Princess Diana earned the title “The People’s Princess” because she was loved by many, not just because it sounded nice. She was important to the British people because of her charity work and kindness. She once said she wanted to be the Queen in people’s hearts, not just on paper.
Her death in a tragic accident in Paris was one of the saddest events in recent British history. Even though she’s gone, people still remember her, especially through her sons William and Harry.
We’ve seen many beautiful photos of Diana over the years, but some of them haven’t been talked about as much.
Princess Diana’s life had many challenges, and she passed away when she was still young. After she married into the royal family, she faced a lot of difficulties, and people followed her everywhere.
Diana had two sons, Harry and William, who she raised on her own.
Even with all the struggles, Diana was a loving mother. She always put Harry and William first, wanting them to have as normal a childhood as possible.
Diana often took her boys to fun places like amusement parks. She knew they were royal, but she also wanted them to have regular kid experiences. Sometimes, she would even take them out of the palace to eat fast food.
Her chef, Darren McGrady, once said Diana came into the kitchen one day and said, “Cancel lunch for the boys, I’m taking them out, we’re going to McDonald’s.” He was surprised, but Diana said it was because the boys wanted the toys that came with the meal.
William and Harry loved spending time with their mom. She raised them to be like any other kids, and in many ways, they were!
Diana always wanted to be the best mom she could be, even though she knew brothers sometimes fight.
She wanted her sons to always be close friends.
A historian named Robert Lacey talked about Harry and William’s childhood in his book. He said Diana wanted her boys to promise to always be best friends.
Lacey mentioned a psychic named Simone Simmons in the book. Diana apparently told Simmons’ sons to promise to always be best friends. Both boys promised and hugged their mom.
It was a really sweet moment. Then, they went to play soccer together.
From the beginning, Diana put her children first, even though she was royal. She wanted to keep them close and protect them from anything that might separate them, even from the rest of the Royal Family.
A statue of Diana was revealed by William and Harry. Even though they promised to always be close, their relationship has gotten worse lately. It started when Harry decided to leave the Royal Family in 2020.
A year ago, William and Harry got together on what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday to show off a new statue of her. The statue, made of bronze, showed Diana with three kids and was put in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, where she used to live.
They said in a statement that they remember her love, strength, and the good things she did in the world. They wish she was still here, and they hope the statue will always remind people of her.
This year marked 25 years since Diana died. William and Harry both remembered her, but they did it separately.
A source close to the royal family told People Magazine that William spent the day quietly with his wife, Kate Middleton, at Windsor.
Ahead of the anniversary on August 31, Harry spoke about his mother, saying he hoped to make her proud.
Princess Diana – Charles’s affair with Camilla
“I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for how she did it,” Harry said on the anniversary. “I want it to be a day to share the spirit of my mum with my family, with my children, who I wish could have met her. Every day, I hope to do her proud.”
Besides leading an extremely public life, Diana had personal issues like any other person. For the Princess, one of the biggest problems involved her husband, then-Prince Charles.
Just years after his wedding to Diana, Charles engaged in an affair with Camilla, who would later become his wife.
According to Prince Charles’ authorized biography, as quoted by Town Country, their affair started in 1986. Charles was still married to Princess Diana then, and she found out about it.
In 1989, Diana confronted Camilla over the affair, telling her to back off.
Diana once spoke to Camilla, telling her she knew about her and Charles. She said Camilla had everything she could want, including two beautiful kids, but Diana still wanted her husband back. Diana felt sad and knew what was happening, not wanting to be treated like she didn’t know.
At Diana’s funeral, the Queen did something unusual. Normally, she doesn’t have to bow to anyone. But at Diana’s funeral, she broke that rule and bowed to Diana’s coffin as it passed by her.
Things didn’t stay normal for Charles and Diana for long. In 1992, they said they were separating, but they still did their royal duties. Four years later, they got divorced. Diana got to keep her home and title as Princess of Wales, but she gave up the title of Royal Highness and any claim to the throne.
Diana’s death in 1997 was a big shock to everyone. Her funeral was in Westminster Abbey, and then she was buried at Althorp Park, her family’s home. More than 2000 people came to her funeral. After the ceremony, her coffin was taken through London, where people could say goodbye.
Diana was always followed by photographers. She was one of the most photographed people in the world. Newspapers paid lots of money for her photos, even if they were blurry.
Her sons, William and Harry, saw how the press treated her. Harry said he wanted to leave the Royal Family when he was young because of how they treated his mom before she died.
Over the years, many photos of Diana were taken. Some were just for selling, but some showed her warmth and her life. There are lots of unseen photos of Diana out there. People are now sharing them to show a different side of her.
Diana became a style icon at the height of her fame, and she took that with her to the slopes while skiing.
In 1990, Diana and the children – alongside her sister’s children – went to Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Virgin’s Richard Branson owned the island.
Diana sure knew how to have fun. Look at this beautiful picture of when she and Harry visited the amusement park Thorpe Park in 1992.
Diana was often referred to as “The People’s Princess.” She participated in many humanitarian efforts, setting an excellent standard for how a kind and compassionate person should behave. Here, Princess Diana is seen visiting an Orthopedic workshop in Luanda, Angola, sitting with victims of land mines.
We can go on and on about these beautiful pictures of Diana. This one was taken in 1971 when she was on a summer holiday in Itchenor, West Sussex.
This one was taken outside Diana’s flat in Coleherne Court, London, before her engagement to Charles.
In this picture, Harry is poking his tongue out at people near Buckingham Palace. Diana looks a bit surprised.
The brand Barbour is still popular with royals, but Princess Diana wore it the best.
Diana really liked Barbour. During a visit to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland in 1985, she wore a Barbour-style waxed cotton jacket, and it suited her perfectly.
In this picture, Harry is sticking out his tongue to people near Buckingham Palace. Diana looks a bit surprised.
The clothing brand Barbour is still loved by royals, but Princess Diana may have worn it the best.
Diana really liked Barbour. During a visit to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland in 1985, she wore a Barbour-style waxed cotton jacket, and it suited her perfectly.
All My Life My Father Blamed Me for My Mother’s Passing, Then He Gets Taught a Lesson – Story of the Day
I grew up believing that my father blamed me for my mother’s death but the truth was heartbreaking.
I never knew my mother, and my father never spoke about her. All I knew was that she had been very beautiful, because of the picture that hung on my father’s study wall, and that she had died very young.
My father was a sad man, a quiet and distant man. I wanted him to notice me, and to love me, but he never did. He rarely spoke to me beyond the perfunctory hello and goodbye, good morning and goodnight. I would have given anything for him to sweep me into his arms and tell me he loved me.
The shadow of my mother’s death followed me my whole life | Source: Shutterstock.com
This strange and strained relationship with my father continued until I was 18, and by then I was a sad and lonely young woman who believed my father hated me. If my father didn’t love me, who would?
But the answer to all my questions was about to be delivered in the most painful and cruel way. My father was hosting a party for his business associates, and among them was a woman whom I knew slightly.
If you don’t leave the past behind you, you deny yourself a future.
I had the feeling that she and my father had a past together — or at least that she wished they did. She greeted me and we started chatting — inconsequential talk about nothing special — and my father walked by.
I gave him my best smile, but he immediately glanced away. The woman saw it all. “Do you know why?” she asked.
I grew up feeling that my father hated me | Source: Unsplash
“Why what?” I asked, confused.
“Why he hates you,” she said.
“My father doesn’t hate me!” I exclaimed. “He’s just not a very demonstrative man.”
“So you don’t know…” she smiled. It was the ugliest smile I’d ever seen. I was about to walk away when she said, “He believes you killed your mother, Karen.”
One day at a party someone told me the truth | Source: Unsplash
I stopped in my tracks. “What?” I gasped.
“Your mother died giving birth to you, surely you know that?” she said.
“No…” I answered. “No, I didn’t know.” I turned my back on her and went looking for my grandmother, my father’s mother, the woman who’d raised me and never told me about my mother’s death.
“How did my mother die?” I asked her angrily. “Was it in childbirth?”
My mother had died in childbirth | Source: Pexels
My grandmother shook her head. “Please Karen, your father asked me never to speak of this with you.”
“I have the right to know about my own mother!” I cried. “I have the right to know why my father hates me!”
Then a quiet angry voice behind me said, “I don’t hate you, Karen, but your mother’s death is none of your business:”
I turned to face my father. “My mother’s death is none of my business? You’re wrong! I killed her, didn’t I? That’s what you think each time you look at me!”
My father blamed me for her death | Source: Unsplash
The expression in his eyes sent me running out of the door. I got into my car and drove aimlessly, tears running down my face. In my distress, I didn’t see the oncoming car changing lanes until it was too late.
I woke up in the hospital linked to a beeping machine, with a dull promise of pain twinging through my whole body. Sitting by my side and holding my hand was my father.
“Karen,” he said softly, “Thank God you’re alright!”
“Daddy…” I whispered, “you’re here!”
Tears came into his eyes. “Of course I’m here. I don’t hate you, Karen. I love you. And I don’t blame you for your mother’s death, I blame myself. When your mom and I married we were very poor.
“All we had were dreams and our love for each other. Then she fell pregnant and I took on a second job. I knew we’d need the money when you came along. I was working 16-hour days and she spent a lot of time alone.
“So one day when I came home she wasn’t there. A neighbor had taken her to the hospital. When I got there it was all over. Your mother had died, and I hadn’t been there for her.
The accident nearly cost me my life | Source: Pexels
“I didn’t blame you, Karen, I blamed myself. I was determined I wasn’t going to fail you the way I’d failed her, so I threw myself into my work, and I became a rich man.
“Daddy, how could you blame yourself?” I asked. “There was nothing you could have done!”
“I could have been there, holding her hand the way I’m holding yours now,” he said.
“But daddy…” I hesitated, “you were always so angry with me, so cold. You ran away from me.”
My father and I were reconciled | Source: Unsplash
“Karen, you look just like your mother, and each time I looked at you, my heart was torn apart by grief and guilt. It took nearly losing you to make me realize what I’d done. I love you.”
For the first time in my life, my father put his arms around me and showed me that he loved me. It was a new beginning for both of us, and I like to believe my mother was smiling down from heaven.
What can we learn from this story?
- If you don’t leave the past behind you, you deny yourself a future. Karen’s father was so lost in his pain that he nearly lost the opportunity to have a wonderful relationship with his daughter.
- The truth can heal old wounds and open the way to a new beginning. It was only after Karen and her father spoke about their estrangement that they could move past their misunderstandings.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a man who left his widowed mother homeless.
This account is inspired by our reader’s story but written by a professional writer. All names have been changed to protect identities and ensure privacy. Share your story with us, maybe it will change someone’s life.
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