Princess Diana, an influential role model, contributed a great deal of philanthropic work during her life that has helped many people all over the world. Princess Diana became the Princess of Wales, after marrying Prince Charles. The Royal family did philanthropic work as a chore or something that was expected of them, but Princess Diana did it, because she wanted to. Although, Princess Diana’s work was sometimes looked down upon, many called her the people’s princess. Tony Blair, the prime minister of Britain said, “In her brief life, Diana pursued a different title, and there is no doubt she succeeded in her quest. She was the people’s princess and that is how she will remain in our hearts and memory forever.”
Princess Diana’s family had some royal status before she married Prince Charles. Princess Diana was the third of four children to the Lord and Lady Althrop, who divorced when she was eight years old. Her father Lord Althrop was the eighth earl of Spencer, and she received the title Lady Diana. As a child, Princess Diana had a passion for ballet and, as fate would have it, a crush on Prince Charles. She once said that she would love to be either a dancer or Princess of Wales. However, Prince Charles and Princess Diana were acquaintances before they began dating in 1980 and he thought nothing more of her other than his brother’s playmate. Princess Diana was a friend of Prince Andrew, Prince Charles’ brother, because the two were neighbors. Before the two met more formally, Prince Charles dated Princess Diana’s sister, who later re-introduced them in 1977, one of few times they would “run into” each other, before dating. The next time the two met, was in 1980, when they “hit” it off and he asked her out on a date, six months later; Prince Charles asked Princess Diana to marry him. Although, Princess Diana was the first English woman to be named princess by marriage in three hundred years.
Usually, most young girls wish to be a princess when they grow up, as did Princess Diana, but she was quoted by People magazine saying “Being a princess isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” She also stated in an interview with BBC that she had doubts of becoming a queen, but would rather be a queen in the people’s hearts. Princess Diana lived a stressful life with the media watching her every move. Many rumors spread about her, mainly of suffering from bulimia and depression, after her first son Prince William was born. Her marriage also had many problems, which began to fall apart in 1986. She tried to keep their failing marriage from the media, but eventually it was obvious her marriage was not a fairytale and was publicly announced around the end of the 1980’s.
Royal watchers reported that the problems in her marriage, was because she was receiving more attention than Prince Charles. Anyone can see why Prince Charles would be angered at the fact that he was not receiving attention, because he was royalty by blood, heir to the throne and she was royalty because he married her. An insider from People magazine reported that “the problems of their marriage have come out in the open because Diana’s self confidence has developed. She now appreciates her own incredible sexuality and the fact that the world is at her feet. This adoration used to terrify her, now she quite enjoys the effect she has.” Her marriage lasted for sixteen years before the divorce in 1996. After the divorce, she was not allowed to succeed to the throne, causing her name to change to Diana, Princess of Wales from Her Royal Highness. According to, Andrew Morton she attempted suicide five times in the early 1980’s. The first attempt was six months after her wedding while pregnant with Prince William. For this reason, people thought of these suicide attempts as cries for help rather than actual suicide attempts.
Eventually, Princess Diana turned her depression from her failed marriage into philanthropic work to make her life meaningful. She once said, “Nothing gives me more happiness than to try to aid the most vulnerable of this society. Whoever is in distress, who calls, I will come running.” Princess Diana received a great amount of publicity from her charity work, which caused her ex-husband to do more charity work as well to increase his popularity. Research done by Sue Nieober, suggests that some people think she reached out to people to compensate for the love and/or loneliness she was not receiving from the royal family. Amazingly, Princess Diana was part of forty four charities and other foundations were established after her death. She wanted to do something with her life, other than being only a princess; she once said “I don’t want to be a name on a letter head.” She was often compared to Mother Teresa, who was also her friend because they both did numerous things for the people around them.
The causes Princess Diana was most passionate about were AIDS and children. Her work with AIDS took her charity work global, which was something a British monarch had never done before. Other charities she advocated for was the eradication of landmines, cancer, and homelessness. She was able to focus on the elimination of landmines after her divorce, because she was able to focus on more personal causes after leaving the royal family. While Diana traveled the world she used the media to help people. Also, Princess Diana once auctioned seventy nine of her evening gowns and made more than 5.7 million dollars for AIDS and children causes. Everyone she worked with always had kind things to say about her. The head of the landmine survivor’s network, Ken Rutherford, said, “no one could bring attention to an issue like she could.” Former South African President Nelson Mandela said “When she stroked the limbs of someone with leprosy, or sat on the bed if a man with HIV/AIDS and held his hand, she transformed public attitudes and improved the life chances of some people. People felt if a British princess can go to a ward with HIV patients, then there’s nothing to be superstitious about.” In fact, in 1993, Princess Diana, decided that she would leave the public life, but continue her charity work. For the next two years she kept a low profile. Also, in 1993, she showed interest in becoming an ambassador for Britain, but no advances were made.
Sadly, Princess Diana died at the young age of thirty six in a car crash on August 31, 1997. Ten years later Princess Diana’s death is still controversial. Princess Diana was having dinner with a friend, Emad “Dodi” al Fayed, at the Ritz that night, before she was followed by paparazzi. The combination of the paparazzi chasing the car she was in and the drunk driver speeding in the car she was in was the main causes for the fatal car accident. The driver and Fayed were killed instantly, the body guard in the front seat of the car left with few injuries, and a few hours later Princess Diana was pronounced dead of cardiac arrest. Her death is also thought to be a conspiracy, because of her friendship with Fayed and, because emergency help did not arrive as quickly as they could have. Her friendship with Fayed was looked down upon, and people thought she was or could have become pregnant with his child.
The news of her death shocked people all around the world. It was obvious how much she was loved, by the way the world reacted towards the news of her death. According to Time magazine, during her funeral procession there were people in wheel chairs and on churches “They were not the sort of people ordinarily invited to march in royal processions, but they were Diana’s people.” Mainly, because of her love and kindness to those all over the world, there was an outpour of grief, bewilderment, and rage among the people. Michael Elliot said that “she brought light to a drab Old British society that had lost both an empire and its self confidence…She could change other people’s attitudes, and did. Until Diana, no more that a few hundred Britons cared two figs for landmines – but the abolition of these weapons has become one of the country’s most fiercely held causes”. It was estimated that 2.5 billion people watched Princess Diana’s funeral on the television, and that 100,000 people passed through the Kingston Palace per day. People also waited for eight hours to sign condolence books at St. James Palace. At the time of her death many people raised over 2 million dollars in charitable gifts. After her death the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund was created, because more than 150 million dollars was contributed from people all over the world, less than a week after her death. As of 2003, 4 million dollars was contributed to forty two youth groups.
Princess Diana was a great woman who did great things for the world. Sue Nieober said, “She showed the world that people can overcome their fears and differences and do great things.” Tony Blair, Britain’s prime minister said, “In her brief life, Diana pursued a different title, and there is no doubt she succeeded in her quest. She was the people’s princess and that is how she will remain in our hearts and memory forever.”
