Diana, Princess of Wales, formerly Lady Diana Frances Spencer 1961-97
British princess

Born in Sandringham, Norfolk, the daughter of Viscount Althorp (1921-92), who became 8th Earl of Spencer in 1975, she attended West Heath in Kent, and left at 16 with a love of dancing and sport but no formal qualifications. In 1979 she began work at a kindergarten in London, exhibiting a natural warmth and instinctive affection for which she would be remembered. In 1981 she married Charles, Prince of Wales, and within 11 months provided him with an heir, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis (b.1982). Prince Harry (Henry Charles Albert David) was born in 1984. Launched into an inescapable world of fame, she developed into a beautiful, glamorous celebrity who enjoyed international adoration. However her external perfection did not match her domestic turmoil. The couple had little in common; they separated in 1992 and were divorced in 1996. Once released from many of the constraints of royal convention, and denuded of her title HRH, she remained devoted to her sons and determined to be a link with normal life for them. She also devoted much time and effort, coupled with her immense media appeal, to supporting such charities and causes as the Red Cross, helping people with AIDS, and the campaign for an international ban on landmines. Her tragic death in Paris, which shocked the world, occurred on 31 August shortly after a high-speed car chase with paparazzi photographers on motorbikes ended in an horrific crash.