Life and death of Diana

(*)

The wedding of Lady Diana and the Prince of Wales was an exciting event. The whole world watched this seemingly fantastic story of love, which did not judge to have a happy ending. The marriage broke up because of accusations of infidelity on both sides. Divorce of this pair caused serious damage to the image of the British crown. For Diana, this was a particularly painful process, which led to depression. According to her, she did not receive the slightest support from the royal family.

As soon as the Princess of Wales has found a new love, her life was tragically cut short. On August 31, 1997, Diana died in a car accident. Favorite Lady Di Dodi Al Fayed and the driver of the car also died in this accident. Only the guard remained alive.

Parents separated when Diana was six years old

Diana Francis Spencer was born on July 1, 1961. She was the youngest daughter of the Visconti family of Althorp (they died in the rank of a count). She had two older sisters, Jane and Sarah, as well as Charles's younger brother. Her family lived in a royal estate in Sunderland, and her father was a royal steward (chief groom), both under King George VI and young queen Elizabeth II.
The wedding of Diana's parents was almost the central event of 1954. The Queen was the main guest. The ceremony was held in Westminster Abbey.

Diana was only six when her parents divorced. She always remembered the tapping of her mother's step when she left the house with a gravel path. Children became a bargaining chip in the time of sharp disputes over the divorce.

Happy years of childhood are over. In six years, Diana was sent to a boarding school. She "did excellently" in sports, especially swimming, but in all other subjects she failed. Not looking at it, she always remembered her native school with warmth and supported her.

Worked even as a cook

After school she worked in London, first as a nanny (sometimes working as a cook), and then as an assistant in a kindergarten in Knightsbridge. Meanwhile, her father moved to Altrop near Northgepton. He became the eighth count of Spencer. As her parents divorced, there was a new Countess Spensor, daughter of the famous writer Barbara Cartland. But soon Diana became the most famous member of the family.

I did not like Diana, but I hoped that I would love

Rumors spread that her friendship with the Prince of Wales turns into something more serious. The press and television attacked her at every turn. The cloudless days on ordinary work were drawing to a close. The royal court tried to hush up rumors. February 24, 1981 engagement has become official.

However, even then it was noticeable that not everything in the relationship of the couple is smooth. It seemed that they had little in common. Perhaps, the great difference in age affected: the prince was 13 years older than Diana. When the journalists asked them during the official photo shoot, did they love each other, both answered "yes", but the prince added a mysterious phrase: "That love does not mean". Charles, as it turned out later, confessed to his friend that he does not like Diana, but hopes that he will fall in love ...

Mistaken, enumerating the titles of her husband

The wedding took place in St. Paul's Cathedral on a wonderful hot July day. The broadcast attracted millions of viewers around the world, and about 600 thousand onlookers located along the route of the wedding cortege from the Bookengem Palace to the cathedral. Diana was the first Englishwoman who married the heir to the throne in the last 300 years.

Diana was only 20. Under the watchful eye of her mother, holding her father's hand, was preparing to give wedding promises. Because of nervous tension, I made a mistake only once, listing all titles and names of my husband in the appropriate order.

She immediately fell in love for the sincerity and simplicity

The royal family congratulated the newcomer in his ranks. It was a minute of special pleasure for the queen - she was born an ordinary Englishwoman who had gone to the throne more than 60 years ago.

After the wedding, the Princess of Wales quickly entered the rhythm of the official duties of the royal family. Soon she had a list of regular charitable visits to kindergartens, schools, hospitals ... She was loved at once for her sincerity and simplicity.

At the same time, Diana began to add new outlines to the conservative rules of the Windsor royal family. The idea of ​​a royal walk was nothing - but Diana brought in her spontaneity, which fascinated everyone. Her first official visit to the US riveted to her person the attention of all Americans. It was something special, the woman attracted much attention of the American president. Everyone was discussing her wardrobe.

Children went to regular school

Diana always dreamed of having a big family. A year after her wedding, on June 21, 1982 she gave birth to a son - Prince William. In 1984, on September 15, he had a brother, who was christened Henry, although to all he is known as Harry. Diana dreamed of giving her children a good upbringing, as far as royal rules and restrictions allowed.

William became the first man to inherit the throne, who went to a regular kindergarten. Her children
did not teach private teachers, they went to school with the rest of the children. Diana insisted on giving them an ordinary, not an elite education. That they had a normal childhood.

Was greeted by the hand with the leper

Diana attracted public attention to the problems of people with AIDS. She managed to overcome a lot of prejudices concerning AIDS patients, she proved to the public that contacts with patients do not carry any risks. During his visit to Indonesia in 1989, he was publicly welcomed with his leper ...

Meanwhile, her marriage cracked on the seams. Especially after the birth of Prince Harry. In 1987, when Harry went to the kindergarten, the separate residence of the royal couple became public. The press had a wide field of activity.

During an official visit to India in 1992, Diana sat herself near the Taj Mahal, which is a great monument of love. It was symbolic. Although the couple was formally together, the press already knew that everyone lives their own lives. Five months later, the scandalous book of Andrew Morton came out: "Diana: her real story." She finally buried the myth of the tale. The book, built on interviews with the closest friends of the princess and tacitly approved by the princess herself, confirmed that her relationship with the Prince of Wales was cold and distant.

During a state visit to South Korea, it was clear that the couple had parted ways. Soon after, in December 1992, it was officially announced that Charles and Diana were getting divorced. The book talked about the attempted suicide of the princess during the first years of marriage, about her struggle with bulimia and about the true love of Charles - Camille Parker-Bowles. Later, Charles confirmed in an interview with the BBC that he and Camilla had an extramarital relationship.

A novel with James Hewitt

On October 20, 1995, Diana gave an unprecedented interview to the BBC's Panorama program. She spoke frankly about her post-natal depression, about not a simple relationship with Prince Charles and the royal family. And also stated that her husband does not want to be king. This shocked many.

She knew that she would never become a queen, but she was not upset about it, because it was more important for her to become a "queen in the hearts of people." Pressure on her media was not tolerable. Particular attention was paid to the men who surrounded her. One of these friends, the army officer James Hewitt, to her horror and outrage, published a book about their relationship.

Agreed for a divorce only under the pressure of the Queen

Diana agreed to a divorce only under the pressure of the queen. On August 28, 1996, she told her friend that it was the most sad day in her life.

The Princess of Wales refused everything except charity. She had a clear idea of ​​what the "Queen of Hearts" should be. In June 1997, Mother Teresa, who was ill, visited.

last love

August 30, 1997, Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Faed wanted to finish their holiday in Sardinia. But the paparazzi did not let them out of sight. Photographers continuously filmed a couple on the yacht of Al-Faed, which was moored near the Costa Smeralda. After that, the lovers decided to spend a romantic evening in Paris. The next morning the princess had to return to England.

According to her friends, this was the happiest period in the life of Princess Diana. The Arab newspaper quoted Hussein Yasin, one of the relatives of Al-Faed: "Dodi said that they are deeply in love and decided to get married."

At 19.15 Diana and Dodi arrived at an apartment near which the paparazzi again waited for them. They booked a table in the bistro on the street Saint-Martin. When they left the apartment, they were surrounded by about ten photographers on motorcycles, so they changed plans and decided to hide in the hotel Ritz. In the famous seafood restaurant, the hotel planned to have supper, but there were no cameras under the sights and went to the Imperial Suite. There they planned to wait until the annoying photographers returned.

Meanwhile, a crowd of spectators joined the photographers who hunted a couple of lovers. Still decided to go. Mercedes, which moved the day, had to go first to distract the attention of the paparazzi. The couple waited five minutes for them to come another car.

On the clock - 00.20, behind the wheel of the car - Henri Paul, who was again summoned to work. There are different versions of the one where Henry Paul was that evening before he was called to work: at home watching TV or having fun at a local bar with friends? But the fact that drinking alcohol is not questioned.

Meanwhile, a crowd of spectators joined the photographers who hunted a couple of lovers. Still decided to go. Mercedes, which moved the day, had to go first to distract the attention of the paparazzi. The couple waited five minutes for them to come another car.

On the clock - 00.20, behind the wheel of the car - Henri Paul, who was again summoned to work. There are different versions of the one where Henry Paul was that evening before he was called to work: at home watching TV or having fun at a local bar with friends? But the fact that drinking alcohol is not questioned.

Cheating did not work

Princess Diana took the inconspicuous place in the back on the right side of the car - the usual place for VIP-person. Dodi Faed was sitting on the left, a guard in the front seat. He was the only one wearing a seatbelt.

The idea of ​​"throwing" the paparazzi was interesting, although it cast doubt on the driving skills of Henri Paul. The one who rides a motorcycle knows that in a city, even the fastest car will not have an advantage over a modest scooter. The only exception can be a straight road, sufficient to demonstrate the power of the car.

"It was like the scene of their jungle"

Mercedes drove to the banks of the Seine, moving west. The road in the tunnel, in which the driver pressed the gas even more, had a small notch and a slight turn to the left. This maneuver became tragic. At high speed, the car crashed into a concrete column that held the ceiling of the tunnel. Two front airbags worked, the front end of the car flattened into an accordion. The blow threw the rear of the car upwards, tearing the roof off. A moment later the car stopped - disfigured, with a working signal.

The driver and Dodi Fayed were dead. Rice-Jones suffered severe injuries. His life saved the seatbelt and cushion.

Princess Diana - unconscious with terrible head and chest injuries.

Speaker Garods described the behavior of photographers after the accident as an attack of Indians in the wild west: photographers photographed without stopping, trying to take photos of the mutilated machine and the bodies inside it.

At the scene of the accident there were 15 paparazzi. There was an American family of Faerstones with a 12-year-old son who drove to the tunnels by taxi. They describe the paparazzi with the words: "They swarmed around the car trying to take as many photos as possible, it was like a scene from the jungle."

At a hearing on the death in a car crash of Princess Diana and Dody, it turned out that the paparazzi Romuald Rata, instead of helping, tried to immediately sell pictures of the princess who was dying, the The Sun tabloid for 600 thousand dollars, and drove off competitors. He was selling photographs of the bloody face of Diana and the medic who was wearing her oxygen mask. The paparazzi was accused of trying to save his "goods", and not the casualties of the accident from the curious razzyav.

The car was so disfigured that the firemen had to get Diana out of the car for an hour. She was taken to a hospital where doctors performed without successful attempts to save her life. Despite the efforts of doctors, the death of the princess came at 4 o'clock in the morning.

Critics of Diana accused her of having deprived the monarchy of the mystery, so important for its existence. But the strength of her character in difficult personal circumstances and the support she gave to the sick and disadvantaged, brought her the well-deserved respect and love of millions of people.