Princess Diana Spencer

Diana, Princess of Wales (http://www.yorkblog.com/flipside/img/280px-Diana,_Princess_of_Wales.jpeg)

A hero is a person who is inspirational and takes on big challenges that might seem hard to accomplish. It is someone that can change the world little by little, no matter how small his or her steps can be. They always try to help and understand others’ problems, even when they are going through some tough times in their own life. Heroes push their issues away and dedicate themselves to making others who are less fortunate feel better. A hero like this is Diana, Princess of Wales. Princess Diana not only became part of the royal family, but she became a role model that touched the lives of so many people by understanding what they were going through and trying to do something about it.

Princess Diana helping an injured child (http://www.biographyonline.net/people/diana/images/diana-charity.jpg)

Lady Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961 in Sandringham, England. Her parents were Edward Spencer and Frances Roche. Her father, the Earl of Spencer, was the equerry for King George VI, therefore, Diana often played with the royal family as a child. She was educated in a boarding school called West Heath School and then attended Institut Alpin Videmanette, a finishing school in Switzerland. Diana loved children, so when she finished school in Switzerland she became a kindergarten teacher for the Young England School. Around this time, in the mid-1980’s, Lady Diana and Prince Charles began dating. On July 29, 1981, Diana and Prince Charles were married in the St. Paul Cathedral. She was the first woman from England to marry an heir to the throne in over 300 years. One year later, their first son, Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis was born. Her second child, Prince Henry Charles Albert David, was born two years later. Soon, Prince Charles and Princess Diana started having problems and divorced on August 28, 1996. However, her charitable work did not stop with their separation.

Diana at a landmine charity (http://www.grateful-chain.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/diana-landmine-charity.jpg)

Princess Di, as she was often called, had a special skill and commitment to making people who were suffering with AIDS and dying feel better. At that time, many people thought that AIDS was given by contact with a person diagnosed with the disease; Princess Diana soon showed people that it wasn’t true at all. She was the first famous person to be photographed touching an AIDS patient. She quickly dissolved that myth and showed everyone that you wouldn’t get sick if you helped an AIDS patient. In 1991, Princess Diana visited a shelter for abandoned children with AIDS in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She made sure that she spent time with them and talked to them. In June of 1997, Diana auctioned seventy-nine of her own dresses. She ended up raising over 3.25 million dollars for cancer and AIDS charities. This generosity is what led her to be known all around the world as a caring, inspiring individual.

Princess Diana with her two sons (http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200706/r151960_542519.jpg)

Diana was so generous that she used her own money, time, and fame to speak out, support, and help others who were less fortunate all around the globe. For example, in February of 1992, Princess Diana visited Mother Teresa’s Hospice for the Sick and Dying in Kolkata, India. She visited every single one of the fifty patients who were very ill. There, she met Mother Teresa and built a strong connection with her. Princess Diana often went to Africa to help in many causes. For instance, in July of 1993, she visited the Tgongora and Nemazura refugee camps in Zimbabwe. The Princess did something that a person from royalty normally wouldn’t do; she helped serve the food at the camps. Princess Diana also organized a few of her own causes. Once, in June of 1995, she set up a Concert of Hope to get money for a new hospice called Ty Hafan. She also she raised 1.4 million dollars for a breast cancer cause. She was always willing to lend a hand to others in need.

Princess Di (http://blogs.kansascity.com/photos/uncategorized/princess_diana_1995.jpg)

One of the most known of her causes was her work against landmines. A landmine is an explosive that is triggered by a car passing by or simply tripping on a wire on the ground. In 1997, Diana joined the British Red Cross’s campaign against landmines. She also visited the Halo Trust de-mining organization in Angola. She was determined to stop the land mines. Many people were injured, mutilated, and even killed. In August of 1997, Princess Diana visited Bosnia with the Landmine Survivors Network and met with many of the survivors. This led to the Mine Ban Treaty being signed in 1999.

Unfortunately, on August 30, 1997, Princess Diana was escaping from the paparazzi who were chasing her and her boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed. The chauffeur, who was driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, crashed and Al Fayed and the chauffeur died instantly. Princess Diana was taken to the hospital and died later the next day. Diana, the Princess of Wales, will always be remembered as a role model, activist, humanitarian, and as a woman who used her position and fame for the benefit of others who are often forgotten. As a result of all of her accomplishments, she won two humanitarian awards in Italy and the United States. She once said, “I make trips at least three times a week, and spend up to four hours at a time with patients holding their hands and talking to them. Some of them will live and some will die, but they all need to be loved while they are here. I try to be there for them.” Princess Diana changed the ways the world looked at the homeless, the sick, and the dying. She showed everyone that one person can make a huge difference in the lives of others.