Many people remember exactly where they were when they heard the news of Diana's death
on August 31, 1997.
While she may have been the Princess of Wales, she was the queen of people's hearts.
While much about Diana is widely known regarding her marriage to Charles, and the tragic circumstances
that led to her death many details of her life might surprise even her most devoted
fans.
This is the untold truth of Princess Diana.
Family friends with the Windsors
Even as a child, Diana was no stranger to the House of Windsor royal family.
Born in 1961, at Sandringham one of the Queen's private estates Diana counted Prince Charles'
younger brothers Edward and Andrew among her childhood playmates.
She even knew Queen Elizabeth, according to the Daily Times.
The newspaper also noted that her father had served as a royal officer in the palace, and
her mother had been a lady-in-waiting for the Queen Mother.
In fact, according to the BBC, when Diana's parents married in 1954, the Queen was "the
chief guest."
A different kind of intelligence
The fact that Diana hadn't excelled in academic settings greatly affected her self-esteem,
according to biographer Tina Brown's The Diana Chronicles.
Historian Paul Johnson claimed in the book,
"She thought she knew nothing and was very stupid.
She made it impossible to criticize her, because she'd say things like 'I am very thick and
uneducated.'"
But Diana was extraordinarily gifted in other areas.
Brown wrote,
"Diana made her warmth available to anyone regardless of race, creed, or nationality.
An invisible thread of kindliness drew her to people who expected the least and needed
the most."
Lost in the movement
In addition to having a heart of gold, Diana was also an athletic royal.
A talented diver, she was notorious for leaving "barely a ripple" on the water, according
to biographer Andrew Morton in Diana: Her True Story.
But while her diving skills were impressive, dance was where she truly found her passion.
Morton wrote,
"She loved her ballet and tap-dancing sessions and longed to be a ballet dancer.
[...] As she danced she could lose herself in the movement."
In 1985, after she had already become a royal, Diana and Wayne Sleep, a principal dancer
with the Royal Ballet, rehearsed a duet in secret and then performed together in a private
show for friends of the Royal Ballet.
Sleep told 48 Hours that when Diana stepped onstage,
"And there was a gasp from the audience, of 2,500 people who took an intake of breath
all at the same time."
Fashion statement
Diana cleverly spoke volumes, without saying a word, just by carefully sourcing her look.
Early in her relationship with Charles, she was photographed wearing two watches during
Charles' polo matches.
One watch was hers, the other was Charles', and according to Marie Claire,
"She wore it as a tribute to him, and to wish him luck in the match."
But Diana continued to use fashion and style as a means of communication throughout her
life.
As Eleri Lynn, curator of an exhibition of Diana's wardrobe at Kensington Palace, told
Vanity Fair,
"It is very surprising how little footage there exists of the Princess actually speaking.
We all have a sense of what we think she was like, and yet so much of it comes from still
photographs, and a large part of that [idea] is communicated through the different clothes
that she wore."
Her fashion sense also evolved considerably over the years: from soft, romantic styles
to sleek, elegant silhouettes.
Lynn told the mag,
"She was the first member of the royal family to be photographed wearing trousers to evening
events.
But she often teamed that with tuxedo jackets and bowties — that's quite the bold, fun
look that you don't necessarily expect of a princess."
Queen of hearts
As The New York Times noted in her obituary, Diana had come into her own, the year before
her death.
The paper reported,
"After recent years of loneliness, wounded vulnerability and feelings of rejection, Lady
Diana struck friends this year as having acquired long-sought self-regard and hope for the future."
The Times also reported that in a 1995 interview, Diana had said,
"... she wanted to transform herself into the 'queen of people's hearts' [...] as she
focused in on the charities she cared most about organizations addressing AIDS, leprosy,
homelessness, cancer research and the treatment of sick children, along with the English National
Ballet."
These days, it's clear that those close to her most notably Princes William and Harry
have worked hard to ensure their mother's legacy.
Her memory lives on in the minds of millions and, perhaps most importantly, in their hearts
as well.
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