Diana Frances Spencer

Princess Diana - The Rose - Her Symbol (www.pagedepot.com/ CzarViktor/Princess-Diana.htm)

If you ask me, a hero is someone selfless, who thinks of others before themselves. A hero is someone who makes the world a better place; for example, Martin Luther King changed the world with a speech about his dreams. A hero could be anybody. You don't have to be famous like a celebrity or royalty to be a hero. The person I admire and have chosen as my hero is Diana Frances Spencer, Princess of Wales. I chose Princess Diana because of her love for the people, the world, and the people's future King, her son Prince William and younger son Prince Harry.

Diana as a child. (www.marineman.com/)

Princess Diana was the youngest daughter of Viscount and Viscountess Althorp. Diana had two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother Charles. In 1967 when Diana was six, her parents separated. In 1969, by the time Diana was eight, the marriage of her parents officially ended. Diana decided to continue living with her father at Park House, Sandringham, until the death of her grandfather. In 1975, the family moved to the Spencer seat at Althorp in Northamptonshire, in the English Midlands. In school, Diana was very talented in music, dance, and domestic science. She received an award for being the most giving and helpful student. Diana had moved from place to place through the years. In 1979 she became a kindergarten teacher at the Young English School in Pimlico. In 1981, on Febuary 24th, Diana and Prince Charles announced they were to marry. They were married at St-Paul's Cathedral in London on July 29.

Princess Diana as a Humanitarian (news.bbc.co.uk/.../ uk/newsid_ 1416000/1416976.stm)

Princess Diana had many great qualities. The ones that stand out are her inner and outer beauty. She was always complemented on her beauty, but her kindness and her inner beauty are what made her beautiful on the outside. Only a person with inner beauty would say, "I think the biggest disease this world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of feeling unloved, and I know that I can give love for a minute, for a half an hour, for a day, for a month, but I can give. I'm very happy to do that and I want to do that". (This is a quote from Diana, written in the book, A Tribute to the People's Princess, written by Peter Donnelly). For this and many other reasons Diana gained much recongnition and admiration throughout the world. Diana was a selfless person as she devoted a lot of her time to the 100 or more charities that she was a part of and she never expected anything in return. Diana was very generous while giving her help to people in need such as, AIDS victims, the homeless, the unloved, unfortunate children, and so many others. Diana had the ability to understand and to be empathetic with people of all types, especially the sick and the unloved. Diana was a true humanitarian, who supported many causes around the world. She also created charities and organizations for the betterment of the population in need. Some of those charities include, The British Red Cross, English National Ballet, The Leprosy Mission, National Aids Trust, Great Ormond St Hospital for Children NHS Trust, and many more. Above all of her many qualities, Princess Diana was a loving and devoted mother. Her children’s welfare was always her first priority, but she also raised them to be aware of the ways of the world. She did not want to shelter them from the problems and hardships of life so they would become responsible and compassionate adults.

The wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. (www.cnn.com/.../timeline/ 9808/timeline/2.html)

In December 1992, Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation. Diana of course worked at her charities, but after the separation she had more time to devote to them. One of her last aid works was her support for the British Red Cross anti-landmine Campaign. Either by stroking a child’s face in Angola, or through her compassion with children in Bosnia, Diana transcended any political conflict by showing herself to be one of the greatest humanitarians of all times. (Book, Diana Princess Of Wales A Tribute in Photographs written by Michael O’Mara). Diana was always working, whether she was visiting the unfortunate, spending time on her charities and organizations, or even spending time with her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, and teaching them all the problems in the world, or about the less fortunate people. Diana was considered a hero because of her kindness and for all the selfless things she did.

Princess Diana - A loving Mother (www.mainprinceharry.4t.com/ photo.html)

Unfortunately Diana’s life ended abruptly when she was involved in a car accident in Paris on Sunday, August 31, 1997. Her death was an unexpected tragedy for many people around the world. The minute the word was out that Princess Diana was gone, tributes and heartfelt messages of sympathy were pouring in from people around the world. One of the notes someone wrote was, “You Diana; You have touched our lives in a way that’s hard to explain. You were such a compassionate, loving person. One can’t imagine what our lives will be like without you. You will always be the Queen in our hearts.” (taken from a home video taped from televion, coverage of her funeral). Diana was the People’s Princess and people loved her. Even those who had never met her mourned her death. The day Princess Diana died the whole nation was in a state of mourning. Most will remember her with the deepest love and affection.

I was only seven years old when Princess Diana died but my mother recorded a lot of the television footage so that I could one day learn all about her and see how much of a great woman she was and how much she was loved by everyone. Once I was older and a little more mature, and after learning more about her, I realised that this woman really stands for everything that is good in a person. One could only wish to be as grand as she was. I personally think that Princess Diana is one of the greatest women of our time because of the caring person that she was and because of the tireless work she did for good causes. Diana loved people, young and old, of any culture, sick or healthy. Whatever she could do to help, she went out of her way to do so. In return, she was adored by everyone. Since Diana’s death, a memorial fund has been established to continue the charity work she cared so much about. The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund is dedicated to awarding grants to organizations that support people in need. You can read about this fund on their website theworkcontinues.org.