Overview of Diana, Princess of Wales
Before she was known as the famous Diana, Princess of Wales, Diana had a much more common and relatable beginning. Her full name was Diana Frances Mountbatten-Windsor, nee Spencer. Diana’s parents were divorced when she was eight years old. When her mother left the family, Diana along with in with her two older sisters and the younger brother stayed with their father. At school, Diana was an average student who enjoyed music and participated in athletics. In her late teens, Diana bought an apartment in London and worked cleaning houses and baby sitting (Badertscher, 2009). Eventually she became a kindergarten teacher at the Young England School in Pimlico (“The British Monarchy,” 2009). Diana’s relationship with Charles, Prince of Wales, started about this time when she was nineteen years old (Badertscher, 2009).
Diana’s background gave her insight and empathy to the general public. She had a better understanding of the outside world because of her past, especially when compared to the other royal family members. She became a role model for many women and provided encouragement, even when she herself was struggling.
To many people, Diana, Princess of Wales is remembered for most of her life as a glamorous princess who was always in the pubic eye. Besides the glamour and scandal, Diana is also remembered for her charity work. Diana was president or a member of over 100 charities including children and people with HIV/Aids, Centrepoint (homeless charity), Leprosy Mission, and the Royal Marsden Hospital. Before Diana’s death, she was part of an American Red Cross campaign to ban the manufacture and use of landmines. As a leader, Diana used her fame and position to help countless children, the homeless, and people with disabilities and sickness (“The British Monarchy,” 2009).
The most notable examples that Diana Princess of Wales set, including compassion and caring, will be forever carried on. Even after her death, her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, put on a benefit concert in which the proceeds went to many of the charities she supported in her life (“The British Monarchy,” 2009).
Badertscher, E. (2009). Diana, Princess of Wales. Historical European Leaders.
The Royal Household at Buckingham Palace (2009). The Official website of The British
Monarchy. Retrieved from http://www.royal.gov.uk/Home.aspx
Retrieved on October 05, 2009
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Princess Diana was an admirable woman and in my opinion an icon that will touch the lives of many people for countless years to come. Her ability to rise from the public criticism and horrible repercussions of her divorce, not only from the prince but the royal family, exhibited her true ability to be a leader. Her childhood prepared her for a life of commonality and not that of a royal princess and perhaps that is what kept her grounded and in touch with reality.
ReplyDeleteThe woman I chose was Margaret Sanger, although she was not as elegant or soft spoken as the princess was she too had the quality of empathy. Margaret had lost her mother and crusaded forward with her pursuit to gain rights for woman both of their body and societal rights. As you noted, Diana was known for her charitable work and so was Margaret Sanger. Margaret was a nurse serving in the extremely poor conditions of the slums in the Lower East Side of New York City. She witnessed the affects of self-induced abortions, the transferring of diseases from mother to child, and the deaths of mothers and children due to poor health conditions. Her sense of empathy towards the women and children motivated her crusade that had an impact on the women’s rights movement.
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ReplyDeleteI am surprised to hear about Princess Diana’s upbringing. I had no idea she was commoner and she had what hardships she faced. After reading about her background information on Princess Diana it is easy see how she was such a compassionate and caring person. She was a member of the commoner society and knew what it was like to struggle. Being a teacher allowed her to touch many people lives and teaching enabled her to learn about a lot of different hardships in world. Students have many issues that people cannot even imagine. As teacher tries and teach these issues will come out and teachers have to find a way to deal with these issues and somehow manage to teach at the same time. This truly is an eye opening experience. Then seeing her as a maid was mind blowing. A job that seems to be below most people was not too low for the future Princess of England. That is amazing. The experience must have been humbling.
ReplyDeleteHer job as an educator and maid along with the fact she was a commoner paints a better picture of why she did not get along with the royal family. The royal family cannot even imagine what commoners faced every day. Since, they cannot relate to the commoners, commoners made a connection with her. This connection would not make the royal family happy.