Princess who is she. Princess Diana of Wales
"William and Harry - the only men in my life, who did not let me down,” - this is how Lady Diana spoke about her sons. Having survived her husband's scandalous infidelities, she could not trust him, so she devoted herself entirely to raising her two sons. 
Princess Diana with her sons William and Harry.
Both William and Harry were crazy about their mother as children, and they still remember her with warmth and tenderness today. Her mischievous character gave them no rest, and sometimes it was Princess Diana who was the instigator of the most daring antics. So, she came with pleasure to watch her favorite boys kick the ball around the football field, and Harry’s socks loving mother I often secretly slipped in candy. Lady Di sent funny cards with warm words to her favorite boys, and once unexpectedly invited Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell, supermodels whose photographs decorated the room of teenage William, to Buckingham Palace (William was almost speechless from surprise and stumbled while getting up up the stairs to your room. 
Princess Diana is a loving mother.
Filming documentary film became the first time that Harry and William decided to talk publicly about their mother. They admitted that frank conversations with the filmmakers became a kind of reflection, since Diana’s death still remains a painful and not fully experienced event for both sons. 
Princess Diana with her beloved sons.
Speaking of mom, William and Harry willingly showed off their childhood photographs. Most of the photographs were taken by Diana herself; she loved photographing her sons. These family chronicles have never been published before and will be a real gift for TV viewers. 
Princess Diana with Prince Harry on the royal yacht.
Princess Diana with Prince Harry on vacation. Photo from personal archive royal family.
Prince William and Prince Harry dressed as police officers.
Pregnant Princess Diana holds Prince William in her arms.
Prince William and Prince Harry. Photo from the personal archive of the royal family.
Princess Diana with her sons on the plane.
William and Harry are sure that it was their mother who raised them as they are now: open, sociable, natural. The only thing they truly regret is that they lost their mother so early, they did not have time to give her the love, tenderness and attention that she deserved. Harry, who spoke with his mother on the eve of the disaster, still cannot forgive himself that their last conversation was short and he, still just a child, wanted to end it quickly. Harry assures that he remembered all the words Diana said at that moment for the rest of his life. 
Princess Diana with her sons.
Twenty years ago, on August 31, 1997, a car accident occurred in a tunnel in front of the Alma bridge on the Seine embankment, in which Diana Frances Spencer died. Princess Diana was not only a favorite of the public, but also public figure and a philanthropist. With the participation of Dina, hundreds were created charitable foundations V different countries. Diana supported organizations that helped people with AIDS, the Royal Mardsen Foundation, the Leprosy Mission, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Centerpoint Homeless Centre, the English National Ballet and many others.
Many of Diana's trips around the world were associated with visiting homeless people, refugees, people with disabilities, with HIV. In the second half of the 1990s, Princess Diana was active in efforts to ban anti-personnel mines. To convince governments to abandon this type of weapon, Diana traveled to many countries, from Angola to Bosnia, visiting hospitals and mobile hospitals to see with her own eyes the consequences of using high-explosive mines.
"Philanthropist" recalls Princess Diana's major charitable projects, including her visit to Russia in 1995.
Attitude towards patients with HIV
In April 1987, Princess Diana was invited to Middlesex Hospital to open the UK's first AIDS ward. At that time there was a lot of speculation about AIDS and a lot of fear. Princess Diana wanted to dispel this myth; in the department, she took off her gloves and shook hands with all the patients at the clinic. Photos of Princess Diana shaking hands with an HIV patient have spread all over the world. From that moment on, Diana began to deal with the problems of combating AIDS.
So, in February 1989, the princess visited New York, where she visited the Harlem Hospital for Children with AIDS. She spent an hour and a half there and most spent time communicating with children and staff. “Underneath the external shine hides a heart of real gold,” the media wrote after this visit. “She did it spontaneously, tenderly picking up a seven-year-old boy from Harlem who was dying of AIDS. How many of us millions of mothers would do this? We are assured that there is no risk of contracting the world's worst disease through hugs, but babies have wet hands and slobbery kisses. Can we honestly admit that we would not have felt the fear rather than the all-encompassing tenderness that Diana felt when she confessed: “I feel very sad when I think about how I held this little boy on hands. I still think about him."
In subsequent years, she regularly visited children with AIDS, including visits to a hospice in Toronto and a hospital for HIV orphans in Rio de Janeiro.
After Diana's death, Gavin Hart, founder of the National AIDS Trust, said: "In our opinion, Diana did more to help people with HIV than anyone else, and to this day no one is doing anything like it." .
Help for lepers
Princess Diana often went on missionary trips to countries where leprosy rates remained high. She was a patron of The Leprosy Mission, and visited hospitals in India, Nepal, and Zimbabwe. She easily communicated with patients, spent a lot of time with them and thus helped fight public opinion and myths about this disease.
“It always seemed important to me to touch lepers, to shake their hands, so I wanted to show people that these patients are the same people, that they are not outcasts. You can touch people with leprosy and not get infected,” said Diana.
Homeless and refugees
In 1992, Princess Diana became a trustee of London's Centerpoint homeless center and helped them a lot until her death. Diana took both her sons, Prince William and Harry, with her to the center. At the age of 23, Prince William continued his mother's work and became a trustee of this organization.
He told The Telegraph: “My mother showed me this side of life many years ago. This was a real revelation for me and I am very grateful to her for this.”
Love for children
Princess Diana loved children very much, loved to play and communicate with them. She was a patron of the Royal Mardsen Hospital, which had a good oncology department, and of the Great Ormond Street Hospital for children. There are many photographs of Princess Diana where she talks to children, hugs or listens to them.
In an interview, she talked about working at the Royal Brompton Hospital: “I go there at least three times a week, spend several hours with the children, sometimes just holding their hands or talking. Some of them will live, some will not, but each of them needs love here and now. I want to give them this love."
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The fight to abolish anti-personnel mines
In January 1997, Princess Diana visited Angola as part of a Red Cross mission; the number of mines remaining in the land was then estimated at nine million, out of a population of 10 million people. “I read statistics that in Angola more people with amputated body parts than anywhere else in the world,” Diana recalled. “But even knowing all this, I was not prepared for what I saw.”
The princess also visited the most heavily mined city in Angola, Quito. There she walked through a recently cleared field. For safety, she put on a blue bulletproof vest and covered her face behind a special bulletproof screen.
Diana's son Prince Harry, a trustee of The HALO Trust, was also in Angola and wore a suit, in one of his speeches he called on the whole world to get rid of weapons by 2025.
ANGOLA – JANUARY 05: Diana, Princess of Wales wearing protective body armor and a visor visits a landmine minefield being cleared by the charity Halo in Huambo, Angola (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Ballet and theater
The princess was very fond of ballet, and after her divorce in 1995, she became even more active in helping non-profit organizations. And the only project not related to social issues was the English National Ballet. She often went to performances and took her sons, William and Harry, with her. She held fundraising balls and galas, which helped raise hundreds of pounds to support the theatre.
Princess Diana and Mother Teresa
In February 1992, Diana came to India and visited a shelter for abandoned children, a leper colony and a hospice founded by Mother Teresa in Calcutta. Inside the hospice, she saw rows of cots on which lay hundreds of sick and dying people.
Upon returning to Kensington Palace, Lady Diana wrote: “Finally, after so many years of searching, I have found my path. When I arrived at Mother Teresa’s hospice, the sisters of mercy sang a solemn hymn especially for me. It was an unforgettable spiritual experience. My spirit literally soared. The emotions were so strong that they could not help but have a huge impact on me. I only now realized that with all my heart, with all my soul I want to do this business on a global scale.”
Princess Diana in Russia
On June 15-16, 1995, Princess Diana flew to Moscow. One of her things to do in the capital was a visit to the Tushino Children's Hospital, to which the princess had previously provided charitable assistance (Diana donated medical equipment to the hospital).
“A very calm and persistent woman. She went into the trauma department, and there were children there after road and train accidents, and she saw all the wounds. Even those accompanying her fainted, but she calmly walked through the department,” recalled Viktor Shein, at that time deputy chief physician for surgery at the Tushino hospital
According to the participants of the visit, during the visit to the hospital, the princess violated the protocol of the meeting: she ignored the offices of the heads of the clinic, passing by, because she was in a hurry to the wards of small patients and the playroom. Diana persistently asked her translator to translate in detail everything that the children told her. In the playroom, the princess surprised everyone: she sat on her knees in front of the kids and started playing with them.
On June 16, 1995, at the British Embassy in Moscow, Princess Diana was awarded the International Leonardo Prize. This public award is awarded to philanthropists and people who have made personal contributions to the development of the humanitarian field.
Inspiration and support
Even after death, the name of Princess Diana continues to help.
In September 1997, the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund was founded using donations and proceeds from the sale of memorabilia, including Elton John's single "Candle In The Wind" dedicated to the princess. ).
In March 1998, it was announced that the foundation would provide grants of £1 million to each of the six charities officially supported by Princess Diana (English National Ballet, Leprosy Mission, National Society AIDS Support, Centerpoint, Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, Royal Marsden Hospital).
Now the organization helps hospices and palliative care, homeless people and refugees, prisoners, the fund issues grants to hundreds of organizations around the world.
Since its founding in 1998, the fund has raised and distributed more than £138 million in aid and grants (2012 figures).
Currently, the work of the fund is supervised by the sons of Princess Diana - Prince William and Prince Harry.
Princess Diana always sought to instill in her sons a love of charity and a desire to help people. She took William and Harry with her when she visited patients in hospitals and the homeless. The now grown brothers actively support all the social projects that their mother helped.
Anna
Because her whole life took place with the participation of photographers. Even death. It happened that she was a princess.
Tanto
For some reason, all of Diana’s good deeds took place with the participation of photographers. True charity is not public.
Princess Diana as a child
Diana was born in Norfolk on the private estate of the Windsor dynasty, Sandringham. Diana's ancestors through her father John Spencer came from royal families through the illegitimate son of King Charles II and the illegitimate daughter of James II. Frances Rood, Diana's mother, was also from an aristocratic family. Diana spent her childhood in her native Sandringham Palace. There the girl received her primary education at home.
Little Diana. (pinterest.com)
Diana in childhood. (pinterest.com)
Her governess was Gertrude Allen, who had previously taught Diana's mother. A little later the girl entered private school Sealefield and then to Riddlesworth Hall Preparatory School.
Diana as a teenager. (pinterest.com)
In 1969, Diana's parents divorced. The girl stayed to live with her father in home. Diana's sisters and brother stayed with them. The eight-year-old girl was very upset about the separation of those closest to her. Soon John Spencer married for the second time. The new stepmother did not like the children. Living in her own family was becoming increasingly difficult for Diana.
The Spencer Family, 1975. (pinterest.com)
When Diana was 12 years old, she was accepted into a privileged school for girls in Kent. Alas, Diana was unable to cope with her studies; she was never able to finish school. However, teachers noted her unconditional talent for music and dancing.
School years. (pinterest.com)
In 1975, Diana's grandfather, John's father, died. John Spencer automatically became the eighth Earl of Spencer, and Diana herself received the title of Lady. At the same time, the whole family moved to the ancient ancestral castle of Althorp House (Nottroughtonshire).
Youth
In 1977, Diana entered school in Rougemont (Switzerland). Soon the girl began to feel very homesick. As a result, in 1978, she decided to return to her native England.
Young Diana. (pinterest.com)
With a pony. (pinterest.com)
At first, Diana lived in the London apartment of her mother, who then mainly lived in Scotland. Two years later, in honor of her 18th birthday, Diana received an apartment in Earls Court as a gift. There she lived for some time with three friends.
Diana decided to find a job and got a job as an assistant teacher at kindergarten Young England in central London. Diana adored children, so work was a joy for her.
Princess Diana and Charles
Diana met her future husband in the winter of 1977. At that time, Prince Charles came to Althrop to hunt. Diana took a liking to the noble young man at first sight.
On July 29, 1981, Diana and Charles married at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Lush Wedding Dress made of silk taffeta with huge sleeves, a deep neckline and a long train, decorated with hand embroidery, pearls and rhinestones, it became one of the most famous outfits in history.
Charles and Diana on their wedding day. (pinterest.com)
3.5 thousand guests were invited to the ceremony, and the wedding process in live 750 million people followed.
During the honeymoon, 1981. (pinterest.com)
In Scotland, 1981. (pinterest.com)
In 1982, Diana gave birth to a son, William. Two years later, another child appeared in the family - son Harry.
Family photo. (pinterest.com)
Diana and Charles with children. (pinterest.com)
Diana with children. (pinterest.com)
Princess Diana and Dodie
In the early 1990s, the relationship between Diana and Charles became cold. The discord between the spouses occurred due to Charles's intimate relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles - married woman, whom the prince met before the wedding.
Diana herself kept in touch for some time with James Hewitt, her riding instructor. As a result, in 1992, Diana and Charles separated, but decided not to file a divorce. Queen Elizabeth II insisted on an official break. In 1996, Diana and Charles signed everything Required documents.
In 1997, information appeared in the press that Lady Diana began a whirlwind romance with Dodi Al-Fayed, a successful film producer and son Egyptian billionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed.
Diana and Dodi. (pinterest.com)
However, neither Diana herself nor her close friends confirmed this fact. It is likely that these were rumors.
Social activity
Lady Diana was called the “queen of hearts” - the woman was famous for her tender attitude towards the people, her care for those who were much less fortunate in this life than herself. So, Diana was quite actively involved in charity work, was an activist in the fight against AIDS, and worked peacekeeping activities and opposed the production of anti-personnel mines.
Princess in Moscow, 1995. (pinterest.com)
In 1995, Princess Diana of Wales visited Moscow. She visited the Tushino Children's Hospital and donated expensive equipment. The next day Diana went to primary school secondary school No. 751, where she opened a branch of the Waverly House fund for helping disabled children.
Death of Princess Diana
On August 31, 1997, in a tunnel under the Pont Alma in Paris, Diana, Dodi Al-Fayed, Trevor Rhys Jones (bodyguard) and Henri Paul (driver) were involved in a car accident.
Dodi and Henri died on the spot. Diana was taken to the Salpêtrière hospital. For two hours, doctors fought for the life of the princess, but the injuries she received turned out to be incompatible with life.
The cause of the accident is still unknown. Trevor was unable to reconstruct the chain of events. Journalists put forward several versions of the disaster: Henri Paul's drunkenness, speeding in the hope of breaking away from the paparazzi, and a conspiracy theory against Diana.
A bright, amazing woman, an extraordinary personality, one of the most famous people of her time - that’s exactly what Diana, Princess of Wales was. The people of Great Britain adored her, calling her the Queen of Hearts, and the sympathy of the whole world was manifested in the short but warm nickname Lady Di, which also went down in history. A number of films have been made about her, many books have been written in all languages. But the answer to the most important question is whether Diana was ever really happy in her bright, but very difficult and such short life, - will forever remain hidden behind a veil of secrecy...
Princess Diana: biography of her early years
On July 1, 1963, their third daughter was born in the house of Viscount and Viscountess Althorp, rented by them in the royal estate of Sandrigham (Norfolk).
The birth of a girl somewhat disappointed her father, Edward John Spencer, the heir to an ancient earl's family. Two daughters, Sarah and Jane, were already growing up in the family, and the title of nobility could only be passed on to the son. The baby was named Diana Francis - and it was she who was later destined to become her father's favorite. And soon after the birth of Diana, the family was replenished with the long-awaited boy, Charles.
Earl Spencer's wife, Frances Ruth (Roche), also came from a noble Fermoy family; her mother was a lady-in-waiting at the queen's court. Childhood future English princess Diana spent at Sandrigham. The children of the aristocratic couple were brought up in strict rules, more typical of old England than of the country of the mid-twentieth century: governesses and nannies, strict schedules, walks in the park, riding lessons...
Diana grew up as a kind and open child. However, when she was only six years old, life caused the girl serious mental trauma: her father and mother filed for divorce. Countess Spencer moved to London to live with businessman Peter Shand-Kyd, who left his wife and three children for her. About a year later they got married.
After a lengthy legal battle, the Spencer children remained in the care of their father. He also took the incident very hard, but tried to support the children in every possible way - he occupied himself with singing and dancing, organized holidays, and personally hired tutors and servants. He meticulously selected educational institution for his older daughters and, when the time came, he sent them to primary school Sealfield in King Lees.
At school, Diana was loved for her responsiveness and kind character. She was not the best in her studies, but she made great progress in history and literature, was fond of drawing, dancing, singing, swimming, and was always ready to help her fellow students. Close people noted her tendency to fantasize - obviously, this made it easier for the girl to deal with her experiences. “I will definitely become someone outstanding!” - she liked to repeat.
Meeting Prince Charles
In 1975, the story of Princess Diana moves to a new stage. Her father accepts the hereditary title of Earl and moves the family to Northamptonshire, where the Spencer family estate, Althorp House, is located. It was here that Diana first met Prince Charles when he came to these places to hunt. However, they did not make an impression on each other then. Sixteen-year-old Diana found the intelligent Charles with impeccable manners “cute and funny.” The Prince of Wales seemed completely infatuated with Sarah, her older sister. And soon Diana went to continue her studies in Switzerland.
However, she quickly grew tired of the boarding house. Having begged her parents to take her away from there, at the age of eighteen she returns home. Her father gave Diana an apartment in the capital, and the future princess plunged into independent life. Earning money to support herself, she worked for wealthy friends, cleaning their apartments and babysitting children, and then got a job as a teacher at the Young England kindergarten.
In 1980, at a picnic at Althorp House, fate again confronted her with the Prince of Wales, and this meeting became fateful. Diana expressed sincere sympathy to Charles in connection with the recent death of his grandfather, Earl Mountbaden. The Prince of Wales was touched; a conversation ensued. All evening after that, Charles did not leave Diana’s side...
They continued to meet, and soon Charles secretly told one of his friends that he seemed to have met the girl he would like to marry. From that time on, the press drew attention to Diana. Photojournalists began a real hunt for her.
Wedding
In February 1981, Prince Charles made an official proposal to Lady Diana, to which she agreed. And almost six months later, in July, the young Countess Diana Spencer was already walking down the aisle with the heir to the British throne in St. Paul's Cathedral.
A married couple of designers - David and Elizabeth Emmanuel - created a masterpiece outfit in which Diana walked to the altar. The princess was dressed in a snow-white dress made from three hundred and fifty meters of silk. About ten thousand pearls, thousands of rhinestones, and tens of meters of gold threads were used to decorate it. To avoid misunderstandings, three copies of the wedding dress were made at once, one of which is now kept in Madame Tussauds.
Twenty-eight cakes were prepared for the festive banquet, which were baked over fourteen weeks.
The newlyweds received many valuable and memorable gifts. Among them were twenty silver dishes presented by the Australian government, silver jewelry from the heir to the throne Saudi Arabia. A New Zealand representative presented the couple with a luxurious carpet.
Journalists dubbed the wedding of Diana and Charles “the greatest and loudest in the history of the twentieth century.” Seven hundred and fifty million people around the world had the opportunity to watch the magnificent ceremony on television. It was one of the most widely broadcast events in television history.
Princess of Wales: first steps
Almost from the very beginning, married life turned out to be not at all what Diana dreamed of. Princess of Wales - the high-profile title she acquired after her marriage - was cold and prim, like the whole atmosphere in the royal family's house. The crowned mother-in-law, Elizabeth the Second, did not take any steps to ensure that the young daughter-in-law fit into the family more easily.
Open, emotional and sincere, it was very difficult for Diana to accept the external isolation, hypocrisy, flattery and impenetrability of emotions that govern life in Kensington Palace.
Princess Diana's love for music, dancing and fashion was at odds with the way people in the palace used to spend their leisure time. But hunting, horse riding, fishing and shooting - the recognized entertainment of crowned persons - interested her little. In her desire to be closer to ordinary Britons, she often violated the unspoken rules that dictate how a member of the royal family should behave.
She was different - people saw it and accepted her with admiration and joy. Diana's popularity among the country's population grew steadily. But in the royal family they often did not understand her - and, most likely, they did not really strive to understand.
Birth of sons
Diana's main passion was her sons. William, future heir British throne, born June 21, 1982. Two years later, on September 15, 1984, his younger brother Harry.
From the very beginning, Princess Diana tried to do everything to prevent her sons from becoming unhappy hostages of their own origin. She tried in every possible way to ensure that the little princes had as much contact as possible with the simple, ordinary life filled with impressions and joys familiar to all children.
She spent much more time with her sons than the etiquette of the royal house prescribed. On vacation, she allowed them to wear jeans, sweatpants and T-shirts. She took them to the cinemas and to the park, where the princes had fun and ran around, ate hamburgers and popcorn, and stood in line for their favorite rides just like other little Britons.
When it was time for William and Harry to receive elementary education, it was Diana who sharply opposed their being brought up in the closed world of the royal house. The princes began attending preschool classes and then went to a regular British school.
Divorce
The dissimilarity of the characters of Prince Charles and Princess Diana manifested itself from the very beginning of their life together. By the beginning of the 1990s, a final discord occurred between the spouses. A significant role in this was played by the prince’s relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, which began even before his marriage to Diana.
At the end of 1992, Prime Minister John Major made an official statement in the British Parliament that Diana and Charles were living separately, but had no plans to divorce. However, three and a half years later, their marriage was officially dissolved by a court order.
Diana, Princess of Wales, officially retained her lifelong right to this title, although she ceased to be Her Highness. She continued to live and work at Kensington Palace, remaining mother to the heirs to the throne, and her business schedule was officially included in the official routine of the royal family.
Social activity
After her divorce, Princess Diana devoted almost entirely her time to charity and social activities. Her ideal was Mother Teresa, whom the princess considered her spiritual mentor.
Taking advantage of her enormous popularity, she focused people's attention on truly important issues. modern society: diseases of AIDS, leukemia, the lives of people with incurable spinal injuries, children with heart defects. On her charity trips she visited almost the whole world.
She was recognized everywhere, greeted warmly, and thousands of letters were written to her, answering which the princess sometimes went to bed long after midnight. Diana's film about anti-personnel mines in the fields of Angola prompted diplomats from many countries to prepare reports for their governments to ban the purchase of these weapons. At the invitation of Kofi Annan, Secretary General UN, Diana made a report on Angola at the assembly of this organization. And in home country many suggested that she become a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.
Trendsetter
For many years, Diana, Princess of Wales, was also considered a style icon in Great Britain. Being a crowned person, she traditionally wore outfits exclusively from British designers, but later significantly expanded the geography of her own wardrobe.
Her style, makeup and hairstyle instantly became popular not only among ordinary British women, but also among designers, as well as movie and pop stars. Stories about Princess Diana's outfits and interesting incidents related to them still appear in the press.
So, back in 1985, Diana appeared at the White House at a reception with the presidential couple Reagan in a luxurious dark blue silk velvet dress. It was in it that she danced together with John Travolta.
And the magnificent black evening dress, in which Diana visited the Palace of Versailles in 1994, awarded her the title “Sun Princess”, which sounded from the lips of the famous designer Pierre Cardin.
Diana's hats, handbags, gloves, and accessories have always been evidence of her impeccable taste. The princess sold a significant part of her clothes at auctions, donating the money to charity.
Dodi Al-Fayed and Princess Diana: a love story with a tragic end
Lady Di's personal life was also constantly under the radar of reporters' cameras. Their intrusive attention did not leave such an extraordinary personality as Princess Diana alone for a moment. The love story of her and Dodi Al-Fayed, the son of an Arab millionaire, instantly became the topic of numerous newspaper articles.
By the time they became close in 1997, Diana and Dodi had already known each other for several years. It was Dodi who became the first man with whom the English princess openly went out into the world after her divorce. She visited him at a villa in St. Tropez with his sons, and later met him in London. Some time later, the Al-Fayeds' luxury yacht, Jonicap, set off on a cruise in the Mediterranean. On board were Dodi and Diana.
The princess's last days coincided with the weekend that marked the end of their romantic trip. On August 30, 1997, the couple went to Paris. After dinner at the restaurant of the Ritz Hotel, owned by Dodi, at one o'clock in the morning they got ready to go home. Not wanting to be the center of attention of the paparazzi crowding at the doors of the establishment, Diana and Dodi left the hotel through the service entrance and, accompanied by a bodyguard and driver, hurried away from the hotel...
The details of what happened a few minutes later are still not clear enough. However, in an underground tunnel under Delalma Square, the car had a terrible accident, crashing into one of the supporting columns. The driver and Dodi al-Fayed died on the spot. Diana, unconscious, was taken to the Salpêtrière hospital. Doctors fought for her life for several hours, but could not save the princess.
Funeral
The death of Princess Diana shook the whole world. On the day of her funeral, national mourning was declared and national flags were flown at half-mast throughout the UK. Two huge screens were installed in Hyde Park for those who could not attend the funeral ceremony and memorial service. For young couples who had a wedding scheduled for this date, English insurance companies paid significant amounts of compensation for its cancellation. The square in front of Buckingham Palace was littered with flowers, and thousands of memorial candles burned on the asphalt.
Princess Diana's funeral took place at Althorp House, the family estate of the Spencer family. Lady Di found her last refuge in the middle of a small secluded island on the lake, which she loved to visit during her lifetime. By personal order of Prince Charles, Princess Diana's coffin was covered with the royal standard - an honor reserved exclusively for members of the royal family...
Investigation and causes of death
Court hearings to establish the circumstances of Princess Diana's death took place in 2004. They were then temporarily postponed while an investigation into the circumstances of the car accident in Paris was carried out and resumed three years later at the Royal Court in London. The jury heard testimony from more than two hundred and fifty witnesses from eight countries.
Following the hearings, the court came to the conclusion that the cause of death of Diana, her companion Dodi Al-Fayed and driver Henri Paul was the illegal actions of the paparazzi chasing their car and driving vehicle Drunk field.
These days, there are several versions of why Princess Diana actually died. However, none of them have been proven.
Real, kind, alive, generously giving people the warmth of her soul - that’s how she was, Princess Diana. Biography and life path This extraordinary woman still remains the subject of undying interest of millions of people. In the memory of descendants, she is destined to forever remain the Queen of Hearts, not only in her native country, but throughout the world...
December 16, 2009, 12:05Diana belonged to the ancient English family of Spencer-Churchill. At the age of 16 she met the Prince of Wales, Charles. 
At first, the prince was expected to marry Diana's sister, Sarah, but over time, Charles came to the realization that Diana was an incredibly "charming, lively and witty girl who was interesting to be with." 
Returning from a naval campaign on the ship "Invincible", the prince proposed to her. The wedding took place 6 months later. 
Some saw signs of an unhappy marriage in the ceremony. 
While pronouncing his marriage vows, Charles got confused in his pronunciation, and Diana did not say his name quite correctly. However, at first peace reigned in the relationship between the spouses. 
“I am crazy about marriage when there is someone to whom you devote your time,” Princess Diana wrote to her nanny Mary Clark after the wedding. Soon the couple had two sons: in 1982, Prince William, and in 1984, Prince Henry, better known as Prince Harry. 
It seemed that everything was going perfectly in the family, but soon rumors leaked to the press about the prince’s infidelity and that he often leaves his young wife alone. Despite the insults, Diana, according to her nanny, truly loved her husband. “When she married Charles, I remember writing to her that he was the only man in the country whom she could never divorce. Unfortunately, she could,” Mary Clark recalled. In 1992 in Great Britain it was said sensational statement about the separation of Charles and Diana, and in 1996 their marriage was officially dissolved. The reason for the separation was difficult relationships between spouses. Diana, hinting at her husband's longtime close friend Camilla Parker Bowles, said that she could not bear a marriage of three. 
The prince himself, according to their mutual friends, never tried to hide his love for Camilla, with whom he began a relationship even before the wedding. It is not surprising that after the divorce proceedings the public was on Diana’s side. After a high-profile divorce, her name still did not leave the pages of the press, but this was a different Princess Diana - an independent, business woman, passionate about charitable activities. She constantly visited hospitals for AIDS patients, traveled to Africa, to areas where sappers are working hard, removing numerous anti-personnel mines from the ground. 
Significant changes also took place in the princess's personal life. Diana began an affair with Pakistani surgeon Hasnat Khan. They carefully hid their romance from the press, although Hasnat often lived with her in Kensington Palace, and she stayed for a long time in his apartment in the prestigious Chelsea district of London. Khan's parents were delighted with their son's companion, but he soon told his father that marrying Diana could turn his life into hell due to the deep cultural differences between them. He claimed that Diana is “independent” and “loves going out,” which is unacceptable to him as a Muslim. 
Meanwhile, as close friends of the princess claimed, for the sake of her fiancé she was ready to sacrifice a lot, including changing her faith. Hasnat and Diana separated in the summer of 1997. According to a close friend of the princess, Diana was “deeply worried and in pain” after the breakup. But after some time she began an affair with the son of billionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed Dodi. At first, this relationship, according to her friend, served only as a consolation after the breakup with Hasnat. But soon a dizzying romance broke out between them; it seemed that a worthy and loving man had finally appeared in Lady Di’s life. The fact that Dodi was also divorced and had a reputation as a social philanderer all the more increased the interest in him from the press. Diana and Dodi had known each other for several years, but only became close in 1997. In July, they spent the holidays in Saint-Tropez with Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry. The boys got along well with the friendly owner of the house. Later, Diana and Dodi met in London, and then went on a cruise around Mediterranean Sea on board the luxury yacht Jonikal. 
Diana loved to give gifts. Dear and not very dear, but always imbued with her unique care for everyone who surrounded her. She also gave Dodi things that were dear to her. For example, the cufflinks that the most beloved person in the world gave her. August 13, 1997 The princess wrote the following words about her gift: “Dear Dodie, these cufflinks were the last gift I received from the person I loved most in the world - my father.” “I give them to you because I know how happy he would be if he knew into what reliable and special hands they fell. With love, Diana,” the letter says. In another message from Kensington Palace, dated August 6, 1997, Diana thanks Dodi al-Fayed for a six-day vacation on his yacht, and writes of “endless gratitude for the joy he brought into her life.” Towards the end of August the Jonical approached Portofino in Italy and then sailed for Sardinia. On August 30, Saturday, the couple in love went to Paris. The next day Diana was due to fly to London to meet her sons on the last day of their summer holidays. Later, Dodi's father stated that his son and Princess Diana were going to get married. A few hours before his death in a car accident in Paris, Dodi al-Fayed visited a jewelry store. Video cameras captured him choosing an engagement ring. Later that day, a representative from the Ritz Hotel in Paris, where Diana and Dodi were staying, came to the store and picked up two rings. One of them, according to Dodi's father, was called "Dis-moi oui" - "Tell me yes" - worth 11.6 thousand pounds sterling... On Saturday evening, Diana and Dodi decided to have dinner at the restaurant of the Ritz Hotel, which he owned Dodie. 
In order not to attract the attention of other visitors, they retired to a separate office, where, as was later reported, they exchanged gifts: Diana gave Dodi cufflinks, and he gave her a diamond ring. At one o'clock in the morning they prepared to go to Dodi's apartment on the Champs-Elysees. Wanting to avoid the papparazi crowding the front entrance, the happy couple used a special elevator located next to the hotel's service exit. 
There they got into a Mercedes S-280, accompanied by bodyguard Trevor-Reese Jones and driver Henri Paul. 
The details of what happened a few minutes later are still unclear, but the terrible truth is that three of these four died in an accident that occurred in an underground tunnel under Delalma Square. It was not without difficulty that Princess Diana was removed from the crippled car, after which she was immediately sent to the Petey Salptrier hospital. The doctors' fight for her life was unsuccessful. 
The accident, which occurred on the night of August 31, 1997 in the Alma tunnel in Paris, was the result of the flagrant negligence of the driver of the car, who got behind the wheel while intoxicated and drove the Mercedes at an unacceptably high speed. The provocateur of this accident was also the pursuit of the princess's car by a group of paparazzi photographers. It was a death due to negligence. That was the jury's verdict at the six-month trial that ended Monday evening at London's High Court. This verdict is final and cannot be appealed. The longest and most intense trial in the history of British justice, I would like to believe, dotted all the i’s. In more than ten years since the death of the “people's princess,” there have been about 155 statements about the existence of a conspiracy to kill Lady Di. The leading violin in defending this version has been played all these years by the most offended person involved in this case - billionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed, owner of the largest London department store Harrods, the Fulham football club and the Ritz hotel in Paris, the father of the person killed in this accident Dodie. He literally declared “war” on the British royal family and publicly named the queen’s husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, as the instigator of the plot to kill the son and princess. The executor is the British intelligence services. It was Mohammed Al-Fayed who insisted on holding a trial with a jury; it was he who persistently demanded that the Duke of Edinburgh and Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, appear in court. The royal family was not summoned to appear in court. British democracy, for all its enviable ripeness, has not yet matured enough to issue subpoenas to its monarchs. Only the press secretary of the Duke of Edinburgh appeared at the trial, presenting to the investigation a hitherto unpublished correspondence between Diana and her father-in-law, touching in its warmth. About 260 witnesses appeared at the trial for the deaths of Diana and Dodi. Testimony was given via video link from the United States, France and Australia. Titled ladies of the court, Diana's friends, testified. Her butler Paul Burrell, who made a considerable fortune for himself from fiction about the princess. Her lovers, who revealed to the world the details of their romance with the princess. The only survivor of the accident was bodyguard Trevor Rhys-Jones, who was severely crippled. The pathologist who performed Diana's autopsy and confirmed in court that no signs of the princess's pregnancy were found, but that it was not possible to detect them in a very short time. And therefore, Diana took this secret with her to the grave. Mohammed al-Fayed unveiled a monument to his son Dodi and Princess Diana at his London department store Harrods. The opening of the new monument coincides with the eighth anniversary of the death of Dodi and Diana in a car accident, the Guardian reports. 
Bronze Diana and Dodi are depicted dancing against the backdrop of waves and the wings of an albatross, symbolizing eternity and freedom. According to Mohammed al-Fayed, this monument seems a more appropriate sign of remembrance than the memorial fountain in Hyde Park. The sculpture was sculpted by Bill Mitchell, an artist who has worked for al-Fayd for forty years. At the opening of the monument, Mohammed al-Fayed said that he named this sculptural group “Innocent Victims.” He believes that Dodi and Diana died in a fake car accident, their untimely deaths being the result of murder. "The monument is installed here forever. Nothing has been done so far to perpetuate the memory of this amazing woman who brought joy to the world," Al-Fayed said. 
