FAYE MOSS:
Hello, everyone! Faye Moss here with another episode of Superstars in History, where I interview the legends of the past. Superstars in History
In the 1980s and 1990s, today's guest was the most photographed, most famous woman in the world!
She modernized the British royal family with her sense of style, concern for everyone, and efforts to introduce her children to the real world.
Please give a warm welcome to Diana, Princess of Wales!
Hello, Faye! I understand your grandmother is sick. How's she doing, and how are you? PRINCESS DIANA:
FAYE MOSS:
She's getting better, thanks. That's so kind of you to ask.
Then again you were known for your kindness, even as a child.
You were born in 1961 and came to public attention later as Lady Diana Spencer. Tell us about your family.
The Spencers are one of the oldest, most distinguished families in Great Britain. PRINCESS DIANA:
The family has been friends with the royal family for generations.
In fact, I grew up on one of the royal family's properties in the countryside.
FAYE MOSS:
That must have been a beautiful place to live!
It was, but unfortunately my parents' marriage was troubled. PRINCESS DIANA:
They divorced when I was seven, and that trauma shaped my whole life.
After a bitter legal battle, my father was granted custody of my two older sisters, my younger brother, and me.
Did you feel different from your friends because your parents were divorced? FAYE MOSS:
PRINCESS DIANA:
Oh, yes! Hardly anyone got divorced back then. But there was one positive result
I could always sympathize with people who had family problems.
When I was 13, there was more upheaval because my grandfather died, and my father became Earl Spencer.
We moved two hours away from my friends to live at our family's ancestral home.
Things got worse when my father married someone we all hated!
That's a lot to deal with! Can you tell us some of your happier memories? FAYE MOSS:
PRINCESS DIANA:
Loved to swim and dive. Loved tap dancing and ballet.
My dream was to become a ballerina, but I grew too tall.
What did you do after leaving school? FAYE MOSS:
I moved to London and worked as an assistant teacher at a nursery school and a babysitter. PRINCESS DIANA:
I also cleaned house for my oldest sister, Sarah, and her friends.
FAYE MOSS:
You were a cleaner before you married a prince? That sounds like something from a fairy tale!
And the Prince of Wales is heir to the British throne, so you'd eventually be queen!
What was it like to date Prince Charles?
The British press was always interested in Charles' girlfriends, especially since he was 32, and everyone thought it was time for him to marry. PRINCESS DIANA:
They went into a frenzy when we started dating.
Every day dozens of reporters and photographers waited outside my flat and chased my car.
FAYE MOSS:
The tabloids called you "Shy Di" because you ducked your head whenever they tried to photograph you.
You were so young and pretty, and everyone loved that you were shy!
I wasn't shy—I was terrified! I was only 19, but the paparazzi wouldn't leave me alone. PRINCESS DIANA:
I had no choice but to cope if I wanted the prince to marry me—and I wanted that very much.
As king, Charles would be the head of the Church of England.
I naively thought this meant he couldn't get divorced, so my children would never suffer as I had. We'd live happily ever after.
FAYE MOSS:
More than 750 million people around the world watched your fairy-tale wedding on TV in 1981.
Did you hope the press would stop hounding you after that?
Of course! But the wedding only increased interest in everything about me. PRINCESS DIANA:
Well, you were very stylish. The rest of the royal family looked rather . . . um . . . old-fashioned, but you were a British fashion icon. FAYE MOSS:
PRINCESS DIANA:
Yes, but I wanted to be known for more than my clothes.
Charles, as heir, had a clearly defined role, but there wasn't one for me.
On our official visits, I gradually realized that I could help people—the sick, the dying, the abused—just by being there.
People were starving for love, and that was something I could give.
Right. Before you, the royal family was a lot more distant from people, and many people credit you for updating its image. FAYE MOSS:
PRINCESS DIANA:
I believed the monarchy needed to be relevant to modern people's lives, so I became involved in causes that the royal family had mostly avoided.
I was honored to be asked to open the first British hospital ward for HIV/AIDS patients.
There was such a huge stigma attached to the disease then that I made international headlines just by shaking hands with a patient.
You made a big impact, and your fame helped you do it. But being in the spotlight wasn't easy for you. FAYE MOSS:
PRINCESS DIANA:
Sadly my marriage wasn't very happy since my husband was in love with someone else.
I grew depressed and struggled with an eating disorder, which went on for years until a friend persuaded me to seek help.
My own experiences gave me great compassion for those with mental illness.
I can't believe we haven't talked about your children yet! FAYE MOSS:
They were so important to you.
PRINCESS DIANA:
My boys! William was born in 1982 and Harry, two years later.
I wanted them to lead normal lives, if possible.
Unlike my husband, they attended school with other children right from the start, and we went to movies and amusement parks.
You took them to hospitals, hospices, and homeless shelters. FAYE MOSS:
Was that decision influenced by your own work?
Yes, it was especially important for William to see how real people live since he was in the line of succession. PRINCESS DIANA:
As for me, I eventually grew tired of the glamorous parts of being Princess of Wales and focused on my charitable work. I had no desire to be queen.
Thank you for this refreshingly candid interview. We'll let you get back to history now. FAYE MOSS:
Thank you, Faye! PRINCESS DIANA:
Princess Diana's marriage ended in divorce in 1996, but she stayed in the public eye, raising awareness of the problem of land mines. FAYE MOSS:
The next year she died in a car accident that occurred while her driver was trying to elude the paparazzi.
The world went into mourning, and huge crowds lined London's streets for her funeral while millions watched on TV.
Now adults with families of their own, Diana's sons continue her legacy of caring and concern for others.
That's all for now on Superstars in History. I'm Faye Moss. Superstars in History