Sons' Education

After Harry's birth, it had become increasingly clear to his mother that the marriage with Prince Charles would not last long. The views of Lady Diana on parenthood and education contradicted with those of her husband. Prince Charles' perception of his two sons was that since they belonged to the royal family they had to be brought up as per the palace traditions. He wanted his children to be educated for a couple of years in the palace with privacy. But the princess wanted them to be trained in as normal a way as possible.

Initially, both William and Harry were sent to Mrs Mynor's nursery school in central London and then to the nearby Wetherby School in Notting Hill. Lady Diana did not want her sons to go to a boarding school but Prince Charles, who though having had bitter experiences at the boarding, insisted that the duo be sent to a hostel as per the royal norms. Consequently, though Lady Diana was not happy with the decision, the two boys were sent to Ludgrove School in Berkshire at a tender age.

Lady Diana was a very loving mother. She loved her children more than anything else. She played a very vital role in the lives of both William and Harry. Earlier, she personally took them to the school, played with them and provided comfort when they were gloomy. But above all, she gave them pure and extensive love. Being a part of the royal family, it was against the tradition to show such personal affection with one's children. Even Charles was very much attached to his mother in his childhood but was kept at a distance as part of the royal code. Can one forget the picture of the Queen returning to England after a six-month-long tour and meeting her lovable son by just a formal handshake ?

Succor To The Needy

As a child, Di faced many emotional problems, As she grew up, she became a compassionate lady especially attached to children. She was activity involved in helping the poor, needy and the afflicted.

One of the first organizations with which Lady Diana took active interest was Malcolm Sergeant Cancer Fund for Children. She was a patron of the organization from February 1982 and regularly attended concerts and other functions focussing on some cause. She also agreed to be the patron of the Preschool Play Group Association.

In 1984, Lady Diana was made president of Dr Barnardo's, Britain's largest childcare charity. She then became the royal president of Dr Barnardo's, Australia chapter and the international president of Dr Barnardo's, New Zealand. She also became patron of the Institute for the Study of Drug Dependence, The Fresh Field Service in drug counseling. She involved herself actively in Turning Point, an organization that provides residential, daycare and on-the-spot counseling for those suffering from mental health, alcohol or drug-related problems. In 1987, she amazed the world when she opened the AIDS unit at London's Middlesex Hospital.

"Nothing gives me more pleasure now than being able to love and help those in our society who are vulnerable," she remarked.

Visit to India

In June 1997, Diana was on a visit to India. In Kolkata, she met Mother Teresa whom she admired greatly and supported her humanitarian efforts. Diana also sent money when Mother Teresa needed it the most for her charity organization.

Rift Widens

Prince Charles and Lady Diana were already having teething troubles in their married life. Rumors spread far and wide as the rift between them kept on widening. By 1986, both started making separate appearances and had separate vacations and beds, according to a former security guard at High Grove. The press began to speculate on when the royal duo will part ways.

Lady Diana started going to social and political functions and visiting charity organizations alone. Prince Charles and the royal family became increasingly aware of the princess getting extensive attention and publicity worldwide than other members. This also annoyed Prince Charles and the royal family.

Diana's Affairs

Even as Lady Diana's relationship with her husband had been taking a downswing, her circle of confidants and companions grew. The list included King Juan Charles of Spain, Sergeant Barry Mannakee and Princess Alexandra's godson, Philip Dunne. The long-distance friendship with King Juan Carlos stretched for a long time but with Mannakee it was for a short period.

Philip Dunne was a well-to-do merchant-banker. Lady Diana started accompanying her husband and Dunne on the ski slopes at Klosters. Dunne once invited her to stay at his family home at Gatley Park in Herefordshire when his parents were away. She accepted the invitation and it became a spicy ingredient for the gossip columnists. Dunne was also seen enjoying himself at a wedding party for the Marquis of Worcester. Here, Lady Diana was seen running her fingertips through his hair and kissing him on the cheek before dancing at night together.

Directive to Dunne

The Queen was seriously concerned about his eldest son's marriage going haywire. Philip Dunne was contacted by the Palace authorities and told not meet the Princess of Wales.
Lady Diana's next confidante was Captain James. He was a member of the Life Guards and met the princess while giving horse-riding lessons at Combermere barracks near Windsor to William, Harry and their mother. Lady Diana liked his humorous nature and dignified manners. In a way, it helped her to fight depression.

The boys also liked the attention they got from Captain James as they could not see their father frequently. The four of them had a nice time but the royal family resented this development.

On another occasion, while Prince Charles and his wife were attending a banquet at Lisbon's Ajuda Palace, Lady Diana is said to have flirted with a top leader. One often wondered why she resorted to such an unbefitting behavior. She clearly knew that she was overstepping the mark set for her but she probably did it to make the Prince jealous and revive his attention. But the prince was too involved with Camilla and took no serious notice of this flirting.

The Queen, however, could not be a silent spectator. When the rift took alarming proportions, the Queen summoned both privately and ordered them to put on a happy face in the public. She is said to have told them that they should be seen together even if they are not favorable to each other. While trying to follow the Queen's orders, Prince Charles tried to plant a kiss on his wife's cheek at the end of a polo match and ended up looking at the back of her neck. This was an innocuous incident but the photographers capitalized on it.

The Final Blow

Once a party was thrown in 1988 to celebrate the fortieth birthday of Annabel Elliot, Camilla's sister. Lady Diana had no intention of attending it but she changed her mind. There she met Camilla and threatened her angrily against pursing any relationship with Prince Charles. On way back, Lady Diana and the prince had heated exchanges. After this incident, both Lady Diana and Prince Charles realized that it was a loveless marriage.

The distraught life of Prince Charles and Lady Diana received a bigger jolt in 1991 when the former publicly scolded and embarrassed the princess in front of the media. The trouble became more intense with every passing day. On December 9, 1992, British Prime Minister John Major ended the speculation, rumors and reports about the royal disharmony by announcing the separation of Charles and Diana. But Di's father vainly asked her to save the marriage. And in 1993, the print media published the romantic tapes of Charles and Camilla as also Diana and James Hewitt.

In the following year, Prince Charles was so fed up his wife getting media attention that he shocked the world by confessing his affair with Camilla and also admitting that he never loved Diana. This infuriated Lady Diana but she wept after seeing placards from people proclaiming 'We love you, Diana'.

Diana now realized that she should dedicate all her life to the wellbeing and interests of her children. She did everything to make their childhood happy. On one occasion, she made the necessary arrangements so that Prince William could meet the famous supermodel Cindy Crawford whom he admired.

She was annoyed with the pressures imposed on her by the royal family. Now she wanted to lead a normal life with her children. The three went to theme parks, etc. and had great fun.

In 1995, Diana finally broke her silence in public. On a television interview watched by several million people, she spoke of her failed marriage, depression and the adultery committed by her and the prince. Immediately after the interview, the Queen asked her son to divorce Diana.