She became Lady Diana Spencer after her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer in 1975. Although she was known for her shyness while growing up, she showed an interest in music and dancing. Diana described her childhood as “very unhappy” and “very unstable,” according to Morton.įollowing her initial education at home, Diana attended Riddlesworth Hall School and then West Heath School. He later married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth, with whom Diana had a poor relationship. Diana’s father won custody of the children following the divorce.

Charles later said he believed this strain was “the root of their divorce,” according to Andrew Morton’s book Diana: Her True Story. There had been great strain on their marriage due to the pressure to produce a male heir prior to Charles’ birth, with Diana’s mother being sent to clinics to determine why she had not yet delivered a boy. When Diana was young, her parents divorced. Her grandmothers Cynthia Spencer and Ruth Roche were both ladies-in-waiting to Queen Mother Elizabeth. Another brother, John, died in infancy a year before Diana was born. Diana had two older sisters, Jane Fellowes and Sarah McCorquodale, and a younger brother, Charles Spencer, 9 th Earl Spencer. Diana was the daughter of Edward John Spencer, the Viscount Althorp, and Frances Ruth Burke Roche, who was later known as the Honorable Frances Shand Kydd. Quick FactsīIRTHPLACE: Sandringham, England, United KingdomĬHILDREN: Prince William and Prince HarryĪ young Lady Diana Spencer in 1965 Getty Imagesĭiana was born on July 1, 1961, near Sandringham, England. She is remembered as the “People’s Princess” because of her widespread popularity and global humanitarian efforts. Diana died on August 31, 1997, from injuries she sustained in a car crash in Paris. She married Charles on July 29, 1981, and after a largely unhappy union under constant scrutiny from the media, they divorced in 1996. Born Diana Frances Spencer, she became Lady Diana Spencer after her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer in 1975. Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of Prince Charles, the future king of the United Kingdom, and was the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.

A Dress for Diana by David Emanuel