Princess Diana

On 3rd December 1993 the obviously pained Diana announced in her speech at a charity event in London that she would withdraw from public life and above all dedicate herself to raising her sons. The emotional speech stirred the whole nation and sympathisers of Diana the whole world over. The Queen had feared exactly that and had therefore tried to stop the daughter-in-law from taking the dramatic step in public.

Behind the backdrop a new role for Diana was feverishly being searched for.

In April 1994 Diana was named as the Special Ambassador of the British Red Cross and the right path was being taken, however yet again a good starting point was torpedoed through others' intentions. In August 1994 terrible accusations were hurled at Diana, she had supposedly made nuisance phone calls to Oliver Hoare, a common friend of her and Charles. Desperately she armed herself and informed the press that she could not have made the phone calls as she had not been present at the time of the calls. She accused Prince Charles' advisors of plotting against her. It did indeed emerge that Diana had not made the calls.

Charles' advisors advised him to talk openly in order to improve his miserable public image. In June 1994 the Prince acknowledged in a television interview that after five years of investing in the stability and to save his marriage this broke up, as he had given up. Once again his already low popularity level sank even lower, the media turned into the laundry room for the Royals' dirty washing.

As the media grew to be even more on the side of the betrayed Diana and idolised the ever more beautiful, ever more excitingly dressed woman, the sensational book "Princess in Love" appeared in the USA. The author was James Hewitt. In the book Diana's former bodyguard and sons' riding instructor stated that for five years he had been not only the confidant, but also Diana's lover. By doing so he broke the code of not exposing the palace through the writing of personal memoirs: Diana had been supposedly desperate, hungry for love and insatiable at that. Every man at Diana's side finished as her lover. She was accused of being a marriage breaker. She moved from one alleged sex scandal to the next. Diana's nerves lay blank.

The shock for the public was large, puzzling advice about the truth or deception. At the palace they read the alleged scandalous stories with mixed feelings, they hoped ever more for a reconciliation between the pair, at least for a limitation of the damage. In a cautious statement from the palace Charles and Diana both announced together that they were neither discussing a divorce nor a financial settlement. The last installment of the investigative novel followed exactly one year later, in November 1995. On the wedding anniversary of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip the BBC broadcast the interview wit Diana, in which the Princess admitted the affair with Hewitt, she said she had been lonely, the marriage had made her sick and in need of loving care - and she had been a little in love, had however been disappointed. She declared that she was not interested in a divorce and could imagine a role for herself as in the completely unique role of "Ambassador of the Heart" for the interests of the nation. Four days later the nation who had seen the suffering Diana on the television judged wit ha majority of 56 percent that the deeply injured Princess deserved sympathy. Only nine percent voted in the questionnaire in favour of the obviously guilty Charles.

The Queen again had to limit the damage of this to the monarchy and still in November she undertook talks with Prime Minister Major in order to discuss the future role of the unbroken, attractive and still socially engaged Diana. In order to end the unbearable public speculation and accusations the Queen ordered, in two separate letters, Charles and Diana to get divorced.

On 28th February 1996 Diana had to agree to a divorce.

On 15th July 1996 the divorce was presented before the High Court.

On 28th August at 10.27 am the marriage was annulled.

20 pounds for administration costs were to be paid.

 

Divorce

On 15th July 1996 the divorce is finalized in the High Court.

Diana leaves the court sadly but with dignity

The divorce papers which Diana signed with some reluctance were an oppressive contract.

Diana's duties -

According to the contract she has to have the agreement of the Queen for every activity which was in the public eye.

She is not allowed to move abroad.

She has to have the acceptance of the Queen and the government for all trips, even those with charitable purposes.She must let the Palace check all new activities, even charitable ones.

 

Diana was more constrained than ever before, and added to this, had lost many privileges. She was not a Royal Highness any more, theoretically she would have to formally curtsey before Charles, her own sons, even before distant relatives. She was not allowed to represent England abroad any more. She didn't receive public money for her work any more. She had to clear her desk in St. James' Palace. And on events of national importance she would only be able to take part with the express invitation of the Palace.

What Charles and his family gave Diana -

Diana received a settlement of around æÃ33 million.

She was allowed to keep her jewellery, including personal gifts to Diana.

She remained the bearer of the three Orders which Queen Elizabeth had lent her.

Her office where she organised her charitable work was supported by æÃ300,000 yearly.

She is allowed to remain living in Kensington Palace until William and Henry come of age.

The custody of the children is shared by both parents , as is common in England.

Besides this, Diana was allowed to keep using the title  "Princess of Wales".

Diana's divorce certificate

On 28th August the decree of divorce was given at 10.27 am.

That was the final stage of Diana's marriage. Diana drove away crying.

Like a soap bubble the dream of eternal luck was burst.

 

 

Queen of humanity

 

Diana's social commitment:

Although after her divorce Diana pulled out of being patroness or president over 100 social institutions and charitable organizations, she took her role as patron of the English National Ballet, the Leprosy Mission and the British AIDS Help seriously. As well as these she remained president of the children's hospital Great Ormond Street and the Royal Marsden Hospital. To the many accolades which were given to Diana, belong the acceptance as Honorary Citizen of Northampton (1989) and the "Prize for Humanity".     

Who sees just a beautiful, elegant, well-travelled person in Diana, does her a bitter injustice. Certainly she bathed herself in camera light when she made public appearances. But there was hardly an evening function, hardly a meal, hardly a society duty, for which the Princess was not following a goal: she needed money. Money for children in need, money for people who had nothing more to expect from life and then suddenly did experience more help. Through the serious participation of the Princess of Wales, who at the start of her marriage with the Heir to the Throne had gone calmly naive from hospital to hospital, been given flowers from nurses and serenades from choirs of children, the theme of being charitable acquired a completely new quality in England.

Members of the Royal Family were always participants in charitable organisations, opened homes and hospitals. That there was suddenly someone who really was interested in the suffering of the sick, in their chances of recovery, had an effect of almost baffling people. Diana involved herself. And by doing that she very suddenly achieved the respect which was denied to her inside the Windsor family. Certainly Princess Anne was one of the hardest working Windsors for do-good organisations. But she always failed to do what Diana knew she could achieve by mastering her charm: she collected a great amount of money in order to do a great deal of good.

 
   

Diana danced at balls, the gentlemen paid up to æÃ7000 entrance fee in order to hold her just once in their arms. She auctioned her most beautiful dresses in order to help cancer sufferers with the proceeds. She was one of the most active people in raising money for the AIDS foundation in her country, and the Red Cross was more grateful to her than it was possible to express with orders and words. She spoke to and comforted innumerable sick, poor and lepers. She fought for people who had been victims of landmines. Two days after her death a conference was opened in Oslo over the theme of landmines and their terrible consequences for the civilians. This international congress began with a minute's silence for the princess, who had visited landmine victims in Bosnia a few weeks earlier.

After her separation and final divorce from Prince Charles, Diana had declared her withdrawal from charitable duties for the time being. But she didn't stick to this statement for long. She quickly realised that in spite of her personal needs and problems the poor and sick in the whole world desperately needed help, her help. There are people who already have simply endured far too much misery in their lives, to let themselves be hoodwinked by beautiful appearances. Such a person is Mother Theresa. After she had met the Princess of Wales a close contact developed between the two apparently so dissimilar women.

Mother Theresa (who died one day before Diana's burial ) respected the beauty from Kensington Palace, Princess Diana spoke full of reverence for the ninety-year-old, who worked miracles in Calcutta in India. The two women could have achieved so much more together. A chance which remained denied to the pair.

Only two stories from the life which speak for themselves:

Winter 1994. Diana drives through the streets of London. It is bitterly cold. She stops by a bridge under which junkies and homeless people are spending the night. Flotsam and jetsam of society. The 23 year-old social worker Paul George: "Diana spoke with us, the poor people!" Diana didn't just take official appointments seriously, but was also there where she was needed.

A ballet dancer is infected with HIV. His death is just a question of time. Diana got to know him through her work with the AIDS-Help. She accompanied him on his difficult way with the illness, and asked him to phone her when he was reaching the end. For two days and three nights she held the hand of the AIDS sufferer, until he breathed his last breath.

Diana:

"The worst illness of our time is

that so many people have to suffer from

not ever being loved."

 

Diana showed the people her love for them. For this she was loved.

 

Dodi Al Fayed

 

She was still so young, so full of vitality and a lust for life. Certainly the princess worked hard, but she was also a woman with erotic needs, with an inclination for love and passion. Diana longed for a male shoulder to lean on. At 36 life was not yet over, completely the opposite is true - the divorced princess had the feeling that hers would now properly begin. For Diana getting acquainted with men was always a great problem, and acquiring trust was an ever greater one. Yet in the summer of 1997 the princess tossed her cares aside and once again fell head over heels in love. She gave herself over completely to this wonderful feeling of being in love. This time Diana hoped that he would be the right one. Her choice was called Dodi Al-Fayed.

He was 41 years old and, like her, divorced. On the whole Diana and Dodi had many similarities: both had not been diligent at school, both stemmed from broken homes, both had been left by their mothers as children and grew up with their fathers. Their financial situations were also similar, both had access to fortunes worth more than a million. Accordingly even their luxurious lifestyles were certainly similar. This aspect was not completely unimportant for the Princess of Wales. Only in this way could she be certain that the man who she loved would not be after her money, or would later write some kind of revelation book.

Diana and Dodi met at various parties. They both found each other pleasant and came ever more closer to each other at the end of 1996. That had certainly also something to do with the fact that Dodi's father had suddenly placed a lot of money into charity in order to improve his public image. Enough common topics for conversation were in any case at hand. Yet it would be still a few months until true love emerged from inner friendship. In July 1997 Mohamed invited his son, Diana and her children to a Mediterranean cruise on his sea-worthy luxury yacht.

They say that it was here that the famous sparks were ignited. They were happy days full of fun and affection. Dodi was an exceedingly charming and attentive man. He fulfilled the Princess's every wish, showered her with compliments and little gifts. Finally Diana felt like a woman again, loved, honoured and respected. Dodi conquered her heart very gently and without haste. She should slowly gain trust and only then decide whether she would like to enter in to a love-affair. Diana enjoyed this trip very much. Life appeared to her to be suddenly so carefree and joyful. Yes, her heart started to pound again! It was clear to her that she wanted this man. She felt safe, secure and desirable. Two weeks later Dodi and Diana once more undertook a 6-day trip.

They say that it was here that the famous sparks were ignited. They were happy days full of fun and affection. Dodi was an exceedingly charming and attentive man. He fulfilled the Princess's every wish, showered her with compliments and little gifts. Finally Diana felt like a woman again, loved, honoured and respected. Dodi conquered her heart very gently and without haste. She should slowly gain trust and only then decide whether she would like to enter in to a love-affair. Diana enjoyed this trip very much. Life appeared to her to be suddenly so carefree and joyful. Yes, her heart started to pound again! It was clear to her that she wanted this man. She felt safe, secure and desirable. Two weeks later Dodi and Diana once more undertook a 6-day trip.

Dodi's father owned a dream villa in St. Tropez. That was the right place for undisturbed togetherness! But the journalists naturally didn't stay in England, they also travelled to the South of France. The pink coloured villa was well known, the yacht too. So they posted themselves with giant telephoto lenses near the action and rented small motorboats, so that they could not miss anything. They certainly got a lot to see: Diana and Dodi canoodling on the deck, hot embraces on the villa terrace, kisses on board, loving little games in the water. There finally was really a story - the journalists celebrated.

Diana noticed the photographers. She knew what would soon appear in the papers. She felt terribly worked up and troubled. However she didn't want to let this ruin her good mood and the fun she was having. Diana didn't think about keeping in the villa or under deck with Dodi. The sun shone gloriously in the blue sky, and the water shone like silver. She wanted to be happy, to enjoy herself with every fibre of her body. One time the princess even approached the photographers and said to them: "I have a huge surprise for you! You just have to wait a little..." Even though the curiosity of the photographers had been greatly awoken, she didn't betray any more information

At the same time England wondered why Diana had a round belly in the photos when wearing her swimming costume. She couldn't be expecting a baby? Was that perhaps the great surprise that she soon wanted to announce? The speculations came thick and fast.

Comment: When one considers that Diana and Dodi had been together for only a few weeks, it appears quite sensational to be able to recognise a pregnancy bump. Besides, it is questionable that Diana would consider having a baby with Dodi after such a short time.

The photos of Diana and Dodi went all around the world, and a woman called Kelly Fisher from Los Angeles announced herself loudly to the world. In front of running cameras she cried thick tears and cursed Dodi Al-Fayed as a cad and heartbreaker. The former photograph model had been Dodi's previous lover to Diana. "He promised to marry me", she accused, "He wanted to marry me this year". As proof she held her engagement ring, a sapphire set in diamonds, in the air. Yet the press officer for the Al-Fayed family denied this: Dodi and Kelly had been together until January. Since then they had just been friends. The ring was a friendship ring, nothing more. Kelly brought in her lawyer. She demanded compensation of ten million dollars. And because Kelly was so completely disappointed, she sold intimate details to a magazine for a lot of money. Dodi, one could read, was a Playboy, a poor lover and a liar.

All the world asked how Diana would react to this scandal. Was everything over? Would she leave Dodi? Did she cry bitter tears? The Princess of Wales did the opposite. She flew to Sardinia with her lover for a further short holiday. Diana knew from her own bitter experience how terrible it is to read revealing stories in the papers. She didn't react to the gossip. One can come to the conclusion from this that this experience just brought the pair closer together. They became allies against the rest of the world.

The pair took altogether four short breaks to the Mediterranean. It was said that Diana and Dodi were already secretly engaged. Mohamed Al-Fayed confirmed the close connection between his son and the Princess. The wedding should take place in the autumn reported the newspapers. Dodi gave his chosen one a beautiful diamond ring worth æÃ150,000. It bore the inscription "Say yes to me". The jeweller who made the ring said that as Dodi bought the ring, he said "This ring is for the love of my life".

Diana gave Dodi supposedly antique cufflinks that she had inherited from her father. A very meaningful present, when one considers how much she admired her father. These cufflinks were priceless keepsakes which she would certainly not be easily parted from: they were a proof of love! Besides these she gave him a gold cigarette case with the engraving: "With love, from Diana".

Protocol the last days of her great luck in love:

Sunday, 24th August:

Early, at four o'clock, Di and Dodi leave the harbour at Monaco in the direction of Portofino on the million pound yacht Jonikal. There the photos were taken which show the pair on deck looking so in love.

Monday, 25th August:

Diana and Dodi leave Portofino by yacht in a southerly direction and throw down anchor before Portovenere in Italy, a small place twenty kilometres south of La Spezia.

Tuesday, 26th August:

The lovers are sighted just off the Island of Elba, where the pair spend the whole day.

Wednesday, 27th August:

The Egyptian and the Princess leave Elba and sail in the direction of Sardinia.

Thursday, 28th August:

The pair spend some time on the island and are seen in Olbia, in the north-east of Sardinia.

Friday, 29th August:

They spend a further day there.

Saturday, 30th August:

Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayad fly from Sardinia to Paris and land at Le Bourget airport. In the evening they stroll along the splendid street, the Champs-Elyées, and enjoy a concluding dinner for two in the exclusive hotel Ritz, which belongs to Dodi's father.

On the next day Diana wants to hug her children in her arms, pass the last days of holiday with them together. Yet it will not come to this any more.

What began as a fairytale ends in a tragedy which will shatter the world.

 

Accident

It was Saturday, 30th August 1997.

A beautiful warm day in Sardinia, yet Diana and Dodi's holiday had come to an end, and they wanted to go home. The pair didn't however fly directly to London. They still wanted to enjoy one or two days in Paris. Dodi's father had placed his private jet at their disposal, a short stop between destinations was therefore not a problem. They landed in the city of love at 15.15. The lovers were at once followed by the press. The pair viewed a Paris town house owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed. Then the pair drove to the Al-Fayed private villa. A cool drink, a little brush up, pull on comfortable clothes.

Dodi and Diana wanted to spend the weekend completely casually and intimately. Towards evening they drove to the Champs-áµlysã´es, Diana wanted to view the beautiful shops on the magnificent avenue. The pair strolled down the street, she in light coloured trousers and a dark blazer, he in jeans and a leather shirt. They looked like completely normal tourists, no-one showed the famous lovers any great attention. Later they decided to have dinner at the Ritz hotel. It belongs to Dodi's father.

Here they could sit in a peaceful corner of the restaurant. And as there was always a roomy suite for Dodi reserved in the Ritz, the pair could freshen themselves before they dined. Diana arranged for a hairdresser to attend to her, but didn't feel like getting changed. Dodi too remained casually dressed. They didn't feel very hungry and in the restaurant they ordered a little fish, white wine and coffee. Somehow the pair were nervous. They wanted to drive immediately to Dodi's private villa, the journalists were not supposed to get the opportunity to follow.

Was the dinner in the Ritz just an evasive action? Should the photographers believe that Diana and Dodi would spend the night in the hotel?  In any case Dodi arranged evading tactics with the hotel staff:a chauffeur drove his limousine from the main entrance, turned round after a few kilometres and returned back to the hotel. And yes, the photographers followed on their motorbikes. Yet they soon realised that something was afoot, and remained on the hotel forecourt. At 19 minutes past midnight Diana and Dodi were ready to go. They chose the back exit which led out on to the narrow street Rue Cambon.

They also didn't take the normal  Mercedes 600, instead taking an inconspicuous model, a Mercedes 280. The second security man at the hotel, Henri Paul, should drive the car. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones sat in the front seat, Dodi and Diana in the back. The car drove away.

At the Place de la Concorde the car with the prominent passengers was followed by the photographers, who were ever in the hope of taking good photos. They grew ever larger in numbers, the photographers probably stayed in contact using mobile phones. Henri Paul gave gas. He wanted to outdrive the paparazi under all conditions. With squeeking tyres he accelerated away. He drove faster and faster. Henri Paul took the fast road at the harbour of the river Seine, raced then into the tunnel under the Place de Alma. The speed limit is 80 kilometres, he drove a full 180. Shortly after the entrance to the tunnel he completely lost control of the heavy car. The car skidded, lurched from side to side and finally crashed at high speed into the 13th concrete post! An explosion happened on impact. It was exactly 0:25. The driver was dead at the scene.