Princess Diana

Princess Diana was a member of the British Royal Family who was also known by her titles Diana, Princess of Wales. She was the first wife of King Charles III, who was then Prince of Wales and the heir to the throne. Diana was the mother of Prince William, who is currently next in line to the throne, and Prince Harry.

Diana was born Lady Diana Spencer on July 1, 1961 in Norfolk, U.K. She was the fourth of five children in the Spencer family who had close ties to the British Royal Family for many generations. Diana's parents were the Viscount and Viscountess of Althorp and her grandmothers had served as ladies-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II's mother. Diana grew up in Park House, a property on the Royal Family's Sandringham Estate.

Diana first met Charles when she was 16 years old, while he was dating her older sister, Sarah. Three years later, Charles began courting Diana while she was working as a nursery teacher's assistant in London. Charles proposed on February 6, 1981 at Windsor Castle, announcing the engagement two weeks later.

Diana, then 20, and Charles, then 32, married on July 29, 1981 in St. Paul's Cathedral in a ceremony watched by 750 million people around the globe.

On June 21, 1982, Diana gave birth to their first son, Prince William. She would later open up about battling with suicidal ideation and postpartum depression during and after her pregnancy. Charles and Diana's second son, Prince Harry, was born on September 15, 1984.

As the Princess of Wales, Diana became known for her hands-on approach to charity work usually involving children or elderly people. In particular, she played a major role in improving the social attitudes towards and acceptance of AIDs patients and in the removal of landmines from war-stricken countries.

By 1987, problems in Charles and Diana's marriage were being reported by the media in addition to allegations of infidelity on either side. In December 1992, amid widespread reports that Charles was having an affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, the couple announced they were separating, per the Washington Post. The following month, tapes of recorded phone calls confirmed the affair and, in 1996, the couple officially divorced.

After her divorce, Diana continued her charity work as well as solidifying herself as a fashion icon and moving in celebrity circles that included Elton John, George Michael and Gianni Versace. In July 1997, she began publicly dating Egyptian film producer Dodi Al Fayed, the son of billionaire businessman Mohamed Al Fayed.

On August 31, Diana died in a car crash in Paris while the vehicle she was riding in was reportedly trying to flee from paparazzi. Dodi Fayed and the driver of the car, Henri Paul, were also killed. Diana's funeral took place in Westminster Abbey on September 6 and was broadcast to an estimated 2.5 billion people, according to the BBC.