ABC recently aired a two-part special about Diana, Princess of Wales called The Story of Diana. Here are some of the most fascinating things we learned:
Some facts are well-known, but are included to provide context.
Diana Spencer was born on the Sandringham Estate, which her family rented from the Royal family.
Diana worked at a nursery school before she became a princess.
Diana and Charles’ courtship was formal — she apparently called him “sir.”
They were only together a dozen times before he proposed.
Diana was only 19 when she got engaged and married to Charles.
After their engagement was announced, Charles was asked if they were in love, and he said, “Whatever ‘in love’ means...such a range of interpretations.”
Diana's hairstyle during the engagement was so popular that women started copying it.
Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Instead of hiring a famous designer to make her wedding dress, Diana hired a couple, David and Elizabeth Emanuel, who had just graduated college a year earlier.
The designers ordered both ivory and white fabrics to throw the press off the scent of what the dress would look like. They had to take these precautions because the press was known to dig through their trash for anything they could find.
Afp / AFP / Getty Images
According to Elizabeth Emanuel, Diana went from a 26-inch/27-inch waist to a 23-inch waist for her wedding.
Because her dress was made of taffeta, it was quite crumpled when she got out of her carriage.
It was a three-and-a-half minute walk down the aisle.
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall — Charles' current wife, who he had a previous relationship with prior to Diana — attended the wedding. And, according to Diana, she was looking for Camilla as she walked up the aisle.
Diana broke with tradition by not saying that “she promises to obey” during her wedding ceremony.
750 million people around the world watched the wedding take place.
Hulu
Usually, royals gave birth in the palace, but Diana had William in a hospital.
The press were so desperate to find out what was going on between Charles and Diana that they started paying people like butlers and delivery guys to get information.
ABC / Via Hulu
Paparazzi would try to provoke reactions out of Diana and shout awful things.
The Royal Palace officially announced Charles and Diana would separate on Dec. 9, 1992.
In 1993, press intrusion into the royal family was SO BAD that Parliament actually summoned the leaders of UK’s tabloid newspapers to discuss the subject of “privacy.”
According to a friend, Diana actually looked at newspapers every morning to see if she was on the front page.
Diana did a famous, tell-all TV interview for The BBC program Panorama with Martin Bashir on Nov. 20, 1995. This is where the famous line, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded” came from.
According to a friend, Diana actually looked at newspapers every morning to see if she was on the front page.
Diana did a famous, tell-all TV interview for The BBC program Panorama with Martin Bashir on Nov. 20, 1995. This is where the famous line, “There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded” came from.
After the interview, Diana’s title “Her Royal Highness” was removed, but she was able to remain “Diana, Princess of Wales.”
Charles and Diana divorced on Aug. 28, 1996.
Diana did her famous minefield walk in Angola on Jan. 15, 1997. During the humanitarian trip to Angola she said, “I have all this media interest, so let’s take it somewhere where they can be positive and raise a situation which is distressing, like this.”
Colin Tebbutt (Diana’s personal driver from 1996-1997) received a call about the crash at 1 a.m., but at that point people thought there were only minor injuries like bruises.
By around 3 a.m. on Aug. 31, 1997 Michael Gibbons (Diana’s private secretary) told Colin Tebbutt and others on the staff that Diana was dead.
Diana was only 36 when she died.
The first flight out of London to Paris was so full of press that the Prince of Wales’ police officer had to sit in the jump seat in the front of the plane.
The hospital staff covered the large windows in her room with blankets so the press couldn’t seen in.
This is what it looked like when Diana’s body was carried out of the hospital.
The streets of London were flooded with miles of people (and no cars) when Diana’s body returned.
The Queen/royal family made their official response about Diana’s death on Sep. 4, 1997.
On the day of Diana’s funeral, Sep. 6, 1997, the streets of London were completely empty, except for people going to her funeral.
ABC/via hulu
John Stillwell / AFP / Getty Images, Wolfgang Rattay / AFP / Getty Images
source: buzzfeed
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