Diana, Princess of Wales 1961-1997

Diana, Princess of Wales, the former Lady Diana Frances Spencer, was born on 1 July 1961, the daughter of the then Lord and Lady Althorp - now the late Earl Spencer and the late Honourable Mrs Shand­ Kydd.

Her father, a former Captain in the Royal Scots Greys, was Equerry to the late King George VI and subsequently Queen Elizabeth II.

The Princess had two elder sisters and a younger brother. She was brought up at her father's house on the Queen's estate at Sandringham and then at the family home of Althorp in Northamptonshire. After attending Riddlesworth Hall and West Heath School in Kent she completed her education in Switzerland and then taught at a kindergarten in Central London.

On 29 July 1981, the Princess married HRH The Prince of Wales at St Paul's Cathedral in London, the first Englishwoman to marry an heir to the throne for over 300 years.

Their first son, William Arthur Philip Louis was born on 21 June 1982 and Henry Charles Albert David on 15 September 1984. Prince William and Prince Harry are second and third respectively in line of succession to the throne.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were divorced on 28 August 1996. The Princess of Wales's London home was Kensington Palace where she was joined by her sons during their school holidays.

The Princess died on 31 August 1997.