Princess Diana (1961-1997), former wife of Prince Charles. She was born Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961, in a rented house on the royal estate at Sandringham, Norfolk. Her father, Edward Spencer, Viscount Althorp, was heir to an earldom, and her mother was the daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy. As a child, Diana used to play with princes Edward and Andrew, younger sons of Queen Elizabeth II. She was educated at Riddlesworth Hall, Norfolk, and West Heath School in Kent. After attending finishing school in Switzerland, she shared a house with three women friends, and worked as a kindergarten teacher. Renewed contact with the British royal family led to the announcement, on February 24, 1981, of her engagement to Charles, Prince of Wales, the heir to the throne. On July 29, 1981, they were married in St Paul’s Cathedral, London. Diana gave birth to two sons: Prince William (June 21, 1982), and Prince Henry (September 15, 1984).

Although Diana was popular with the media and the public, it became obvious by the late 1980s that her marriage was under strain. In December 1992 a separation was announced, following which Diana continued to give active support to charities caring for homeless and deprived children, and AIDS victims. Following her appearance in a television interview in December 1995, she was urged by the Queen to proceed with a formal divorce from Charles: negotiations for this began early in 1996, and a decree nisi was granted in July. The couple were formally divorced on August 28, 1996; Diana kept her title as Princess of Wales. She made a visit to Angola in January 1997, in support of a Red Cross campaign to ban landmines, which was criticized by some politicians.

On the morning of August 31, 1997, in Paris, Diana died from injuries received in a car crash. Immediate tributes followed from world leaders including the British prime minister, Tony Blair, and the US president, Bill Clinton. In unprecedented scenes of mourning, thousands flocked to London to lay flowers and toys in her memory at Kensington and Buckingham palaces. After her funeral, watched by millions around the world, she was laid to rest at Althorp, home of the Spencer family. In response to overwhelming public grief, the Diana Memorial Fund was set up to continue to fund the charities with which she was most involved, including Centrepoint (a charity for the homeless), the Leprosy Mission, the National Aids Trust, the English National Ballet, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, the Royal Marsden Hospital, and organizations involved in landmine clearance.

Diana’s death has sparked much public debate about the role of the British monarchy—many feel her “popular” touch compared favourably with the more formal approach of other members of the royal family. There has also been discussion of press intrusion in the lives of the famous, since the car in which she was travelling at the time of the crash was being followed by paparazzi. After a two-year investigation into the causes of the crash, French judges ruled in September 1999 that it had been caused solely by the intoxication of the driver, Henri Paul, thus clearing nine photographers of manslaughter charges.