Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - September 7, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba B2 sunday free press Winnipeg september 7, 1997 remembering Diana Diana grew up in a dysfunctional family that mirrored her own later marital problems Diana As a Young child and As a teenager. She is shorn below in a 1974 family photo taken on the Isle of Hist in the Western Isles in Scotland. Althorp near the Village 6fgreat Brington Ivory Champ to Shire the ancestral Home of the aristocratic Spencer family. Princess Diana a father the eighth Earl Spencer and her Mother Frances Shand Kydd were separated when Diana was six and had a Messy divorce. At the same time Charles was under increasing pressure both from his family and from the Media to marry. In his Early 30s, he was expected to Settle Down and marry As part of his Royal duty. And his name had been connected to a number of Young women by some counts As Many As 40, both British and non British but nothing had happened. Bitter memories still lingered among the royals of the previous unmarried Prince of Wales a King Edward Chi a who had been forced to abdicate because of his unacceptable Choice of a Bride. The scandal of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor increased the necessity of Charles marrying before he became King. Engagement so the engagement of Charles and Diana was announced in february 1981 and the whole world immediately fell in love with the tall Leggy 19-year-old blonde. Initial reports described such things As her hobbies and the Type of car she drove and emphasized her Brief experience As a working person. But while the Royal family and the entire world planned for the wedding of the Century cracks began to appear in the Romance even before the big Day. Moving into Buckingham Palace while waiting for the ceremony Diana Felt isolated As she was left alone for Many hours every Day. And she had to Cope with the emotional Reserve of the Royal family a Reserve that Prince Charles fully shared. Reports Are that Diana a bulimia began at this time with the eating of huge amounts of sugary food followed by fits of vomiting. In fact Diana wanted to break the engagement but her father lord Spencer told her she had a duty to go through with the wedding. An estimated worldwide audience of 700 million watched the couple As they were married at St. Paul a Cathedral by the archbishop of Canterbury. The whole world was entranced with a picture of the Royal couple kissing on the Balcony of Buckingham Palace. With Diana isolated and lonely in the Wake of her fairy tale wedding there were reports that she threatened to take her own life. There were incidents of her slashing her wrists and throwing herself against a Glass Case and even tossing a vase at Charles allegedly knocking him out. Even the birth of Prince Charles and Diana kissed after she gave him a Polo match prize in London in october 1988. William on june 21,1982, seemed to give Only temporary respite to the growing problems in the Royal marriage. The exact nature of the differences Between Charles and Diana will probably never be fully known. But some things have been suggested. The first is the 13-year difference in Ages. The second is a difference in personality especially the difference Between Charless Reserve and the More emotional personality of his Bride. A third reason was a difference in interests. Charless concerns for issues such As modern architecture and spirituality simply did not strike a chord in his Young wife who equated celebrity with Rock stars. The fourth was the growing Public and Media adulation for the Princess of Wales. Increasingly it did not seem to matter what the Prince did the Princess would upstage him. The plodding sincerity of the Prince of Wales was continually upstaged by his wife who merely had to smile to attract photographers. Literally every move she made no matter How banal was fodder for television and tabloids while the Princess attempts to discuss important issues were ignored or laughed at. Diana did nothing to discourage the infatuation. She made a Point of dressing stylishly and became the most photographed woman in the world. Diana did not even hesitate to upstage the Queen appearing at the dedication of the Canadian a Day memorial in 1994 in a Short dress ensuring that Media attention would focus on the Princess and not on her Mother in Law. Incidents Early in her marriage showed the extent of Diana a charismatic Appeal. A series of walkabouts with Charles during a visit to Australia displayed quite clearly that the Public was far More attracted to the Princess than to the Prince who seemed Little More than an appendage to his wife a Glamour. She captured the hearts of the american people when she danced with actor John Travolta at a White House reception under the beaming eyes of Ronald and Nancy Reagan. And her popularity never waned in the United states. As recently As this summer her photo appeared on the cover of vanity fair. Continue from by she was the daughter of the Earl of Spencer a prominent landowner. Like her future husband she was a descendant of King Henry Vil she was distantly related to former British prime minister Winston Churchill. The family a aristocratic title was granted More than 300 years ago by King Charles i. Diana was born on the grounds of the Royal estate at Sandringham in Norfolk on july 1,1961. This unusual privilege was the result of her fathers status As an a Querry an official of the Royal household to the Queen. Stories never confirmed were that she and Prince Charles encountered each other on the grounds of the vast estate As Young children. However neither one of the ill fated couple later remembered any encounter. Dysfunctional Diana who had two Sisters and a brother grew up in a dysfunctional family that mirrored her own later marital problems. There was a 12-year Gap in age Between her parents and when Diana was six her mothers extramarital affair led to her parents separation. The marriage ended after a bitter divorce during which her Mother accused her father of cruelty and her father accused her Mother apparently correctly of adultery. Her father was granted custody of Diana and the other children and her Mother had Little to do with the family thereafter. Diana was raised by a succession of nannies even after her father remarried. In fact neither Diana nor her brother nor Sisters got along with their Stepmother Raine daughter of Romance novelist Barbara cart land. Biographers say that the Early breakup of her parents marriage and the subsequent chaos in her Home life left her without the stability necessary for the proper emotional development of a child. Like most children of England a privileged elite Diana was educated at a private school. An indifferent student Diana was popular with teachers and classmates but was considered shy and withdrawn. Finishing school after Diana left school her family sent her to a finishing school in Switzerland. She paid her Way by scrubbing floors and serving canapes at parties. She returned to England after six weeks and refused to go Back. At the age of 18, she accepted an invitation from a Friend to teach part time at an elite private kindergarten in a posh Section of London. But her real life was about to begin. Two years earlier at age 16, she had met Charles when he had come to shoot game at the Spencer family estate. Diana vowed to marry him. While for most Young women such a vow would have Little meaning Diana a connections meant that she would have an Opportunity to be near the object of her affection. Because her sister was married to a court official Diana was Able to spend time at Balmoral castles summer Home of the Royal family. Diana a obvious deliberate efforts to stay in the limelight emphasized the difference Between her youth and vitality and her husbands image As a balding Middle aged Man. Even her causes such As aids and landmines seemed More exciting than her husbands causes which included saving rare vegetables. And while Charles seemed to enjoy seclusion Diana made a Point of cultivating celebrity. She made sure she was seen with icons of popular culture such As Elton John and Gianni Versace. Diana had an ambiguous relationship with the Media. While she seemed to understand that her Fame was based on Media attention and her frequently stunning appearances attested to her willingness to Cater to the cameras she obviously wanted some respite from Media attention. It was a respite she rarely received. There were complaints that her support for some of the causes she espoused were More show than substance. In particular a statement by Diana that she frequently visited hospitals to Comfort dying patients was proven to be an overstatement. But there a no doubt that the Mere association of her name raised the profile of some worthy causes. Fickle at the same time there were reports of Diana a fickle behaviour her inability to keep staff her abandoning of friends. It was said that Diana did not talk to her Mother during the last three months of the older woman a life. And there was the Issue of Camilla Parker Bowles the apparent True love of Charles life. In his Book Diana her True life author Andrew Morton said Charles continued to see Camilla throughout his Romance with Diana. Charles friends have responded with the Story that Charles was faithful and that it was Diana who first broke the vows. Continued on b3 ;