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Princess Diana was born
Diana Frances Spencer, born July 1, was the fourth of five children born to John Spencer, the 8th Earl Spencer and his first wife, Frances Ruth Roche. -
Her parents' divorce
The Spencers separate when Diana is six years old. The divorce would not be final until 1969, following a child custody battle won by her father. -
Title of Lady
Diana, 13, is given the title of Lady after her grandfather dies and her father inherits the title Earl of Spencer and the Althorp estate. -
Diana meets Charles
Diana first meets future husband Prince Charles, who at the time was dating her older sister Sarah. -
Wedding
Less than a month after her 20th birthday, Diana weds Charles, 32, at St. Paul's Cathedral, which better accommodated their 2,500 guests than Westminster Abbey. -
First child
The couple's first child, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, is born at London's St. Mary's Hospital. -
Second child
The couple's second son, Prince Henry Charles Albert David, aka Harry, is born. -
Divorce
Prime Minister John Major informs Parliament of the official separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The move comes a month after a disastrous official visit to South Korea, which forced the palace to realize it was time to end the charade. -
Goodbye, public life
Diana announces her plan to retire from public life, at least for an indefinite period, and dramatically pares down her list of charity patronages. -
Red Cross
Diana walks through a minefield in war-torn Angola to support the Red Cross' call for a ban on landmines and to showcase the de-mining work being done by one of the charities she patronized. -
Death
Diana and her new beau, Dodi Fayed, depart Paris' Ritz-Carlton Hotel after dinner to spend the night at his apartment. Their intoxicated driver, Henri Paul, later found to be three times over the legal limit, races through the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in an attempt to outrun the paparazzi. Shortly after midnight, he crashes their Mercedes into a cement pylon, killing himself and Fayed instantly. Diana and bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones are taken to the hospital when they died.