Diana Spencer was born into British aristocracy, though a commoner, not royal. Her father was (Edward) John Spencer. He was a personal aide to King George VI and to Queen Elizabeth II, and was a godson of Queen Mary. Her mother was the Hon. Frances Shand-Kydd, formerly the Hon.Frances Ruth Burke Roche.
Diana's parents divorced in 1969. Her mother ran away with a wealthy heir, and her father gained custody of the children.
Diana was the third of four children. Her sister Lady Sarah Spencer married Neil McCorquodale; before she married, Sarah and Prince Charles dated. Diana's sister Lady Jane married Robert Fellowes, an assistant secretary to Queen Elizabeth II. Their brother, Charles Spencer, Earl Spencer, was a godson of Queen Elizabeth II.

she grew up practically next door to Queen Elizabeth II and her family, at Park House, a mansion next to the Sandringham estate of the royal family. Prince Charles was 12 years older, but Prince Andrew was closer to her age and was a childhood playmate.
After Diana's parents divorced bitterly when Diana was eight, her father gained custody of the four children. Diana was educated at home until she was nine, then she was sent to Riddlesworth Hall until she was 12, and Weest Heath School (Kent) from ages 12 to 16. Diana did not get along well with her stepmother, nor did she do well in school, finding an interest in ballet.
When Diana was 16, she met Prince Charles again. He had dated her older sister Sarah. She made some impression on him, but she was still too young for him to date.

After Diana left school, she moved to London, and worked as a housekeeper, nanny, and kindergarten teacher's aide. She lived in a house purchased by her father, and had three roommates. In 1980, Diana and Charles met again when she visited her sister, whose husband worked for the queen. They began to date, and six months later he proposed. They were married July 29, 1981, in a much-watched wedding that's been called the "wedding of the century." She was the first British citizen to marry the heir to the British throne in almost 300 years.
Diana rather quickly became pregnant, giving birth to Prince William (William Arthur Philip Louis) on June 21, 1982, and then to Prince Harry (Henry Charles Albert David) on September 15, 1984.
Early in their marriage, Diana and Charles were seen to be publicly affectionate; by 1986, their time apart and coolness when together were obvious. The 1992 publication of Andrew Morton's biography of Diana revealed the story of Charles' long affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, and alleged that Diana had made suicide attempts.
Diana announced her agreement to a divorce in February, surprising the Queen whom she had not informed before making the announcement.

The divorce was final on August 28, 1996. She continued to live at Kensington Palace, and was permitted to retain the title "Princess of Wales".
At her divorce, she also gave up most of the charities she'd been working with, limiting herself to only a few: working with homelessness, AIDS, leprosy, the ballet, a hospital for children, and a cancer hospital.
In early 1997, Diana was linked romantically with the 42-year-old playboy "Dodi" Fayed (Emad Mohammed al-Fayed).
Just after midnight on August 31, 1997, in Paris, the car carrying Diana and Fayed, plus a bodyguard and a driver, went out of control in a Paris tunnel and crashed. Fayed and the driver were killed instantly; Diana died later in a hospital despite efforts to save her. The bodyguard survived despite critical injuries.
Princess Diana's funeral, on September 6, drew worldwide attention. About half the people in the world saw it on television. Millions turned out to line the path of the funeral procession.