Diana Princess of Wales

Born: 1 July 1961 Birthplace: Norfolk, England Death: 31 August 1997 (automobile crash) Best Known As: The ex-wife of the future king of England Lady Diana Frances Spencer was 20 when she married Prince Charles, heir to the throne of Britain, on 29 July 1981. Diana's youth and beauty made her a favorite of the public and the paparazzi, and her personal life was frequent fodder for tabloids. She and Charles had two sons, William (b. 1982) and Harry (b. 1984), but the marriage was troubled almost from the start. Diana and Charles were divorced in 1996 and Diana devoted her life to her two sons and to worldwide charities. She and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, were killed in 1997 in a high-speed car crash in Paris, France. According to the web site of the Royal Family, "The Princess was the first Englishwoman to marry an heir to the throne for 300 years (when Lady Anne Hyde married the future James II from whom the Princess was descended)"... Diana's nicknames included Lady Di, the People's Princess, and the Queen of People's Hearts... At Diana's funeral Sir Elton John sang "Goodbye England's Rose," a reworking of the tune "Candle In the Wind" which he had written earlier about Marilyn Monroe.