“Goodbye England’s rose,” Elton John sang in his reworking of Candle in the Wind as a tribute to Princess Diana. It was released in September 1997, just a week after Diana, Princess of Wales had died in a car crash in Paris. The People’s Princess was beloved and adored by millions, and she changed the way the Royal Family were viewed in the UK.
Glamorous, compassionate, kind, and caring, Diana was the face of a nation. And it wasn’t just the British who adored her – people all across the world loved her as well. This year will mark the twentieth anniversary of her passing, and it’s a fitting time to look back at the life of Lady Diana Spencer. So, here are some amazing facts you never knew about Diana, Princess of Wales.
She wanted to be a ballerina
Diana didn’t always want to be a Princess – does anyone really choose that as a career? Instead, she actually harbored aspirations of being a ballet dancer. A keen ballerina as a child, Diana showed talent from an early age and looked all set for a career in ballet. However, this didn’t work out, as we of course know. It seems that when Diana, always naturally tall, reached her top height of 5’10” she was declared as too tall to make it as a professional ballerina.
Keeping it in the family
Believe it or not, Diana was not the first member of her family to date Prince Charles! In fact, her sister Sarah actually dated the Prince before he got together with Diana. Apparently, Sarah had spoken to the press and revealed information, which didn’t go down well with Charles. Soon after he ended things with Sarah, and instead turned his attentions to Diana. Lady Sarah gave her blessing, and also took the credit for introducing them to one another.
Famous wedding gown
There are a lot of iconic wedding dresses in the world, but there aren’t many as iconic as this one. Diana’s ivory gown was designed by David and Elizabeth Emmanuel and is considered to be the most iconic and recognizable wedding dress in history. There have been many attempts to copy the dress and the design, but they have never quite been the same. The dress had 10,000 pearls on it, along with a 25-foot train – that is quite some gown!
Private burial
Diana’s death touched a nation, and millions of people turned out for her funeral. However, the Princess was actually buried on the family estate, away from the crowds, as a mark of respect. To maintain privacy, her resting place was chosen to be an island on her family’s estate, with no visitors allowed. The island is populated by 36 oak trees, one for each of the years of Diana’s life.
She was always considerate
One of the enduring things of Diana’s legacy was how much of a kind and considerate person she was. Always looking to do the right thing, and always showing compassion in times of trouble. She was always considerate too and was known to send thank you notes for even the smallest of things. She instilled this in her sons as well and made sure they thanked and recognized those who were helpful to them.
As you might imagine, this is just a snippet into the life of a truly remarkable woman. Diana was a force of nature, one who changed the way we view the British Royal Family. She may be gone 20 years now, but her legacy lives on.
