Diana, Princess of Wales: A Biography

155 Pages·2008·1.72 MB·English

by  Martin Gitlin

Diana, Princess of Wales

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Diana, Princess
of Wales
A Biography
Martin Gitlin
greenwood biographies
Greenwood press
westport, ConneCtiCut • London

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gtln, Marty.
Dana, Prncess of Wales : a bography / by Martn Gtln.
p. cm. — (Greenwood bographes, ISSN 1540–4900)
Includes bblographcal references and ndex.
ISBN 0–313–34879–0 (alk. paper)
1. Dana, Prncess of Wales, 1961–1997. 2. Prncesses—
Great Brtan—Bography. I. Ttle.
DA591.A45D531455 2008
941.085'092—dc22
[B] 2008002110
Brtsh Lbrary Catalogung n Publcaton Data s avalable.
Copyrght © 2008 by Martn Gtln
All rghts reserved. No porton of ths book may be
reproduced, by any process or technque, wthout the
express wrtten consent of the publsher.
Lbrary of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2008002110
ISBN: 0–313–34879–0
ISSN: 1540–4900
Frst publshed n 2008
Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An mprnt of Greenwood Publshng Group, Inc.
www.greenwood.com
Prnted n the Unted States of Amerca
The paper used n ths book comples wth the
Permanent Paper Standard ssued by the Natonal
Informaton Standards Organzaton (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
v
This book is dedicated to my wife, Mitzi, and our three children,
Emily, Melanie, and Andrew, who bring so much joy into my life.
v
contents
Series Foreword x
Introduction x
Timeline: Events in the Life of Diana, Princess of Wales xv
Chapter 1 Brth of a Prncess 1
Chapter 2 A Famly Hstory 9
Chapter 3 Dana the Teenager 19
Chapter 4 Mergng Paths 27
Chapter 5 The Engagement 35
Chapter 6 The Weddng 45
Chapter 7 Early Years as a Royal 55
Chapter 8 The Crumblng Marrage 65
Chapter 9 Growng Compasson 75
Chapter 10 Ther Separate Ways 87
Chapter 11 Stll Chasng a Dream 99
Chapter 12 The Fnal Years and Fatal End 111
Epilogue 125
Selected Bibliography 129
Index 131
Photo essay follows Index
v
series foreWorD
In response to hgh school and publc lbrary needs, Greenwood devel-
oped ths dstngushed seres of full-length bographes specfcally for
student use. Prepared by feld experts and professonals, these engagng
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accessble bographes. Ideal for secondary school assgnments, the length,
format and subject areas are desgned to meet educators’ requrements and
students’ nterests.
Greenwood offers an extensve selecton of bographes spannng all
currculum-related subject areas ncludng socal studes, the scences,
lterature and the arts, hstory and poltcs, as well as popular culture,
coverng publc fgures and famous personaltes from all tme perods and
backgrounds, both hstorc and contemporary, who have made an mpact
on Amercan and/or world culture. Greenwood bographes were chosen
based on comprehensve feedback from lbrarans and educators. Con-
sderaton was gven to both currculum relevance and nherent nterest.
The result s an ntrgung mx of the well known and the unexpected, the
sants and snners from long-ago hstory and contemporary pop culture.
Readers wll fnd a wde array of subject choces from fascnatng crme
fgures lke Al Capone to nsprng poneers lke Margaret Mead, from
the greatest mnds of our tme lke Stephen Hawkng to the most amazng
success stores of our day lke J.K. Rowlng.
Whle the emphass s on fact, not glorfcaton, the books are meant
to be fun to read. Each volume provdes n-depth nformaton about the
subject’s lfe from brth through chldhood, the teen years, and adulthood.
x
x SERIES FOREWORD
A thorough account relates famly background and educaton, traces
personal and professonal nfluences, and explores struggles, accomplsh-
ments, and contrbutons. A tmelne hghlghts the most sgnfcant lfe
events aganst a hstorcal perspectve. Bblographes supplement the ref-
erence value of each volume.
introDuction
Defnng Prncess Dana wth any sweepng generalzatons s an exercse
n futlty. Those who categorze her solely by her chartable work would
be as one-sded n ther assessment as others who descrbe her as a needy
soul who searched n van for true love. Though t remans a pleasant no-
ton to remember Dana for the enormous humantaran mpact she made
on the world, t s not realstc to defne her solely by those efforts. The
prncess was an engmatc fgure who led a complex lfe.
What s certan s that Dana’s chldhood shaped all that followed.
Though her parents loved her, they were often dstant and lackng n
emotonal support. She was mothered and fathered by a seres of dotng
nannes, most of whom she lked, but none who could have possbly re-
placed a strong emotonal bond nurtured by truly commtted and adorng
parents.
The seeds planted early n lfe explan Dana’s carng sde as well. She
felt a sense of enttlement for the collecton of furry creatures she moth-
ered as a chld. At an early age, Dana developed a strong empathy for the
weak and less fortunate. Just as she needed someone to take care of her,
she understood that those helpless anmals requred others to look after
them, and she dd so wth every ounce of energy and passon she could
muster.
The desre to capture love lost n her formatve years and her natural
feelngs for those n need were the two strongest motvatng forces n D-
ana’s lfe. Though she craved attenton and prase, a lack of confdence re-
sulted n poor academc and early job-related performances. She acheved
greatness n her role as prncess prmarly because communcatng wth
x