IN PURSUIT OF LOVE - PRINCESS DIANA

IN PURSUIT OF LOVE  -  PRINCESS DIANA

 

                            

Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales—the heir apparent to the British throne—and mother of Princes William and Harry. Diana's activism and glamour made her an international icon and earned her enduring popularity as well as unprecedented public scrutiny, exacerbated by her tumultuous private life.

Engaged at 19 and married at 20, Princess Diana's childhood ended much sooner than the average woman's in England and Wales. But before her fairy tale wedding, Lady Diana Spencer lived a relatively quiet life that involved piano lessons, odd jobs, precious pets, and a very '70s bridesmaid dress.

Diana was born into the British nobility and grew up close to the royal family on their Sandringham estate. In 1981, while working as a nursery teacher's assistant, she became engaged to Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II. Their wedding took place at St Paul's Cathedral in 1981 and made her Princess of Wales, a role in which she was enthusiastically received by the public. They had two sons, William and Harry, who were then second and third in the line of succession to the British throne.

 

 

                               Diana with Prince Charles

 

Diana's marriage to Charles suffered due to their incompatibility and extramarital affairs. They separated in 1992, soon after the breakdown of their relationship became public knowledge. Their marital difficulties became increasingly publicized, and they divorced in 1996.

 

 

We all know the marriage that followed Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ dream wedding in 1981 was nothing like a fairy tale. Their unhappy union was riddled with many troubles and infidelity. The pair separated in 1992 and eventually divorced in 1996, one year before the princess’s tragic death.

 

While married to Diana, the Prince of Wales carried on an affair with his former flame and now-wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, who was also married at the time. This was something Diana knew about for a long time and brought up in her infamous Panorama interview (1995 BBC Television Panorama Interview) when she said, “Well, there were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded.”

 

The princess admitted that she too began seeing other people while married to Charles. Here are the other men Diana was in relationships with including the one she called the “love of her life” and the one who many still believe to this day is Prince Harry’s father.

Princess Diana had been linked to several men when her marriage to Charles crumbled. Some tabloids reported that she had more than seven lovers plus a fling with singer Bryan Adams and a one-night stand with JFK Jr. While there’s not much evidence of that we do know of three men who stole the princess’ heart and one of them was Major James Hewitt.

 

                                Diana with James Hewitt

Diana and the former Household Cavalry officer carried on an affair for five years, something she confirmed in that Panorama interview. The affair was said to have happened at the time when Prince Charles was cheating on her with Camilla. Hewitt and the princess split up after he was deployed to serve in the Gulf War and the media found out what was going on.

 

Diana’s former protection officer and confidante, Ken Wharfe, wrote about the affair in his book Diana: Closely Guarded Secret. “Hewitt, a natural womanizer, gave her the attention and affection she relished, and then the passion she yearned for,” Wharfe claimed. “The pair usually met at an old cottage in Devon belonging to Shirley, Hewitt’s mother, where the creaking bedroom floorboards told the story more loudly than any confession.”

 

Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan is another man who Diana fell for. In fact, she referred to him as the “love of her life” and gave him the nickname “Mr. Wonderful". 

 

                                Diana with Dr. Haznat Khan

The pair had a two-year affair that began in 1995. They were reportedly head over heels for each other and even considered marriage but he chose to end their relationship because he worried it could be leaked to the press. Khan broke things off just a few months before Diana died.

 

Finally, there was the man Diana will forever be linked to Dodi Fayed. He was the eldest son of former Harrods store owner and billionaire Mohamed Al Fayed.  Dodi was said to be a playboy most of his life but was head over heels for the princess.

 

  

                                     Diana with Dodi Fayed

 

They first met at a polo match in 1986 while she was still married to Prince Charles, although nothing came from that exchange. Fast forward to 1997 and she accepted an invitation to spend time on his family’s yacht in the South of France with William and Harry. Following that holiday, she accepted another offer and returned to the ship without her sons. It was then that the paparazzi snapped a photo of them kissing, which made headlines around the globe.

                                                    The Yacht used by Diana

 

 

On August 31, 1997, after a dinner at Mohamed Al Fayed’s Ritz hotel in Paris, the pair were hounded by French photographers on motorbikes as they drove through the Pont de l’Alma underpass tunnel in Central Paris, France. The Mercedes limousine that they were traveling in driven by Henri Paul ended up crashing into a pillar.

Henri Paul was the manager of Ritz Hotel and body guard arranged by Dodi Fayed's father.  He was intoxicated by drugs and over sped in a chase by paparazzi on motor bikes following them and had crashed.  At  the start he challenged the paparazzi that they can't overtake the Mercedes limousine driven by him.

Fayed was killed instantly but Diana was still alive and suffering from multiple injuries including a severed pulmonary vein. She was transported to the La Pitie Salpetriere Hospital where she was pronounced dead several hours later. 

A stunningly beautiful Lady Diana's life ended with such a gory death.

Ironically, she was once  asked by a reporter what she want as an epitaph on her grave, her reply was 'A great hope crushed in its infancy'.

There are volumes written about Princess Diana and many movies made on her life.  We are discussing her love life and hence leaving other things aside.

An early bird paparazzi used to hit a jackpot with a photograph or a sensational scoop about Princess Diana.

Many tabloids have published sleazy contents of Diana's extra marital affairs as well as post divorce relationships.

A royal and beautiful school teacher's life journey ended with such clandestine affairs and torrid romance, culminated in brutal death.

The death was knocking at her door to blow out the flame of passionate love life that ended prematurely. 

 

Many believe like Dodi Fayed's father that it was not an accidental death but a well planned murder.