Biography

1961: Lady Diana Frances Spencer is born the youngest of three daughters. Her father was the Eighth Earl Spencer, a descendant of King Henry VII and James I.

1981: Diana, an assistant at Young England kindergarten, marries 32-year-old Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, in a storybook wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral notable for two gaffes. The princess vows to love, honor and cherish "Philip Charles Arthur George," which is the prince's father's name. For his part, the prince swears that "all thy goods with thee I share."

1982: Prince William Arthur Philip Louis is born to the royal couple. A bout with postnatal depression leaves the princess painfully thin, and there is concern that she may be anorexic. Queen Elizabeth herself intercedes, asking newspaper editors to respect Diana's privacy and arranging psychiatric help for the princess.

1984: Prince Henry Charles Albert David is born. The second son, called Harry, means Prince Charles not only has an heir in William and a back-up in Harry, but also apparently secures his succession to the throne.

1992: "Diana: Her True Story" by Andrew Morton is published, confirming speculation that the royal marriage is falling apart. It reports that Prince Charles has had a long-time affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, and says Diana has suffered from bulimia and even attempted suicide.

1992: Diana and Charles agree to separate, their new status confirmed by Prime Minister John Major before a stunned House of Commons. Major says, however, that there are no plans for divorce.

1994: Anna Pasternak's "Princess in Love" is published and reports that Diana had a five-year affair with her riding instructor, Maj. James Hewitt. The revelation comes only a few months after Prince Charles confirms in a TV documentary that he committed adultery after the marriage failed.

1995: Diana admits to having had an adulterous relationship with Hewitt. She is also romantically linked during this period to rugby player Will Carling, art dealer Oliver Hoare and Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, prompting accusations that she is a schemer and manipulator of men.

1996: Charles and Diana are granted a divorce, a development encouraged by the queen herself in a letter sent to Charles in December, 1995. The settlement includes a $35 million payoff to the princess.

1997: Diana and companion Dodi al-Fayed die of injuries suffered in an accident when their limousine strikes a concrete pillar at high speed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris. The driver is also killed and a bodyguard is severely injured. Details...

Goodbye England's Rose. May you ever grow in our hearts.
You were the grace that placed itself. Where lives were torn apart.
You called out to our country,And you whispered to those in pain.
Now you belong to heaven,And the stars spell out your name.

Goodbye Princess of Hearts may your soul rest in peace