Famous people of Great Britain. Made by: Arakhovskaya Kate (Form 8) Teacher: Chicherova N. V. Zhiletovo 2008

Princess Diana. Diana Frances Spencer was born,on July 1, 1961,in Norfolk, England, the third of the Lord and Althorn's four children. She grew up at Park House, a mansion in Norfolk located next door to the royal family`s Sandringham estate. One of Diana`s playmates was Prince Andrew, Charles`s brother. Diana, a quiet and reserved child, had a relatively happy home life until she was eight years old, when her parents divorced, and her mother ran off with snother man. Her father eventually won the custody battle over their son and three daughters. Diana, who remained close to her mother, became depressed.

School. Diana`s academic career was unremarkable. She was tutored at home until the age of nine, when she was sent to Riddlesworth Hall in Norfolk. At the age of twelve, Diana began attending the exclusive Westheath school in Sevenoaks, Kent, where she enjoyed ballet. Later she fell in love with Prince Charles. After school Diana worked in a kindergarten.

Diana and Charles. Charles met Diana and liked her very much but he thought Diana was too young to consider as a marriage prospect. Nevertheless he proposed to Diana at dinner in his Buckingham Palace apartment on February 3, Diana was the first British citizen to marry the heir to the throne since 1659.

Wedding. The wedding took place on July 29, 1981 under the dome of St. Paul`s Cathedral. A congregation of 2500 and a worldwide TV audience of about 750 million watched the ceremony. There were no doubts about Charles and Diana`s love for each other in those early days.

Public appearances. Soon afterward, Diana`s professional life became an round of ceremonial tree plantings, introductions, and public appearances. In their first seven years of marriage, the Prince and Princess of Wales made official visits to 19 countries and help hundreds of handshaking sessions.

Children. On November 5, 1981, the palace announced that the Princess of Wales was expecting a child. A second son, Harry, was born two years later in September of Diana tried to raise the children as normally as possible, sway from the glare of publicity.

Diana and people. Over the years, Diana immersed herself in numerous charitable activities. She became involved in such social issues such as homelessness and drug abuse, visited leprosarium in Nigeria and Indonesia, shook hands with patients at an AIDS ward in a Middlesex Hospital, and once visited victims of an IRA( Irish Republican Army) bombing in Northern Ireland. In 1990, People noted, Diana was the patron of 44 charities, making more than 180 visits on their behalf the previous year.

Divorce of Diana and Charles. Rumors about the stability of Charles of Diana`s marriage surfaced repeatedly over the years. On February 29, 1996, the Princess Announced that she had agreed to divorce. Diana lost her title of Her Royal Highness and right to the throne, but kept the moniker Princess of Wales and continued to live in Kensington Palace. Diana continued her diplomatic role as Princess of Wales after the divorce. She visited terminally ill people in hospitals, travelled to Bosnia to meet the victims of land mines, and met Mother Teresa in New York City`s Bronx in June 1997.

Automobile accident. Romantically, the press linked her with, and Dodi al Fayed, whose father owns Harrods Department Store in London. However, her number-one priority remained her two sons. On August 31, 1997, the paparazzi followed the couple after they diner at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. The combination of the pursuing paparazzi, driving at s high rate of speed, and having a drunk driver behind the wheel, all played into the automobile accident which claimed Princess Diana`s life.

Funeral. Diana`s funeral was held in Westminster Abbey on September 6 th. Elton John rewrote his song “Candle in the Wind” and sang “ Goodbye, England`s Rose” for his close friend. It was estimated that 2,5 billion people watched Princess Diana`s funeral on television, nearly half the population of the world. One royal watcher stated, “Diana made the monarchy more in touch with people”.

Sources. Поурочные планы по английскому языку: 1. по учебнику: К. И. Кауфман. Happy English. ru ; Е. М. Меняйло – М.: Глобус org ; Forum. secretplanet.ru ; Forum. academ. org.