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Princess Diana was one of the most loved figures of the modern age, not because she was a princess, but because she became something more than royal. Her empathy and vulnerability, her desire to be by the side of the downtrodden, the misunderstood, and the shunned, changed the way the world looked at the monarchy. She didn’t just do charity work, she met people, she listened to people, she made them feel heard. Her compassion, as well as her vulnerability and humanity, would lead to her becoming known as “The People’s Princess.”

Thrust Into Royal Life

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Diana Spencer was introduced to Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1977, when she was 16 and he was dating her older sister, Sarah. By that time, he was one of the world’s most eligible bachelors. In 1980, he renewed their acquaintance on a country weekend and began to consider Diana as a potential wife. The relationship quickly progressed: a sailing trip on the royal yacht Britannia, a family visit to Balmoral Castle, and a warm reception from the Queen, the Queen Mother, and the Duke of Edinburgh confirmed her as a royal bride-to-be.

On February 6, 1981, Prince Charles asked Diana for her hand in marriage during a private moment in the early hours at Windsor Castle. She accepted immediately, but the engagement was not publicly announced for several weeks. Within months she would become a global icon as the wedding was watched by more than 750 million people around the world. In many ways Diana was just an inexperienced, intuitive young woman on the verge of her dream. In other ways, she was very different. She had a sense of duty to use her position for a purpose, and it wouldn’t be long before she did that.

A Fearless Champion

Series: Reagan White House Photographs, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989 Collection: White House Photographic Collection, 1/20/1981 - 1/20/1989 on Wikimedia

Compassion: Diana’s ability to connect with others through simple acts of humanity was one of her most striking qualities. In the 1980s, when misinformation and stigma around HIV/AIDS were rampant, the Princess did something remarkable. At the opening of the UK’s first purpose-built HIV/AIDS unit at London Middlesex Hospital, she shook the hand of a patient. With no gloves.

At a time when most people believed you could catch the illness simply by touching someone, the act was both shocking and groundbreaking. Diana’s brother Charles Spencer has said the Princess “was not really a gloves person” and that human contact was more important to her than royal protocol. Her point was clear: compassion is more powerful than fear.

Despite her divorce from Charles, Diana continued her hands-on approach to charity work. Instead of lending her name to thousands of organizations, she focused on six causes that she was particularly passionate about. She also believed in seeing issues up close, and was eager to learn first-hand about peoples real problems. Her grounded approach shifted public opinion about everything from homelessness to victims of landmines.

A Lasting Legacy

Tucker, Robert John, 1948-2023 on Wikimedia

She was called “The People’s Princess” not for her royal work, but for her empathy. And years after her death, her memory still helps us to see a kinder world, even when it comes to the highest thrones.