The generous life of late Diana, Princess of Wales

As I told you guys when I started this blog, I mentioned that from time to time I'll be sharing stories of people involved or who were involved with charity work. Today I'm sharing on Princess Diana. A woman who lived for the world but left too soon. Please read...:)

Diana, Princess of Wales, popularly known as Lady Di or Princess Diana, was born 1 July 1961and died on 31 August 1997. She was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and member of the British Royal Family. Mother of Princes William and Harry.

She was well known for her fund-raising work for international charities, and an eminent celebrity of the late 20th century. She was known as the people's princess.

Diana is noted for two major contributions to humanitarianism, although during her marriage she was President or Patron of over 100 charities. However, her work with land mines and her work on behalf of HIV/AIDS patients were forever noted in telling photographs and consequently, her efforts in these two areas of humanitarianism are most well known. Click to continue plus more photos...

Diana walking through a cleared area of a minefiled in Angola

Princess Diana shaking hands with an AIDS patient

Diana with disabled people

Diana as a Red Cross volunteer in Zimbabwe

As Princess of Wales she was expected to make regular public appearances at hospitals, schools, and other facilities, in the 20th century model of royal patronage. The Princess developed an intense interest in serious illnesses and health-related matters outside the purview of traditional royal involvement, including AIDS and Leprosy.
In addition, she was the patroness of charities and organisations working with the homeless, youth, drug addicts, and the elderly.
From 1989, she was President of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. The day after her divorce, she announced her resignation from over 100 charities and relinquished all her Service appointments with military units to spend more time with the remaining six. Also following her divorce, she remained patron of Centrepoint (homeless charity), English National Ballet, Leprosy Mission and National Aids Trust, and as President of the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street and of the Royal Marsden Hospital.
She was known as a champion for children who had been forgotten or written off. 

Despite having donated financially, perhaps Diana's biggest contribution to AIDS charity work was her public persona. In 1987 there was still a lack of widespread education on how AIDS was contracted and many people believed that AIDS was contagious through casual contact. Diana however, was one of the first celebrities photographed touching and holding HIV/AIDS patients and many experts credit her with removing the stigma associated with AIDS.
In addition to her many visits to African AIDS patients, the charity work of Princess Diana also supported the work of the National Aids Trust which seeks to educate, promote research and in other ways positively influence the fight against AIDS. By supporting the causes of AIDS, she is credited as beginning the public conversation about AIDS as an epidemic.

Princess Diana opened her country's first Aids ward at Middlesex Hospital, London.
The Princess also opened The Landmark Aids Centre. A day centre in London which offers treatment and support for AIDS sufferers. It was officially opened on 25 July 1989. At a time when police dealing with AIDS sufferers still wore gloves, Diana created a media frenzy by shaking the hands of a patient at the unit.
This was the first time a high profile member of the Royal Family was going to attempt to destigmatise the condition. The Landmark Aids Centre offers advice and support on topics and issues from housing to dietary needs. Diana spent long hours with women in discussion groups about the centre. She said, "I think it's terrible what they have to go through."

During her final year Diana lent highly visible support to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
On January 15, 1997, the Princess of Wales earned public criticism and praise as the world saw pictures and video of the Princess touring land mine fields in flak jacket and helmet. Her crusading with the International Red Cross and Crescent movement frustrated government officials but helped put International pressure which influenced the signing of the Ottawa Treaty which created an international ban on the use of land mines their production. A campaign which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, only a few months after her death.
Her interest in landmines was focused on the injuries they create, often to children, long after a conflict is over.
As part of her fundraising for charities, in June 1997, the Princess attended receptions in London and New York as previews of the sale of a number of dresses and suits worn by her on official engagements, with the proceeds going to charity.

Her last official engagement in Britain was on 21 July 1997, when she visited Northwick Park Hospital, London (children's accident and emergency unit).

She died in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997. She was only 36 years old. It was in recognition of her charity work that representatives of the charities with which she worked during her life were invited to walk behind her coffin with her family from St James's Palace to Westminster Abbey on the day of her funeral.

Her Legacy;

In 1999 the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Award for Inspirational Young People was established.

In 2002, Diana was ranked 3rd in 100 Greatest Britons poll, outranking The Queen and other British monarchs.

There are more but shared only the above.

Here are some of her famous quotes;

"I'd like to be a queen in people's hearts"

"Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you".

"I don't go by the rule book... I lead from the heart, not the head".

"I think the biggest disease the world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of people feeling unloved. I know that I can give love for a minute, for half an hour, for a day, for a month, but I can give. I am very happy to do that, I want to do that".

"HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug: Heaven knows they need it".