Chapter 19. DIANA'S LOVERS, or THE ENGLISH LADY PREFERS MUSLIMS

Chapter 2. Pedigree of "Cinderella", or the whole truth about the parents of Diana Spencer It was often said about Diana: incredibly, a simple teacher became a princess! Yes, this is the story of a modern Cinderella! Of course, the rise of a modest girl is like a fairy tale. But is this fairy tale so simple?

Chapter 23 Princess Diana was buried on September 6, 1997 at the Spencer family estate of Althorp in Northamptonshire, on a secluded island in the middle of a lake. At the time of her death, she was only 36 years old. The untimely death of the "Queen of Hearts" stirred up not

Chapter Four Lovers. 1900-1904

Diana belonged to the ancient English family of Spencer-Churchill. At the age of 16, she met the Prince of Wales, Charles. At first, the prince was predicted to be Diana's sister Sarah, but over time, Charles came to the realization that Diana is an incredibly "charming, lively and witty girl with whom it is interesting." Returning from a naval campaign on the ship "Invincible", the prince proposed to her. The wedding took place 6 months later.
In the ceremony, some saw signs of an unhappy marriage.
When pronouncing the marriage vow, Charles got confused in pronunciation, and Diana did not quite correctly name his name. However, at first, peace reigned in the relationship of the spouses.
"I'm crazy about marriage when there is someone to whom you devote your time," Princess Diana wrote after the wedding to her nanny Mary Clark. Soon the couple had two sons: in 1982, Prince William, and in 1984, Prince Henry, better known as Prince Harry. It seemed that everything was going perfectly in the family, but soon rumors about the prince's infidelity and the fact that he often left his young wife alone were leaked to the press. Despite the grievances, Diana, according to her nanny, really loved her husband. “When she married Charles, I remember writing to her that this is the only person in the country with whom she can never divorce. Unfortunately, she could,” recalled Mary Clark. In 1992, the UK heard sensational statement about the separation of Charles and Diana, and in 1996 their marriage was officially annulled. The reason for the breakup was complicated relationship between spouses. Diana, referring to her husband's longtime close friend Camilla Parker Bowles, said that she could not bear the marriage of three.
The prince himself, according to their mutual acquaintances, never tried to hide his love for Camilla, with whom he began a relationship even before the wedding. Not surprisingly, after the divorce proceedings, the public was on the side of Diana. After a high-profile divorce, her name still did not leave the pages of the press, but it was already another Princess Diana - an independent, business woman, passionate about charitable work. She constantly visited hospitals for AIDS patients, traveled to Africa, to areas where sappers work hard, removing numerous anti-personnel mines from the ground. In the personal life of the princess, too, there have been significant changes. Diana began an affair with Pakistani surgeon Hasnat Khan. They carefully concealed their romance from the press, although Hasnat often lived with her at Kensington Palace, and she stayed for a long time in his apartment in the prestigious Chelsea district of London. Khan's parents were delighted with their son's companion, but he soon told his father that marrying Diana could make his life hell because of the deep cultural differences between them. He claimed that Diana is "independent" and "likes to go out", which for him as a Muslim is unacceptable. Meanwhile, as the close friends of the princess claimed, for the sake of her fiancé she was ready to sacrifice a lot, including changing her faith. Hasnat and Diana broke up in the summer of 1997. According to a close friend of the princess, Diana was "deeply worried and in pain" after the breakup. But after a while, she began an affair with the son of billionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed Dodi. At first, this relationship, according to her friend, served only as a consolation after the break with Hasnat. But soon a dizzying romance broke out between them, it seemed that a worthy and loving man finally appeared in Lady Di's life. The fact that Dodi was also divorced and had a reputation for social red tape, all the more increased interest in him from the press. Diana and Dodi had known each other for several years, but only became close in 1997. In July, they spent holidays in Saint-Tropez with Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry. The boys got along well with the friendly owner of the house. Later, Diana and Dodi met in London, and then went on a cruise to mediterranean sea on board the luxury yacht "Jonical". Diana loved to give gifts. Dear and not very dear, but always imbued with her unique concern for everyone who surrounded her. She also gave Dodi things that were dear to her. For example, cufflinks that the most beloved person in the world gave her. August 13, 1997 the princess wrote the following words about her gift: "Dear Dodi, these cufflinks were the last gift I received from the person I loved most in the world - my father." “I give them to you because I know how happy he would be if he knew what reliable and special hands they fell into. With love, Diana,” the letter says. In another message from Kensington Palace, dated August 6, 1997, Diana thanks Dodi al-Fayed for a six-day vacation on his yacht, and writes of "endless gratitude for the joy that has been brought into her life." By the end of August, the Jonical approached Portofino in Italy, and then sailed to Sardinia. August 30, Saturday, the couple went to Paris. The next day, Diana was to fly to London to meet her sons on the last day of their summer vacation. Later, Dodi's father stated that his son and Princess Diana were going to get married. A few hours before his death in a car accident in Paris, Dodi al-Faeid visited jewelry shop. Video cameras captured how he chose an engagement ring. Later that day, a representative of the Ritz Hotel in Paris, where Diana and Dodi were staying, came to the store and took two rings. One of them, according to Dodi's father, was called "Dis-moi oui" - "Tell me yes" - worth 11.6 thousand pounds sterling ... On Saturday evening, Diana and Dodi decided to dine at the restaurant of the Ritz Hotel, which he owned Dodi.
In order not to attract the attention of other visitors, they retired to a separate office, where, as it was later reported, they exchanged gifts: Diana gave Dodi cufflinks, and he gave her a diamond ring. At one o'clock in the morning they were going to go to Dodi's apartment on the Champs Elysees. Wanting to avoid the paparazzi crowding the front door, the happy couple took advantage of a special elevator located next to the hotel's service exits.
There they boarded a Mercedes S-280, accompanied by bodyguard Trevor-Reese Jones and driver Henri Paul. The details of what happened a few minutes later are still not clear enough, but the terrible truth is that three of these four died in an accident that took place in an underground tunnel under Place Delalma. It was not without difficulty that Princess Diana was removed from the wrecked car, after which she was immediately sent to the Piti Salptrrier hospital. The fight of doctors for her life was inconclusive. The accident that happened on the night of August 31, 1997 in the Alma tunnel in Paris is the result of the flagrant negligence of a car driver who got behind the wheel while intoxicated and drove a Mercedes at an unacceptably high speed. The provocateur of this accident was also the pursuit of the car of the princess by a group of paparazzi photographers. It was an accidental death. This is the verdict of the jury at the semi-annual trial in the High Court of London, which ended on Monday evening. This verdict is final and not subject to appeal. The longest and most intense process in the history of British justice, I would like to believe, put all the points over the "i". In the more than ten years that have passed since the death of the "People's Princess", there have been about 155 statements about the existence of a conspiracy to kill Lady Dee. The leading fiddle in defending this version has been played all these years by the most, perhaps, offended defendant in this case - billionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed, owner of London's largest department store Harrods, football club"Fulham" and the Parisian hotel "Ritz", the father of Dodi, who died in this accident. He literally declared "war" on the British royal family and publicly called the instigator of the conspiracy to kill the son and princess of the queen's husband, the Duke of Edinburgh. The executor is the British intelligence services. It was Mohammed Al-Fayed who insisted on holding a trial with a jury, it was he who stubbornly demanded that the Duke of Edinburgh and Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, appear in court. The royal family was not summoned to court. British democracy, for all its admirable maturity, is not yet mature enough to issue subpoenas to its monarchs. Only the press secretary of the Duke of Edinburgh appeared at the trial, presenting to the investigation a hitherto unpublished, touching in its warmth correspondence between Diana and her father-in-law. About 260 witnesses appeared at the trial of the death of Diana and Dodi. Testimony was given via video link from the United States, France and Australia. The titled ladies of the court, friends of Diana, testified. Her butler Paul Burrell, who made a considerable fortune for himself on fictions about the princess. Her lovers, who revealed to the whole world the details of their romance with the princess. The sole survivor of the accident, severely maimed bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones. The pathologist who performed the autopsy on Diana and confirmed in court that no signs of the princess's pregnancy were found, but that it was not possible to detect them in a very short time. And so, Diana took this secret with her to the grave. Mohammed al-Fayed unveiled a monument to his son Dodi and Princess Diana at his London department store Harrods. The opening of the new monument is timed to coincide with the eighth anniversary of the death of Dodi and Diana in a car accident, reports the Guardian. The bronze Diana and Dodi are depicted dancing against the backdrop of waves and the wings of an albatross, symbolizing eternity and freedom. According to Mohammed al-Fayed, this monument looks like a more appropriate sign of memory than the memorial fountain in Hyde Park. The sculpture was sculpted by Bill Mitchell, an artist who has worked for al-Fayd for forty years. At the opening of the monument, Mohammed al-Fayed said that he called this sculptural group "Innocent Victims". He believes that Dodi and Diana died in a staged car crash, their untimely deaths being the result of a murder. "The monument has been erected here forever. Nothing has been done so far to perpetuate the memory of this amazing woman who brought joy to the world," said al-Fayed.

Diana Francis Spencer, Her Highness the Princess of Wales, was born on July 1, 1961 in Norfolk to an English aristocratic family. Her father, John Spencer, who bears the title of Viscount Althorp, came from ancient family Spencer-Churchils, carriers of royal blood, descended from Charles II, who became famous as the "jolly king." Karl had 14 recognized illegitimate sons who received the title, a large number of unrecognized children and not a single heir born in an official marriage. However, thanks to this king, the list of aristocratic families of England has noticeably expanded.

The dynasty to which Princess Diana belonged can be proud of such eminent sons as Sir and the Duke of Marlborough. The ancestral property of the Spencer family is Spencer House, located in the Westminster quarter in central London. Diana's mother Francis Shand Kydd also comes from an aristocratic family. Diana's maternal grandmother was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.

The biography of the future princess was also beyond claims. Elementary education the future Princess Diana received in Sandringham, where she spent her childhood. Lady Dee's first teacher was Gertrude Allen, a governess who had previously taught the girl's mother. Diana received further education in private school Sealfield, and later studied at Riddlesworth Hall. As a child, the character of the future princess was not difficult, but she was always quite stubborn.

According to the recollections of teachers, the girl read and drew well, dedicating her drawings to her mother and father. Diana's parents divorced when she was 8 years old, which was a great shock for the child. As a result of the divorce proceedings, Diana stayed with her father, and her mother left for Scotland, where she lived with her new husband.

The next place of study for the future Princess of Wales is the privileged school for girls West Hill in Kent. Here, Diana did not show herself as a diligent student, and music and dancing became her passion, and, according to rumors, in her youth, Lady Di was not given the exact sciences, and she even failed her exams several times.

In 1977, Diana and Prince Charles met in Althorp, but at that time the future spouses did not pay serious attention to each other. In the same year, Diana studies in Switzerland for a short time, but returns home due to strong homesickness. After graduation, Diana began working as a nanny and kindergarten teacher in the prestigious Knightsbridge area of ​​London.

Prince Charles and the wedding

In 1980, Diana again falls into the circle of friends of Prince Charles. The bachelor life of the heir to the throne at that time was a serious cause for concern for his parents. Queen Elizabeth was especially worried about her son's relationship with a noble married lady, with whom the prince did not even try to hide his relationship. In this situation, the candidacy of Diana Spencer for the role of the princess was gladly approved. royal family, Charles and, according to some rumors, even Camilla Parker-Bowles.

The prince invited Diana first to the royal yacht, after which an invitation was received to Balmoral Castle to meet the royal family. Charles proposed at Windsor Castle, but the engagement was kept secret for some time. The official announcement took place on February 24, 1981. The symbol of this event was the famous ring of Princess Diana - a precious sapphire surrounded by fourteen diamonds.

Lady Di became the first English woman in 300 years to marry the heir to the throne.

The wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer has become the most expensive wedding ceremony in British history. The celebration took place at St. Paul's Cathedral in London on July 29, 1981. The wedding ceremony was preceded by a parade through the streets of London in a carriage with members royal family, the march of the Commonwealth regiments and the "Glass Carriage" in which Diana and her father arrived.

Prince Charles was dressed in the dress uniform of Commander of Her Majesty's Navy. Diana wore a £9,000 gown with an 8m train designed by young English designers Elizabeth and David Emanuel. The design of the dress was kept in the strictest confidence from the public and the press, the dress was delivered to the palace in a sealed envelope. The head of the future princess was decorated with a family heirloom - a tiara.

Diana and Charles' wedding has been called the "fairytale wedding" and the "wedding of the century". According to experts, the audience watching the live broadcast of the celebrations on the world's main TV channels amounted to more than 750 million people. After a formal dinner at Buckingham Palace, the couple took the royal train to the Broadlands estate before flying to Gibraltar, from where Charles and Princess Diana began their Mediterranean cruise. At the end of the cruise, another reception was given in Scotland, where members of the press were given permission to photograph the newlyweds.

The wedding celebrations cost taxpayers nearly £3 million.

Divorce

The personal life of the crowned family was not so fabulous and soon attracted the attention of the public with several scandals, in which, according to the press, various lovers and mistresses constantly appeared. According to rumors, even at the time of the marriage proposal from Charles, Diana was aware of his relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles. Subsequently, it became increasingly difficult for the princess to restrain jealousy and protect the reputation of the family, since Prince Charles not only did not interrupt the extramarital affair, but also openly admitted it. The situation was complicated by the fact that in the person who took the side of her son in this conflict, Princess Diana received an influential opponent.

In 1990, the delicate situation could no longer be hidden, and this situation received wide publicity. During this period, Princess Diana also confesses her relationship with the riding coach James Hewitt.

In 1995, according to rumors, Diana met her true love. While visiting a friend in the hospital, the princess accidentally met the heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. The feelings were mutual, but the constant attention of the public, from which the couple even fled to Khan's homeland, Pakistan, and the active condemnation of Khan's parents, both his role as the princess's de facto lover, and the freedom-loving views of the woman herself, did not allow the novel to develop and, perhaps, deprived a chance for the happiness of two people who are truly in love.

At the insistence of Queen Elizabeth, Charles and Diana officially divorced in 1996, four years after the actual breakup of their family. Married to Prince Charles, two sons were born: Welsh and Welsh.

After the divorce, Diana, according to journalists, begins a relationship with a film producer, the son of the Egyptian billionaire Dodi al-Fayed. Officially, this connection was not confirmed by any of the close friends of the princess, and in a book written by Diana's butler, the fact of their relationship is directly denied.

Doom

On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana was killed in a car accident. During Diana's visit to Paris, the car, in the cabin of which, in addition to the princess herself, were Dodi al-Fayed, bodyguard Trevor Rhys Jones and driver Henri Paul, passing through the tunnel under the Alma Bridge, collided with a concrete support. The driver and Dodi al-Fayed died instantly at the scene. Princess Diana died two hours later at the Salpêtrière hospital. The princess's bodyguard survived, but received severe head injuries, as a result of which he does not remember anything about the moment of the accident itself.

The death of Princess Diana was a shock not only for the people of Great Britain, but for the whole world. In France, mourners have turned a Paris copy of the torch of the Statue of Liberty into a spontaneous memorial to Diana. The funeral of the princess took place on 6 September. Lady Dee's grave is on a secluded island at Althorp Manor (the Spencer family estate) in Northamptonshire.

Among the causes of the car accident, many factors are called, starting with the version according to which the princess's car tried to break away from the paparazzi car chasing them, and ending with the version regarding. Until now, there are many rumors and theories about the causes of death of the beloved princess.

A Scotland Yard report published ten years later confirmed the fact of a two-fold excess of the speed allowed for movement on the road section under the Alma Bridge, discovered during the investigation, as well as the presence of alcohol in the driver’s blood, which exceeded the allowable rate three times.

Memory

Princess Diana enjoyed the sincere love of the people of Great Britain, who affectionately called her Lady Dee. The princess did a lot of charity work, donating significant funds to various foundations, was an activist in the movement seeking a ban on anti-personnel mines, and provided people with material and moral assistance.

Sir dedicated the song “Candle in the Wind” to her memory, and the song “Privacy”, in which he not only expressed grief for the princess, but also talked about the burden of constant attention and gossip, which, perhaps, is indirectly to blame for the death of Lady Dee.

10 years after the death, a film was made dedicated to the last hours of the life of the princess. Songs, "Depeche mode" and "Aquarium" are dedicated to her. Postage stamps are issued in her honor in many countries of the world.

According to a BBC poll, Princess Diana is one of the most popular faces in British history, ahead of other English monarchs in this ranking.

Awards

• Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
• Order of Virtue Special Class

More than 20 years have passed since the tragic death of Princess Diana, and interest in her life, especially in her personal life, does not fade away. Diana tied the knot with Prince Charles in a lavish ceremony in 1981, and they later had two children: Prince William and Prince Harry. While the princess only married once, she was romantically involved with several other men both during and after her marriage. Here are six men Diana has been romantically involved with.

James Hewitt

Diana had an affair with James during her marriage to Prince Charles in the late 80s. James was hired to teach Diana, William and Harry how to ride horses, but they broke up when James left to serve in the Gulf War and their romance became public. Rumors have since circulated that he is Prince Harry's biological father, although he recently put an end to them by replying "No, not me" when asked "Are you Harry's father?" He replied that he met Diana when she already had Harry.

Prince Charles

Diana and Charles met in 1977 when he was dating her older sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale. Charles became interested in Diana and after 12 meetings he proposed to her. They married five months later in an opulent ceremony at St Paul's Cathedral in London and had two children: Prince William and Prince Harry. Since the end of 1992, their marriage has broken up; Queen Elizabeth II effectively ordered them to divorce after their extramarital affairs and Diana's TV interview. Their divorce was finalized in August 1996, and Diana forfeited her right to be called “Her Royal Highness” and was instead given the title of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Barry Manacchi

Barry served as Diana's bodyguard at Kensington Palace for about a year before he was removed from his duties in 1986 and died in a motorcycle accident the following year. In an audio recording of Diana in 1992, the princess revealed that she was "deeply in love with the man in the palace." Although she never called him by his first name, she described his death as "the biggest blow of my life." She even admitted that she was ready to run away from Prince Charles in order to live with Barry. “I was only happy when he was around,” she said.

Diana was also certain that Barry had been killed, adding, "I should never have played with fire, but I did and the man died." These tapes were later seized by the police and Barry's death was reinvestigated as a result of Diana's claims.

Will Carling

Diana allegedly started a relationship with a rugby player in the early 90s. Although he had previously denied everything, his wife, Julia, put it differently when she claimed that Diana "matched the wrong pair." In an interview with The Mail in 1995, Julia said: “I am sad that I will put myself in this position, and that the princess did the same. This has happened to her before and you hope she doesn't do these things again, but apparently she does."

Diana reportedly told friends that she would not apologize for Julia's comments and denied the affair, telling them, "Of course I'm allowed to be friends without being accused of having an affair."

Will and Julia divorced the following year.

Hasnat Khan

Hasnat was a junior surgeon at Royal Brompton when he first met Diana. During their two years of dating, Diana was still married to Charles in 1995. The princess often visited him in the hospital and called him by the pseudonym "Armani". It is believed that Diana loved Hasnat Khan, she even met his parents and introduced him to William and Harry.

As a result, their romance ended, frightened by the attention of the press. He spoke about his relationship in court in 2008, stating: “I think she wanted to get married in the first place, but practically she didn’t think about the consequences. . . . Emotionally, she felt that she was still young. She wanted her husband to be by her side, so that she could have a normal relationship with him,” Hasnat said.

Dodi Al Fayed

After breaking up with Hasnat, Diana began dating Egyptian heir and film producer Dodi Al-Fayed in 1997. They dated for a couple of months and vacationed on the French Riviera before their lives were tragically cut short in a car accident in Paris. Minutes after leaving the Ritz with Dodi's bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones and driver Henri Paul, Henri lost control of the car while trying to avoid the paparazzi. Dodi and Henri died instantly, while Diana was pronounced dead less than two hours later and Trevor suffered serious facial injuries from airbags (he is the only survivor of the accident).

It was later revealed that Henri had a blood alcohol level of three times the French legal limit at the time of the crash.