These are funerals that are reminiscent of others that have marked the whole world just as much. This Monday, September 19, 2022 promises to be historic with the last tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, under the eyes of millions of people. The queen’s death was followed by many tributes, but also some thoughts to Diana Spencer, Lady Diana, the first wife of Charles, who died in 1997.
On September 9, 2022, the day after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the new King Charles III gave a first speech in which he paid tribute to his mother, and discreetly saluted the memory of “Lady Di”, 25 years later. his death. Thus, the king quoted an extract from Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the end of his speech: “May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest” (“that swarms of angels rock you with their songs”) to the attention from his mother. During Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey, a choir sang Song for Athene , with a text by Mother Thekla in which these same words from Hamlet are taken up, recalls the Daily Mail.
During his tribute to his “loving grandmother”, in a message posted on Instagram, Prince William also made reference to his mother Diana. He writes: “She was by my side in the happiest times of my life. And she was by my side in the saddest times”, speaking here of the death of the Princess of Wales, who died in a car accident when he was 15 years old.
“Lady Diana”, real name Diana Frances Spencer, was Charles III’s first wife, when he was still a prince. They were married on July 29, 1981, in a ceremony televised around the world. From the union of Charles III and Lady Di were born Princes William and Harry. Particularly appreciated by the people during her lifetime, the circumstances of Lady Di’s death contributed to her legend. Princess Diana to this day holds a place in the hearts of the British, but also in that of many people around the world.
How did Lady Diana die?
What happened on August 31, 1997? After a dinner at the Ritz in Paris, Lady Diana and the businessman Dodi Al-Fayed slip away from the palace by a discreet entrance in a new car. The billionaire’s car and that of his bodyguards take the usual exit to serve as a decoy to the paparazzi who have followed the couple since their arrival in Paris. But some photographers aren’t fooled and spot the new vehicle.
On board are the Princess of Wales, Dodi Al-Fayed, her bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones and driver Henri Paul. To escape his pursuers, the car travels at more than 100 km/h on a lane on the banks of the Seine limited to 50 km/h. In the tunnel of the Alma bridge, it hits the right wall, swerves and ends its course against a pillar. Dodi Al-Fayed and the driver are killed instantly. Trevor Rees-Jones is seriously injured. As for Lady Diana, she is rushed to the hospital, but her heart stops several times in the ambulance. Suffering from severe internal bleeding, she was declared dead 4 hours after the accident at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital. The various investigations highlight the fact that the driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the events and that the occupants of the car had not fastened their seat belts.
On the other hand, the paparazzi who pursued the vehicle benefited from a dismissal. but his heart stops several times in the ambulance. Suffering from severe internal bleeding, she was declared dead 4 hours after the accident at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital. The various investigations highlight the fact that the driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the events and that the occupants of the car had not fastened their seat belts. On the other hand, the paparazzi who pursued the vehicle benefited from a dismissal. but his heart stops several times in the ambulance.
Suffering from severe internal bleeding, she was declared dead 4 hours after the accident at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital. The various investigations highlight the fact that the driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the events and that the occupants of the car had not fastened their seat belts. On the other hand, the paparazzi who pursued the vehicle benefited from a dismissal. alcohol at the time and that the occupants of the car had not fastened their seat belts. On the other hand, the paparazzi who pursued the vehicle benefited from a dismissal. alcohol at the time and that the occupants of the car had not fastened their seat belts. On the other hand, the paparazzi who pursued the vehicle benefited from a dismissal.
How did she experience her marriage to Prince Charles?
Coming from an aristocratic family, Diana Frances Spencer was an ideal choice for Prince Charles. His candor and reserve suit the royal family. The marriage is therefore arranged quickly while the two young people barely know each other. But already at this time, Diana knows of the existence of Camilla Parker Bowles. The wedding was celebrated on July 29, 1981 and broadcast around the world. The following year, the couple welcomed their first child, William. Prince Harry was born two years later. During this period, the princess is unhappy. She suffers from depression and bulimia. She even made several suicide attempts. The couple flutters more and more and both take refuge in the arms of another person. The names of Lady Diana’s lovers are not all known, but it is possible to cite: James Gilbey or James Hewitt (his riding coach). The two spouses separated in 1992, but the divorce was not pronounced until August 28, 1996. The princess consoled herself in the arms of Hasnat Khan, a British surgeon of Pakistani origin. The media coverage of their idyll caused the end of their relationship in June 1997. Diana then turned to Dodi Al-Fayed and began a more or less fictitious relationship with him which caused a lot of noise.
The rivalry between Diana and Camilla
With access to the throne of Charles III, Camilla became queen consort. A choice made by Elizabeth II, in a press release published on the occasion of her 70 years of reign. This title was uncertain since she is the second wife of Charles III, after Diana. Mistress of the Prince of Wales, Camilla is the origin of the separation, then the divorce of Charles III and Lady Di.
As early as the 1980s, Princess Diana had doubts about her husband’s fidelity. According to biographer Tina Brown, in her book The Diana Chronicles, in February 1989, Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot, threw a party for her 40th birthday. Everyone was invited, except Lady Diana, who invited herself anyway. She then spoke with Camilla, a discussion during which the tone rose between the two women. Diana had clearly told her truths to her rival: “I know what is going on between you and Charles and I want you to know it.” And Camilla to answer him: “You had everything you wanted. All the men are in love with you and you gave birth to two beautiful boys, what more do you want?” The Princess of Wales then replied: “I want my husband. Sorry to be a nuisance, I know you must be going through hell because of me. But I know what it’s happening between you two. Stop taking me for an idiot.”
Short biography of Lady Diana
Born July 1, 1961 in Sandringham into a family of traditional British nobility, Diana Spencer became Princess of Wales in 1981 after her arranged marriage to the heir to the throne of England, Prince Charles. Hardly supporting the constraints of a court life and the sadness of a loveless marriage, the Princess of Wales quickly slipped into depression and attempted suicide shortly after the birth of her first son in 1982. The ruin of the princely marriage , materialized by numerous adulteries committed by one and the other of the parties, was initially stifled by the British press, but finally burst into the open in the early 1990s. The Prince and Princess of Wales ended up separated in 1992 and then officially divorced in 1996.
Despite the failure of her marriage and until her death in 1997, Lady Diana showed a remarkable commitment to many humanitarian causes. Thus, she put her notoriety at the service of the fight against HIV from 1987 and committed herself ardently against the use of anti-personnel mines during a highly publicized trip to Angola in 1997. It was partly her action that favored the signing of the Ottawa Treaty on December 3, 1997, prohibiting the use of anti-personnel mines.
Lady Diana: key dates
- July 29, 1981: Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana
- In the presence of 2,500 guests gathered at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the heir to the throne of Great Britain, Prince Charles, 32, marries Lady Diana Spencer, 19. The event is televised worldwide, and an estimated 600 million viewers watched the ceremony. They had two sons and divorced in 1996.
- August 31, 1997: Death of Lady Di
- Diana, the ex-wife of the Prince of Wales, dies at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris, after being the victim of a car accident in the tunnel of the Alma bridge. His companion Dodi al-Fayed, a wealthy Egyptian, was killed instantly, as was the driver, Henri Paul, who was driving fast to sow paparazzi. Only Diana’s bodyguard Trevor Rees Jones survived. two million people will follow his funeral.
- September 6, 1997: Princess Diana’s funeral
- Two million people take to the streets of London to pay their last respects to Princess Diana. During the ceremony, Elton John performs “Candle in the Wind”. In the afternoon Diana is buried at the Spencer family homestead in Althorp, North London.
