine throughout
the world as ‘Princess Di’.
She formed a number of unfortunate relationships which were quickly terminated and she realized that unqualified love and loyalty would come only from her sons. Diana worked hard at keeping physically fit by visiting a gymnasium most days, and she sought the company of people whom she believed would not try to exploit her.
She
made many visits to the
Once the publicity
of the marriage break-up had died down Diana began to working towards her goal,
which was to be taken seriously in her own right. She had discussions with
political leaders, such as President Nelson Mandela of
Her crusade for the world-wide banning of landmines touched the public conscience in a way that nothing else had done. She had picked on exactly the right subject at precisely the right moment.
A QUEEN OF HEARTS
At one time the
Princess of
At the height of her working life, her patronages included such disparate bodies as Barnardos, Birthright, and the British Deaf Association (for whom she leant sign language), the Leprosy Mission, the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund for Children, The Princess of Wales Children’s Health Camp in Rotorua (New Zealand), Turning Point, Help the Aged, Centrepoint, AIDS Crisis Trust and the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children.
When the accepted an invitation to become patron of a charity, she became a tireless worker.
Turning Point was
perhaps one of the most unlikely groups for a member of the Royal Family to
support. It was the largest national voluntary organization providing help for
men and woman with drug and alcohol-related problems, and for people recovering
from mental illness. When Diana was asked to join them she agreed without
hesitation, on the condition that she was not to be merely another royal
figurehead, but an active participant in all their work. She raised the profile
of Turning Point dramatically and as their Chief Executive, Les Rudd,
explained, ‘We have an unpopular client group and without The Princess’s
personal involvement we would never have attracted the public’s sympathy to
such an extent’.
Diana chose to become actively involved with Centrepoint, a charity which concentrates on providing accommodation for homeless young people who are considered to be at risk. She said ‘Nothing dives me greater pleasure than to try to help the most vulnerable people in society’.
In 1993 Diana announced her retirement from public life and relinquished her position with nearly all her charities. She retained and handful which she continued to support and work for until the day she died.
One of the most
courageous and important of Diana’s public appearances was undoubtedly when she
decided to open the first specialist AIDS ward in
When
Diana visited a leprosy hospital in
It is difficult to overestimate the impact that Diana made on the causes she espoused. As a fundraiser she was unequalled; her presence at a function ensured that all the tickets would be sold in hours.
She worked
indefatigably for the Royal Marsden Hospital Cancer Fund and insisted that part
of the proceeds of the auction of her dresses in
Diana’s
concern for the dispossessed and the under-privileged knew no national
boundaries. Together with her friends Imran and Jemima Khan she visited
But
it was when she visited
When she was accused of interfering in political issues, Diana replied, ‘I’m a humanitarian, I lead from the heart’.
ENGLAND
Diana died in a car
crash with Dodi Fayed on 31 of August
The Queen appeared on
television and spoke movingly of her former daughter-in-law. ‘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’.
The funeral,
described by 
Thousands, many of
whom had camped out overnight in order to get a good position, watched
silently, and threw flowers into their path. As the cortege passed thought Wellington
Arch and down Constitution Hill, The Queen and three generations of the Royal
Family emerged from
The Prince of
Wales, Prince Philip, Prince William and Prince Harry, together with Diana’s
brother, Earl Spencer, joined the cortege and walked behind the coffin to
Westminster Abbey. They were followed by a throng of representatives of many of
her charities.
The service was simple and dignified, with Diana’s favourite hymns and poems read by her sisters. Diana’s brother gave a penetrating and passionate address. The 2,000-strong congregation included politicians, showbusiness celebrities, personal friends and representatives from her charities.
For many the most poignant element of the ceremony was the Princes’ wreath on the coffin: a small ring of white roses bearing the word ‘Mummy’.
As the choir sang a
haunting anthem the coffin was carried away. At the door the procession stopped
and an absolute silence descended — a silence that was respected by millions
throughout the world.
Diana’s body was laid to rest at Althorp, on a peaceful and secluded island in the middle of a lake.
THE PEOPLE’S PRINCESS
The death of Diana, Princess of Wales unleashed an expression of public feeling on an unprecedented scale. Nothing had prepared the people for the shock of losing such a vital, beautiful young women who had everything to live for. People of all ages had been able to identify with this member of the Royal Family, as a glamorous leader of fashion, a dedicated mother and more recently as the undisputed champion of the under-privileged, the handicapped and the elderly. She did more than had ever been done before to focus attention on what were previously unmentionable subjects, and the practical and constructive way in which she displayed her compassion and sympathy was a fine demonstration of modern royalty at work.
Diana was star
quality, of that there was no doubt. She became the most pursued woman in the
world and gave the impression of enjoying her celebrity status, even though she
claimed not to understand why so many people felt so affectionate towards her.
Perhaps it was this very innocence that made her so attractive. She
occasionally gave the outward appearance of being tough, and she herself said
she would ‘fight like a tiger’ for what she believed in. But another of the
qualities that emerged was her vulnerability, and it was this made so many
people spring to her defence. She never lacked friends to take her part and
champion her cause, and there was never a shortage of volunteers anxious to
protect and cherish her. Much of her international appeal came about because
those who came into contract with her felt a natural instinct to look after
her, even when she protested that she did not need protecting.
Diana was always a woman who acted from the heart, and the world loved her for it. She possessed a natural aura of accessibility, and was never afraid to show her emotion. Ordinary men and woman felt they could approach her without any fear of rebuttal; she positively encouraged people to talk to her and touch her.
Diana has been described as one of the nation’s greatest assets and her appearance was one of her most important attributes. Even when her behaviour was unpredictable, she was forgiven because of her beauty and style.
Her most important role was raising her small family. Everything else was secondary to the welfare of her sons and no one was ever left in any doubt as to her priorities. William and Harry came first and in spite of the pressures she lived under — that would not have change. She knew that the encouragement and help she could give him. She was prepared to subjugate her own ambitions to his happiness and security.
If Diana seemed to rebel against a protocol and tradition that appeared to be stuffy and restrictive, it struck a chord with young people, who felt she was striking a blow for them as well as for herself. And when she comforted the sick, the maimed and the abused, those around her knew that this was not an act, neither was she merely going though the routine of a well-rehearsed and programmed public appearance. Although her duties were necessarily choreographed down to the last detail, her concern was obviously genuine and she managed to communicate her true feelings.
How will she be remembered and what were her most significant achievements? It would be invidious to single out from her many good works just one and name it as the most important. On the international scene, if there is a successful conclusion to her landmines campaign, that would be a fitting memorial; or if there is a breakthrough in the treatment of AIDS or cancer. Perhaps her involvement in child care and famine relief will result in greater public awareness.
Diana will be remembered as an inspirational woman who once said she wanted to be known as a ‘Queen of Hearts’. Perhaps in death that is exactly what she has become.
ByMother Teresa
1910-1997
Love's Eyes
I see a bird in flight,
Or a baby's gentle smile.
The beauty that I see in them
Reminds me of your face.
The
compassion and the caring
So softly chiseled there.
The love and understanding
Painted on by God's own hand.
Your
face is a priceless treasure,
With a perfection of its own.
I look into your face
To see Love's own eyes
gazing back at me.
1990 - By me
Literature: ‘Diana, Princess
of