In fact, what everyone celebrated as a dream wedding in 1981 – and what the couple probably also thought was a good move at the time – was actually the beginning of a bad dream. For the young Diana Spencer, who was destined to become everything she wasn’t: still, neutral, reserved, waiting, quiet – a royal in the image of Queen Elizabeth II, her mother-in-law. For her husband and heir to the throne, Prince Charles, who – himself, of course, sometimes emotionally neglected during his upbringing – stood helpless in the face of his childish wife’s violent moods. For the Windsor-Mountbatten family, who had been married for eleven years, they were faced with public statements about the inner workings of the royal family as rarely before. This marriage and its royal heroes, especially the blonde Princess Diana, went down in history.
Born into a noble family
Lady Diana Frances Spencer was born on 1 July 1961 in Sandringham, England. She came from an old aristocratic family that lived in the same country estate as the Queen: quiet Norfolk. As a child, she played with her future husband’s younger brothers.
Diana, Princess of Wales after her marriage to the heir to the British throne, Charles, is a modern icon. Her early death, tragic love and concern for people from all walks of life made this young woman of the British aristocracy touch the hearts of the world
As one of five children from the marriage of the future Earl of Spencer and his wife Frances, who apparently suffered from bouts of depression due to the pressure to produce male heirs, Diana was used to not being given much attention. At school-private schools, boarding schools, the usual institutions of high society-she was the centre of attention, but did not excel. She never completed a formal education. Her last schooling was at a high school in Switzerland; when she returned to London, she took a cooking course.
Wedding as a global mass event
The wedding that made 21-year-old Diana the Princess Royal of Wales took place on 29 July 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. 600,000 spectators lined the streets as the newlyweds left the church and travelled in a carriage to the ceremony. It is said that 750 million people watched the ceremony on television. It was an incredible sight.
And only four months later, in early November 1981, the royal court was able to add another highlight to this glorious party by announcing Diana’s first pregnancy. Prince William was born in 1982 and his brother, Prince Henry, known today as Prince Harry, was born in 1984. Diana, who settled in Kensington Palace, thrived with her children: she is said to have helped choose the names for her sons and refused a nanny recommended by the royal family. She took William with her on foreign trips as a baby, and later even took the boys to school herself.
In general, she spent much more time raising and caring for her sons than had ever been customary in the British royal family.
This certainly explains why the relationship between Diana and her two sons became so close that both princes still speak enthusiastically about their mother at every opportunity. And why Diana’s image was built on the perception of being a supermum, a guardian and a nurturer.
Divorce, divorce, promotion
Although the marriage broke down – Prince Charles reconnected with his longtime girlfriend Camilla Parker-Bowles only a few years after the wedding, and the Queen eventually advised the couple to divorce in 1995 – Diana’s position in the public eye became increasingly significant. She travelled the world, met other royals and supported the arts, museums and music. After all, she was considered a talented pianist herself.
But her heart was set on charity. Here she found the leverage to make the most of her unloved role. She fought against the use of landmines, against hunger and war in Africa, against the marginalisation of HIV-positive people and against child neglect. She is still revered for these efforts to this day. “The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, established after her death, continues to support the work of numerous charities under the leadership of Prince William and Prince Harry.