It has been 20 years since the tragic death of Princess Diana. ABC will be tracing her final days with a special called “The Last 100 Days of Diana.”
In honor of the special, we took a look back at the woman who was known as “the Princess of the People.”
Princess Diana on her way to the State Opening of Parliament on November 1981 in London, England. (Anwar Hussein/WireImage)
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Diana Spencer was born July 1, 1961, to Edward John Spencer and Frances Ruth Burke Roche. She was very shy as a young girl, but had an aristocratic upbringing. She became Lady Diana and her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer in 1975, writes ABC. Her parents divorced when she was young and her father gained custody. She attended Riddlesworth Hall School and then West Heath School. She showed an interest in music and dancing.
She met Prince Charles in 1977. He was 13 years older than her. After she finished school, Diana moved to London and became a kindergarten teacher. But throughout the late 1970s, Charles continued to court Diana. Their relationship was of huge public interest and extensively documented by the media.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana wave to the crowds following their wedding ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral, London on July 29, 1981. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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The two were married on July 29, 1981, and it was dubbed the “wedding of the century,” writes ABC. About 750 million people all over the world watched the ceremony on TV. In 1982, Prince William was born, followed by Prince Harry in 1984. Diana was overwhelmed by her responsibilities and the media spotlight at first, but later pursued her own interests.
Diana was always admired for her fashion and glamour, but she also was known for her worldwide philanthropy efforts. ABC writes that she champions causes including homelessness, disabilities, HIV/AIDS, the welfare of children and the opposition of landmines. The same month she died, Diana did charity work in Bosnia.
Diana and Charles’s marriage was not a happy one and they later divorced in 1996, but according to her Buckingham Palace biography, she was still considered a member of the royal family.
Diana was never able to get out of the spotlight. Her romance with Egyptian film producer Dodi Al-Fayed was constantly discussed. On the night of August 30, the couple was visiting Paris, and their car was pursued by the paparazzi. This resulted in the infamous high-speed crash. Al-Fayed and the driver, who was found to have a high amount of alcohol in his system, were killed. Princess Diana died later from her injuries at only 36 years old.
The whole world seemed to mourn for Diana, and 2.5 billion people watched her funeral on television.
Within days, supporters established the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, which has raised more than $179 million for the causes that the princess loved.
Take a look back at Diana’s life in photos.
Diana as a toddler in the 1960’s. (Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Corbis via Getty Images
Diana in 1969. (Fox Photos/Getty Images)
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Diana Spencer during a summer holiday in Itchenor, West Sussex in 1971. (Central Press/Getty Images)
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14 year old Diana with her pet pony ‘Scuffle’ in 1974. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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Diana outside her flat in Coleherne Court, London, before her engagement to the Prince of Wales, in 1980. (Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)
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Prince Charles and Princess Diana aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1981. (PA Images via Getty Images)
PA Images via Getty Images
Princess Diana at Highgrove, Gloucestershire on July 18, 1986. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Diana Spencer during a visit to Broadlands, the former home Of Earl Mountbatten on May 9, 1981. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Princess Diana on her first official visit to Wales greeted by a crowd on October 27,1981. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Diana with Prince William and Prince Harry in Kensington Palace on October 4,1985. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Prince Charles and Princess Diana with Prince William & Prince Harry in the wild flower meadow at Highgrove house in Gloucestershire, England on July 14, 1986. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Diana at the premiere of the Bond film ‘For Your Eyes Only’ on June 24, 1981. Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)
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Diana, Prince William And Prince Harry visit ‘Thorpe Park’ amusement park on April 13, 1993. (Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images)
UK Press via Getty Images
Princess Diana with Prince William at home in Kensington Palace on October 22,1985. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Princess Diana with princes William & Harry skiing In Lech, Austria on April 10, 1991. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Diana at Neves Bendinha in Luanda, Angola on January 14, 1997. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Tim Graham/Getty Images
Diana wears body armor during a visit to a landmine on January, 1997 in Angola. (Anwar Hussein Collection/Getty Images)
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Princess Diana with Mother Teresa in New York on June 18,1997. (Anwar Hussein/WireImage)
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Princess Diana with her sons Prince William and Prince Harry at the Heads of State VE Remembrance Service in Hyde Park on May 7, 1995 in London, England. (Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)
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Diana dances with John Travolta at the White House, on November 9, 1985. (Anwar Hussein/WireImage)
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Charles And Princess Diana arriving at the Cannes Film Festival for a gala night in honor of actor Sir Alec Guinness on May 15, 1987. (Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Tim Graham/Getty Images
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