Character Analysis
Lady Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961, to Edward John Spencer and Frances Ruth Burke Roche (Mcevoy). On the 29th of July 1981, she married Prince Charles of Wales at the age of twenty (“The Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer”). Diana Spencer was, at her core, a compassionate and resilient woman who challenged the injustice.
Diana’s empathy was evident in everything she did, from sponsoring charities to simple handshakes. Beginning in 1987, the princess immersed herself in numerous charities, starting with the Landmark AIDs Center, where she shocked the world with a single handshake. In 1987, at the London Middlesex Hospital, she took the hand of an AIDs patient without wearing gloves (“How Princess Diana Changed Attitudes to Aids”). With this single touch, she challenged the presumption that the disease was caused by contact, while also demonstrating her compassion and understanding. Diana also advocated against landmines, homelessness, and poverty; she also brought awareness and funds to leprosy and cancer centers. She became president of the cancer hospital, where she opened a ward for child cancer patients (Mathews). Diana, Princess of Wales, helped hundreds of people through her sponsorships and cancer ward. After her death, her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, established The Diana Award in honor of her legacy (Mathews). It continues to highlight her belief that young people can and will change the world (“The Diana Award”). This award gives young people opportunities and training to help their communities fight against bullying and other societal problems.
Through her charity work, media expectations, and personal struggles, Diana was resilient and courageous. She worked relentlessly to overturn the stigma surrounding AIDS, even when the media criticized her. Diana constantly tried to keep her personal life private and reportedly tried to avoid the paparazzi by taking unexpected routes and lying to reporters (Smith). She was determined to give the press only what she wanted them to have, while keeping her personal matters out of the public eye. The media’s criticism augmented Diana’s mental health problems. Near the end of her marriage, “she struggled with bulimia, self-injury and lingering feelings of worthlessness,” reported professor of human development, Jane Mendel (Herman). She also admitted that Prince Charles’ relationship with Camilla “had driven her to a suicide attempt... during Christmas 1982” (Chua-Eoan et al.). Diana’s courageous honesty about her mental health inspired many people suffering similarly to seek help. It also showed that even royalty faces emotional difficulties, and no one is alone with their problems.
Princess Diana’s actions also contested royal stereotypes. Not only were these stereotypes challenged by her work with advocacy of health and situational problems, but she also challenged them with her stellar fashion sense and day-to-day actions. After Diana’s husband revealed that he had cheated on her in 1994, Diana wore a dress that was affectionally dubbed her “revenge dress.” The black form-fitting dress with the short, asymmetrical hemline was considered daring for the time, as it broke away from societal norms (Lewis). In 1991, the princess was at Prince Harry’s school for a sports day. Despite being advised not to participate in the mother’s race, she did so anyway as not to disappoint her son (Team, et al.).
Princess Diana Spencer fought for what she believed in, whether that was the acknowledgment of a debilitating disease or a race she wanted to participate in, and she helped thousands of people during her thirty-six years of life. Her empathy showed in everything she did from sponsoring charities to her legacy. She courageously helped as many people as she could and stood against what she deemed wrong or unacceptable. Her atypical actions still warm the heart of the public today. Diana will be remembered as a dedicated mother and a charming advocate of many worthy causes.