The "People's Princess" was born Lady Diana Frances Spencer on 1 July 1961 in Norfolk, daughter of the late Earl Spencer and the Honourable Mrs Shand-Kydd.

Educated at Riddlesworth Hall in Norfolk, West Heath in Kent and a Swiss finishing school, she once referred to herself as being "as thick as a plank".

The young kindergarten teacher married Prince Charles on 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral, the first Englishwoman to marry an heir to the throne for 300 years.They had two sons, Princes William and Harry.

Diana was a tabloid favourite - particularly when the cracks in her marriage appeared. A revealing biography by Andrew Morton was followed by a frank interview with Martin Bashir for Panorama. An audience of more than 21.5 million people heard her talk about the state of her marriage, her affair with former Life Guards officer James Hewitt, her unhappiness with royal life and her bulimia.

The couple eventually divorced but Diana remained "queen of people's hearts" through her charity work. She was particularly well known for her work with AIDS and homelessness charities and the campaign to ban landmines.

In the weeks before her death, she was photographed in the tabloids with her companion Dodi Fayed. There had been speculation over whether they would marry but in August 1997 they and their driver were killed in a car crash in a Paris underpass.

Her heavily-publicised funeral took place on 6 September 1997 in Westminster Abbey, with Elton John performing "Candle in the Wind". She is buried at Althorp, her family's stately home.