Diana, Princess of
Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest child and heir
apparent of Queen Elizabeth II. She was born into a noble English family with
royal ancestry as the Honorable Diana Spencer. She was the 4th child of John Spencer,
Viscount Althorp, and his first wife, the Honorable Frances Roche, daughter of
the 4th Baron Fermoy. Diana became Lady Diana Spencer when her father took over
the title of Earl Spencer in 1975. She became a public image with the declaration
of her engagement.
Her marriage to
the Prince of Wales on 29 July 1981 was held at St Paul's Cathedral and seen by
worldwide television viewers of over 750 million. While married she bore the
titles Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, Countess of
Chester and Baroness of Renfrew. The marriage produced two sons, the princes
William and Harry who were correspondingly second and third in the line of
succession to the British throne throughout her lifetime.
Diana continued to
be the object of worldwide media scrutiny during and after her wedding, which
ended in divorce on 28 August 1996. If the Prince of Wales had ascended the
throne during their marriage, Diana would have become queen consort. Media
attention and public mourning were significant following her demise in a car
crash in Paris on 31 August 1997.
