Before Princess Diana became "The People's Princess," she was Lady Diana Spencer. Her father, Edward John "Johnnie" Spencer, was a nobleman and friend of the British family. He was known as Viscount Althorp until 1975, when he inherited the title of Earl Spencer after his father passed away.
Diana led a relatively normal life when she was growing up. Although her family had connections to the royal family, Diana grew up much like any other child. She was very well-off, of course, but she went to school, played with her siblings, and spent time outside like other kids.
Everything changed when Prince Charles, the oldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, noticed her and started pursuing her to be his bride. Eventually, the two of them got engaged and married, and Lady Diana Spencer became Princess Diana. Charles and Diana had two children together, Prince William and Prince Harry.
As princess, Diana was well-loved by the public. She was known for her style, compassion, charity work, devotion to her children, and charisma. She helped the royal family transition to the modern age, and her legacy has lived on for decades.
On July 1, 1961, Diana Frances Spencer was born in Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk. Her parents, John Spencer and Frances Spencer, were the Viscount and Viscountess Althorp. Diana had three siblings: older sisters Sarah and Jane and younger brother Charles. A fourth sibling, a brother named John, was born a year before Diana, but he died shortly after his birth.
Diana's family was always close with the royal family. In fact, her grandmothers had been ladies-in-waiting for Queen Elizabeth II's mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The Queen and other members of the royal family attended the wedding of John and Frances Spencer.
That wasn't the only connection they had to the royal family — the Spencer family also lived on royal property. The Spencers leased Park House, on the Sandringham Estate, from Queen Elizabeth II.
When the Queen's family vacationed at Sandringham House, Diana would play with the Queen's younger sons, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. She had no idea at the time that she would go on to marry their older brother.
Diana was a sweet little girl who loved life. Her au pair, Inge Crane, told CNN, "She was quite a lovable child. She was very, very cuddly." The chubby-cheeked toddler looks a lot like her granddaughter, Princess Charlotte.
Park House was a great place to grow up. Diana lived a relatively normal life as a little girl. She spent time playing with her siblings outside — they enjoyed playing on the swings and swimming in the pool on the property.
Even at a young age, Diana cared about helping others and fighting for good causes. She absolutely loved animals, and she grew up surrounded by pet hamsters, rabbits, dogs, cats, and horses.
Diana's parents got divorced when Diana was 7 — it was a tough time for her family, since her parents ended up in a custody battle. Eventually, Diana's father won custody. Her parents both later remarried, and Diana had a very contentious relationship with her stepmother.
When Diana was young, she was homeschooled by a governess. It wasn't until Diana was 9 that she started going to school. She attended Riddlesworth Hall School, an all-girls boarding school.
In 1973, when Diana was 12, she joined her older sisters at West Heath Girls' School. Diana wasn't particularly great at school, but she excelled at playing piano, dancing, and swimming/diving. She was relatively shy but got along well with others.
Diana wasn't given the title of "Lady" until 1975, when her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer. Once her father became an earl, he moved the family to Althorp, the location of the Spencer seat.
In 1977, when Diana was 16, she met Prince Charles for the first time. At the time, Charles was dating Diana's older sister, Lady Sarah. Neither of them thought about a future relationship at the time, but they took note of each other.
After attending one semester of finishing school, Diana moved to London and shared a flat with two friends. At that point, she started working. Over the years, she worked as a dance teacher, a preschool assistant, a house cleaner, a party hostess, a nanny, and a nursery teacher's assistant.
In many of Diana's jobs, she worked with children. It's obvious she loved spending time with kids. When she eventually became a mother to Prince William and Prince Harry, she spent more time with her children than previous royal moms had done.
In 1980, Charles and Diana met again. The Spencers were guests at a summer country weekend hosted by the royal family. This was the first time Charles started seeing Diana as a potential bride.
Charles invited Diana to accompany him on a royal yacht for a sailing weekend, then continued their relationship by inviting Diana to Balmoral, the royal family's residence in Scotland. While at Balmoral, Diana met Charles' family. With the approval of his family, Charles began courting Diana more seriously.
Prince Charles proposed to Diana on February 6, 1981, but they didn't tell the public about their engagement until February 24, 1981. As soon as they announced their engagement, Diana was thrown into the public eye.
Diana was only 19 years old at the time of her engagement, and she was overwhelmed by the sudden attention she was getting. Her fiancé, meanwhile, was 32, and he had been living in the public eye for his entire life.
Prince Charles and Lady Diana got married in a huge ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981. On that day, Diana officially became Princess of Wales and the third-highest ranking female in the royal family.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles had two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. She went on to become one of the most beloved royal figures of all time, before her tragic death on August 31, 1997.
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Save these photos to see how adorable Diana looked before she even became a princess.
