In August of 1997, I was 10 years old and I can still remember seeing my Mom cry when it was announced that Diana, Princess of Wales, had died due to injuries from a car accident. My Mom’s side of our family has a very British background, so I grew up with my Mom and Grandmother discussing the Royal Family frequently. I didn’t fully understand why my family was so impacted by her death, it wasn’t until I was much older that I figured out why. In her death, I grew to admire her too.
Princess Diana was known as “the People’s Princess,” and it was for very good reasons. She became Princess Diana after reconnecting and marrying Prince Charles. They had two children, Prince William and Prince Harry, who are now prominent royals of our generation. The Princess became invested in her royal duties, especially charities. At one time, she was associated with over a hundred charities. She believed in working with the people she was trying to help rather than donating or fundraising for them. She worked with the homeless, the disabled, and children, as well as for those with AIDS/HIV. I admired her charity work, but what I liked the most was the work she did to stop the use of landmines. She focused a lot of her time on that cause.
Princess Diana was known for being fashionable and she was associated with the fashion industry. The world admired her sense of style and was always pining to see what she would wear at her next public event. What I admire about her style is that she worked with a lot of younger British designers rather than the more well-known ones. She was always trying to help people “make it” or grow, this included careers and small businesses.
Another thing that I admire about the Princess is how she raised her sons. Princess Diana made sure that the boys were exposed to “typical” life. She would take them to eat at fast food restaurants, take public transportation with them, or go to city parks. She was more worried about being and teaching the boys to be authentic people and that humanity was more important than their prestige. Princess Diana also made history when she spoke freely about her life and experiences as a member of the royal family in a televised interview. Which, is something that her son, Prince Harry, and his wife Princess Megan, did as well.
I admired Diana, Princess of Wales for the fact that even with fame and prestige, she remained human. She gave her time to her family and to those in need or to help others progress. She had more of a free spirit than the others in the royal family and I firmly believe that Prince Harry inherited that from his mother. I now follow the charity work that he is involved in. Both of the Princes have continued her legacy and continued many of the things that she started.