Diana, Princess of Wales

            Diana, Princess of Wales, was one of the finest women in the world. Since her fantasy wedding to Prince Charles, she has captured the admiring eyes of the public. We have watched her blossom into a great beauty, raise a young family, and campaign for a long list of charities. Her world seemed perfect until the divorce to Charles, then in August 1997 her storybook life came to an end with the mournful announcement of her tragic death. Diana is not only a person but also a princess, which is why she is known as the People"s Princess.

             Diana Spencer was born on July 1, 1961, to Frances and Edward John. Diana was not born a princess. She didn"t even become "Lady Diana" until she was 13 years old, when her grandfather died and her father became Earl Spencer (Graham p.3). The Spencers are one of the oldest and richest families in Great Britain, and their family had lived on the same estates at Althorp in Northamptonshire for 500 years (Graham p.3). Diana had two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, and a younger brother, Charles. They all grew spent most of their childhood at Park House in Norfolk (Marcello p.2). The Spencers divorced when Diana was only seven years old; a terrible shadow was cast over her life (Morton p.11). Her parents separated, and her mother moved away to London. Diana felt abandoned and helpless; she never forgot the sound of her mother"s car driving away that night (Morton p.12). .

             Diana"s education was similar to that of many upper-class British children. Though the classes were small and the teachers very caring, Diana always found school life difficult (Marcello p.3). She became quiet and shy, though she was especially kind and helpful to the younger children. At age 9, her father sent her away to boarding school. She did not want to leave home and complained, "If you love me, you won"t to leave me here" (Morton p.14). Diana soon came to love the school, where she excelled at swimming and dancing.

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