10 facts you probably never knew about Princess Diana

As a child in Norfolk, England, little Diana Spencer studied ballet and dreamed of taking the stage with the Royal Ballet. Unfortunately, her height held her back, as she eventually grew to nearly 5’11” (180cm). But her passion for dance remained even after she married Prince Charles in 1981. She was known for her generosity in supporting the English National Ballet, both as a private dancer and through fundraising efforts. In 1985, she surprised an audience, including the royal family, at the Royal Opera House with a three-minute contemporary dance performance with her friend and former Royal Ballet Principal Wayne Sleep. After her death, renowned ballet dancer and choreographer Peter Schaufuss developed a full-length ballet called Diana—The Princess.

In the late 1970s, Charles was heavy on the dating scene, spending time with ladies such as Lady Jane Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington’s daughter, and brewery heiress Sabrina Guinness. He even proposed to the granddaughter of his mentor Lord Louis Mountbatten (she said no). He was also spending time with Sarah Spencer, Diana’s sister. Through it all, he had one very ineligible bachelorette on his mind: Camilla Shand, who had married Andrew Parker Bowles in 1973. Low on options and under pressure to tie the knot, Charles turned to the Queen – and to Camilla – for advice. Both agreed that Diana would be a good fit. Charles proposed in February 1981; Diana chose an engagement ring of 14 solitaire diamonds surrounding a 12-carat oval blue Ceylon sapphire set in 18-carat white gold.

This is the real reason Charles didn’t marry Camilla in the first place.

When Prince William and Kate Middleton got married in 2011, 300 million viewers tuned in. Sounds like a lot? Hardly. In 1981, when Diana married the Prince of Wales, a whopping 750 million people around the world watched.

Check out these rarely seen photos of Princess Diana.

Most royal brides, including Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, and Princess Anne, adhered to the wedding vows as prescribed in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer dating from 1662 to “obey him and serve him, love, honour and keep him, in sickness and in health.” But not Princess Diana. She decided to omit “obey,” a choice echoed by her future daughters-in-law Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle.

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When Diana appeared at St. Paul’s Cathedral on July 29, 1981, she was ensconced in an elaborate gown made of silk taffeta and antique lace, decorated with sequins, embroidery and 10,000 pearls. Diana required several practice sessions to adjust to walking with the dress’s enormous 760cm train, an appendage that barely fit into the glass coach in which she road with her father to the ceremony. Designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the dress influenced wedding gowns for years after and is now owned by her sons and on display at the Althorp House in Northampton.

Diana appeared on the cover of PEOPLE more than 50 times, Time eight times, Newsweek seven times, Vanity Fair five times, and at least once on Tatler, LIFE, Vogue, McCall’s, Good Housekeeping and others.

Here are times that Princess Diana’s body language told the real story.

Queen Elizabeth reportedly found her son’s 20-year-old bride borderline insufferable. “She’s not like the rest of us,” the Queen told the editors of Fleet Street. “She’s very young.” When Diana pursued volunteer and fundraising opportunities with people suffering from HIV and AIDS, the Queen asked Diana if she couldn’t get involved with “something more pleasant.” And while the meaning is disputed, the Queen is reported to have said at the news of Diana’s death that “someone must have greased the brakes.”

Check our the 12 “facts” about Princess Diana that just aren’t true.

In 1995, Princess Diana opened up about her struggles with bulimia in a BBC interview. According to Vogue, she explained that low self-esteem and stress from her split with Prince Charles contributed to it. Diana said, “I didn’t like myself, I was ashamed I couldn’t cope with the pressures. I had bulimia for a number of years, and that’s like a secret disease. It’s a repetitive pattern which is very destructive. It was my escape mechanism.”

Here is the shocking reality about Charles and Diana’s honeymoon.

A 1981 report from the Guardian details how Charles and Diana met. Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Diana’s older sister, had dated Prince Charles previously and was actually the one who introduced them. And the relations don’t stop there – they’re actually sixteenth cousins, their ties dating back to Henry VII.

Diana was once linked to over 100 charities, according to Time, using her fame and royal status to bring attention to causes such as AIDS and HIV prevention and education, landmines and homelessness. She even auctioned off several of her iconic dresses to raise over $5 million for AIDS and breast cancer charities.

Next, read about the Christmas gift from Diana that Charles hated .

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Source: RD.com