Princess Diana Through the Years: From Loving Mother to Passionate Activist

Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

Princess Diana Through the Years: From Loving Mother to Passionate Activist

Princess Diana left a grand legacy in her wake following her death in 1997. Diana married into England’s royal family in July 1981, when she and King Charles III (then Prince Charles) exchanged vows. The couple soon welcomed heirs to the throne, with Diana giving birth to Prince William in 1982 and to Prince Harry two years later. Charles and Diana famously dealt with their fair share of strife throughout the 15-year marriage — including infidelity — resulting in their December 1992 separation. Diana and Charles’ divorce was finalized in August 1996 and Diana moved on with Dodi Fayed. The then-Princess of Wales died in August 1997 after a car crash in Paris after being chased by photographers. Fayed and the driver of the vehicle, Henri Paul, were also killed. William and Harry, who were 15 and 12, respectively, at the time of their mother’s death, have since kept her legacy alive. Both princes have named their daughters after their late mom, with William and Princess Kate including “Diana” as one of daughter Princess Charlotte’s middle names, along with “Elizabeth” for the late Queen Elizabeth II. Harry and wife Meghan Markle’s daughter, Lilibet “Lili” Diana, is also named for her late grandmother and great-grandmother. Scroll through to see Princess Diana through the years:

Credit: Bettmann/Getty Images

1961

Diana was born on July 1, 1961, in Sandringham to parents John and Frances Spencer. She was the fourth of five children, including sisters Sarah and Jane, as well as brothers Charles and John; the latter died as an infant.

Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

1970s

Before taking her place in the royal family, the future princess worked as a kindergarten teaching assistant.

Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

1980

Diana met Charles for the first time in November 1977. She was 16 at the time and he was dating her sister Sarah. The heir became interested in Diana in 1980 when she watched him play polo, and they soon began their relationship.

Credit: Anwar Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images

1981

Charles proposed to Diana in February 1981, despite their nearly 13-year age difference. The couple tied the knot in July 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral.

Credit: David Levenson/Getty Images

1982

The newlyweds’ first pregnancy was announced in November 1981. Prince William arrived in June 1982, and Diana introduced her baby boy to the world on the steps of the Lindo Wing at St. Mary’s Hospital. Princess Kate later followed in her footsteps when she welcomed Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis there with husband William.

Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

1983

Charles and Diana traveled for royal engagements early in their marriage. They even took William, then 9 months, to Australia and New Zealand in March 1983. The move was controversial at the time but has become more normal for the next generation of royals.

Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

1984

Prince Harry was born in September 1984. Diana stuck to the same routine she used when showing off William, posing on the steps at the hospital with her newest bundle.

Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

1986

“She was very informal and really enjoyed the laughter and the fun,” William later reflected in 2017’s Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy. “She was one of the naughtiest parents — but she understood that there was a real life outside of palace walls.”

Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

1992

Diana and Charles’ separation became public knowledge in December 1992. The 2018 book Charles at 70: Thoughts, Hopes and Dreams claimed that the prince “desperately” wanted to get out of the wedding in the first place when he “discovered just how awful the prospects were, having had no chance to get to know Diana beforehand.”

Credit: Julian Parker/UK Press/Getty Images

1993

Diana tried to give her children a normal upbringing. As such, she visited Thorpe Park with the princes in April 1993.

Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

1996

Charles and Diana finalized their divorce in August 1996 after Queen Elizabeth II advised them to make their split legal. 

Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty Images

1997

Diana retained her commitment to charity work after her breakup. She famously walked through a field of landmines in Angola in January 1997. Harry has since taken up the cause after finding inspiration from his late mother. “It’s equally important, if not more so, to do the stuff behind the scenes,” he told the UK’s Mirror in September 2015. “It’s something that our mother did a lot of. And that’s the time that you really get to learn. You get the experiences and you actually get the honest truth out of people.”

Credit: Jeff J. Mitchell/AFP/Getty Images

1997

The Princess of Wales died in a car crash on August 31, 1997, as she tried to evade paparazzi in Paris. Her funeral was held on September 6. “When she died there was such an outpour of emotion and love, which was quite shocking,” Harry said in 2017’s Diana, 7 Days. “It was beautiful at the same time, and it was amazing now looking back at it. I think that our mother had such a huge effect on so many people.”

Credit: Dominic Lipinski/AP/Shutterstock

2021

The late Princess of Wales was immortalized with a statue in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace on July 1, 2021, nearly 24 years after her death. Diana’s two sons William and Harry came together in London to pay tribute to their mother on what would have been her 60th birthday. “We remember her love, strength and character – qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better,” the siblings said in a joint statement at the time. “Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy.” Diana’s memory will forever be marked by the statue, a plaque with a poem from her 2007 memorial, a playground and a fountain on the grounds.

Credit: Library via Getty Images

2023

Harry revealed in his January 2023 memoir, Spare, why he thinks Diana played a part in his and wife Meghan’s first pregnancy. Harry recalled a spiritual moment when Meghan was taking two at-home pregnancy tests and he “fell asleep” and woke up to Meghan placing the wands on his nightstand.

“I only kept a few things there, among them the blue box with my mother’s hair,” he wrote. “Right, I thought, good. Let’s see what Mummy can do with this situation.” A few moments later, the couple looked at both tests and found they were positive. “I thought: Thank you, Mummy,” Harry concluded.

Credit: Library via Getty Images

2023

In February 2023, Diana made headlines once again when a collection of her letters to friends Susie and Tarek Kassem between the years of 1994 to 1997 were sold at auction for $169,663. The correspondence between the princess and her friends took place during Diana’s divorce from Charles.

“Susie and Tarek Kassem, as very close friends of Diana, Princess of Wales, have treasured these letters for over 25 years,” a statement from Lay’s Auctioneers read. “They have decided to sell the letters and use proceeds of the sale to support some of the charities that were close to Susie and Diana’s hearts.”

The letters give fans insight into Diana’s mindset when she was divorcing Charles, including one dated in August 1996, shortly after the legal proceedings were finalized. She wrote at time: “I am more than happy to have my freedom and reckon that I’m very fortunate to have a second chance. Lots of nice things have come my way and it’s fun … who’d have thought!”