Diana Frances Spencer

My hero is Princess Diana Frances Spencer because she has helped thousands of people in the world. Princess Diana was born on July 1st 1961 and died August 31st 1997. She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. They had 2 sons Princes Henry and William, they are 2nd and 3rd in line for the throne. Her father was Edward John Spencer, husband of Frances Spencer. Diana had Irish, Scottish, English, and American ancestry from her mother's side. She was a descendant of King Charles II of England.

Her engagement to Prince Charles of Wales became official on Feb. 24, 1981. The ring itself cost $30,000 consisting of 14 diamonds and a sapphire. The gown cost $9000 with 25 ft. train and the finest lace. They were married at St. Paul Cathedral. The wedding was known as the “fairytale wedding”.

During the 1980’s the marriage between Princess Diana and Prince Charles fell apart. Both of them blamed each other for the problems in the marriage. After this happened, Prince Charles went back to his old affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. They were separated on December 9, 1992. Princess Diana blamed Camilla Parker-Bowles for the problems in the marriage.

Their divorce was final on August 28, 1996. She received $17,000,000 and a legal order preventing her from discussing the details of the divorce. After the divorce, Diana went back to her apartment in Kensington Palace.

Starting in the mid 1980’s, Princess Diana became well known for the support she gave to charity projects. Princess Diana was a supporter of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Princess Diana was one of the first celebrities to be photographed while touching a person infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) during April 1987.

On August 31, 1997 Princess Diana died in a car accident along with her companion Dodi Fayed, and the driver Henri Paul. They were killed at the Pont de l’Alma tunnel. Reports concluded that the cause of this crash was because Henri Paul, who had drank too much alcohol, had lost control speeding while trying to avoid paparazzi.

On the day Diana had the car crash, the Queen, her husband Prince Philip, Charles, and the children were at Scotland. When Charles learnt about the accident he stayed awake all night waiting to hear about his ex-wife's condition. When he was informed about the death, he fell into shock and couldn't speak a word. Right away he went to his mother's chambers and told her what happened. Queen Elizabeth was also in shock. The most difficult job of life stood right in front of him. He had to tell his sons that their mother, Princess Diana, was dead. William and Henry, Princess Diana’s sons, were half-asleep. It took William and Henry quite a while to understand what happened to their beloved mother. During this time more and more lights were being turned on in the castle. The Queen’s private Secretary rang his colleagues in the palace and got them out of bed, there was much to be organized.

During this time the whole world was shocked. Crying citizens went to Kensington Palace or Buckingham Palace to laid down their flowers. In one week the courtyard turned into seas of flower, over one million flowers were laid there. All over the world there were crying faces. TV programs and radio programs were all canceled or postponed.

On the same morning, Prince Charles flew to Paris with Sarah and Jane, Diana’s two sisters. They wanted to bring the corpse of Princess Diana back to Buckingham Palace. Charles, Jane, and Sarah all had tears as they looked at Diana one last time. A undertaker came with an oak coffin. The Windsor family flag was draped over the coffin, and soldiers carried out the coffin. That morning Diana’s brothers also made a speech in which he accused the Paparazzi of being guilty for the accident. On the day of the funeral, the Queen and her husband drove to the morning service, no one said Diana’s name. When Diana was buried it was a complete silence. Over a million people watched it on t.v.