Date of Birth: July 1, 1961
Place of Birth: Sandringham, England
Died: August 31, 1997
Place of Death: Paris, France
Classification: Heroes & Icons
Noted and internationally recognized for her work to raise funding for AIDS research and landmine removal across the world, Princess Diana would be one of the most philanthropic women of the 20 th Century. Amidst all her international work for those less fortunate, Diana suffered in her marriage and family life at home. This trouble would often culminate to cause her emotional distress and toppled her stability as rumors spread about her love affairs in the media.
Although she openly discussed the intimate details of her life in her biography, the media had a field day with all that she would reveal. This sparked a worldwide craze, which led to the making of documentaries and movies about her life. Probably one of the most famous women in the world by the mid-1990s, sharing the spotlight with other great women such as Oprah Winfrey in the media, she was finally given a divorce to the Prince of Wales.
Diana was brought up in an aristricatic family who had many ties to the royal family. Her father was Lord Althorp, who was given custody of Diana when he divorced her mother. She attended different private educational institutions where she was not considered a bright student in any light. She was fond of sports, however, and went on to study in Switzerland.
Following, Lady Diana was chosen by the Prince of Wales and they were married soon after in 1981, in an event that had international press attention and record-breaking television viewers. The two had two children together, Prince William of Wales, and Prince Harry of Wales. It was during this time and just after their births that Diana felt a bout of depression where she did not receive serious medical consultation.
The bitter divorce and break-up of Princess Diana and Prince Charles eventually led to scandalous media attention. Both claimed to have had extramarital affairs and each blamed the other for the marriage’s end. Over the next few years, Diana would continue her international relief work where she would raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. While in Paris, she was driven under the Pont del l’Alma tunnel where the driver of her car had an accident. She suffered severe internal bleeding and passed away. Her funeral was televised as Sir Elton John sang a remake of his song Candle in the Wind.
