Born into nobility and wed into royalty, Diana Spencer seemed destined for a fairytale life at a young age, until a tragic accident ended it all. This is the timeline of the life of the Lady who is known as much for her charm and charitable works as she is for divorcing a Prince.
1961 – Diana Frances Spencer is born as the 3rd daughter to a rich and powerful family that is part of the British nobility. Her father is Viscount Althorp and her mother is Viscountes Althorp. Her sisters are 6 and 4 years older. The house they live in has 10 bedrooms.
Age 3 – Her brother is born. They become best friends as their 2 older sisters have been sent away to boarding school. They are cared for mainly by nannies.
Age 6 – Diana’s parents separate. Her mother moves out and moves to London.
Age 8 – Diana’s parents divorce. Her father gets custody. She now only sees her mother over the weekends in London.
Age 9 – Diana is sent to Riddlesworth Hall, an all-girls boarding school. She now returns home only on holidays and some weekends.
Age 12 – She is transferred to West Heath boarding school, the same one her sisters attended. Here she starts reading romance novels and keeps a poster of Prince Charles on her bedroom wall.
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Age 14 – Her grandfather, the 7th Earl Spencer, dies. Her father becomes the 8th Earl Spencer and moves himself and his children to Althorp—the family’s estate in Northamptonshire, England which has 90 rooms. Diana and her sisters inherit the title of ‘Lady’. Her brother becomes the new Viscount Althorp aka 9th Earl Spencer.
Age 15 – Diana fails her final exams twice. Since she cannot go to college with her grades, she goes to finishing school in Switzerland where she is to learn to correct manners and social skills to be an upper-class wife. She begs to be allowed to return home after a few months and her parents agree.
Age 18 – Diana moves into an apartment in London with friends. She takes a job as an assistant kindergarten teacher at a private school. She also takes a part-time job working as a nanny for an American family. At night and on weekends, she goes to parties with friends—some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the country. On weekends, she returns to Althorp to visit her father. Her oldest sister marries the Queen’s assistant private secretary.
Age 19 – Diana spends a weekend at a friend’s home in the country. She and friends go to watch 31-year-old Prince Charles play polo at a nearby park and they all end up having a barbecue together. Prince Charles and Diana get talking till late in the evening and one week later, Prince Charles asks Diana on a date, then more. Soon, the news picks up the story and Diana becomes world famous. Photographers start following her everywhere.
Age 20 – Prince Charles invites Diana for dinner at Windsor Castle and asks her to marry him. She agrees. Diana moves into Buckingham Palace and begins planning for the wedding and decorating the castle in the country that will be their marital home. They wed a few months later and the wedding—the “Wedding of the Century”—is watched by 750M people all over the world. Diana becomes Her Royal Highness Princess of Wales. Another few months later, Diana is pregnant.
Age 21 – Diana gives birth to her first son, Prince William, heir to the throne.
Age 23 – She gives birth to her second son, Prince “Harry”.
Age 24 – Diana becomes friends with celebrities and famous designers and is now thought of as one of the most attractive women alive. She begins working on charitable causes.
Age 26 – Newspapers begin to report that she and Prince Charles are barely spending time with each other and that when they are together they often looked miserable. She continues working on charitable causes.
Age 31 – Diana’s father dies. She and Prince Charles both attend but reporters notice that they arrive and leave separately. By the end of the year, they officially separate. Diana moves into Kensington Palace while Charles remains in their home. Their children live in boarding school and take turns staying with each parent on weekends. The rest of the time, she travels around the world bringing reporters to places and causes that need help and money.
Age 35 – The divorce between Diana and Prince Charles is finalised. Diana is allowed to keep her home at Kensington Palace and remain Princess of Wales but is no longer to be called Her Royal Highness. Despite that, she remains popular and reporters continue to follow her everywhere she goes. She starts dating Dodi Fayed—a billionaire whose family owns Harrods department store.
Age 36 – Diana and Dodi take her boys along on vacation in the South of France. Shortly after, they visit Paris together and go out to dinner at the Ritz. When they leave in a car, they are chased by paparazzi and while trying to get away, the driver crashes into a concrete pillar inside the tunnel. Dodi and the driver die instantly. Diana dies slightly later on in the hospital. Her coffin is drawn through the streets of London in a horse-drawn carriage and she is mourned by celebrities all around the world.
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Photographs: Ronald Reagan Public Library. Compiler: Sy
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