Princess Diana Research Paper

“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” With these words, Princess Diana expressed her willingness to give to others. Today, she is known not only for her marriage to Prince Charles, but for the legacy that she left behind even after her divorce and death.

Princess Diana was born on July 1, 1961 in Sandringham, United Kingdom. She was the third child of Edward John Spencer and Francess Ruth Burke Roche. At the young age of six, her parents got divorced and after plenty of court actions, she and her siblings were set to live with her father. She and her sisters, despite their privileged life style, never grew spoiled. On the contrary, Diana was loved

She was said to be a woman of, “warmth and genuine interest in [people’s] situation[s] and difficulties.” (The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund). Not only did she show interest in what people had to say, but she also “threw herself into her charity work in every personal way, spending countless hours listening to the individual stories and problems of the people she visited.” (The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund). Princess Diana visited countless of hospitals and played part of thousands of organizations to help those in need. When asked about her work, she would say, “I make the trips at least three times a week, and spend up to four hours at a time with patients holding their hands and talking to them. Some of them will die, but they all need to be loved while they are here. I try to be there for them.” (The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund). Furthermore, Princess Diana didn’t only give her time and affection to sick people; she also gave awareness to sicknesses and causes that many had avoided before. In fact, “Princess Diana lent her time and her fame to dozens of charitable causes ranging from those benefitting the victims of AIDS to the victims of land mines.” (Stanovsky). During most of her life as Princess she used her power to change the view that the public had over people with AIDS, “She was not afraid to speak out and

Her marriage was supposedly crumbling down, and rumors of estrangement and infidelity were circulating in the media. Until it was finally announced that the Princess and the Prince were separating. After rumors about what would happen to the royal family, the queen had finally taken action, “[she] ha[d] written…urging them to agree to an early divorce.” (Darnton). They finally did divorce on August 28, 1996. Even after her divorce, Diana still kept being Diana, Princess of Wales. Not only did she keep her title as Princess of Wales, but she also kept giving her time to people in need. The Princess herself, “expressed a desire to be a sort of roving ambassador and someone who performs good works.” (Darnton). In addition, a few months after her divorce she started dating Dodi al-Fayed, the son of an Egyptian billionaire. The princess and Dodi al-Fayed, spent summer vacation together. In August 30, 1997, they went to Ritz Hotel were they dined and hours later they left. According to John Stevens, who led an investigation, “Henri Paul, who was driving the car, had blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit in France and was driving twice the speed limit…the car was being pursued by a number of paparazzi.” (Sulllivan). The car crashed, Fayed and the driver were killed instantly. Diana was taken to the hospital where she died the next day at four in the morning. The Princess was given a funeral where she