1. She worked hard to remove the stigma of AIDS
-Despite being a royal, she worked tirelessly to try and remove the nasty stigma AIDS seems to carry. She was a proud supporter of AIDS-related charities and made visits to patients in hospitals all over England. The thought that touching someone with AIDS was highly risky was removed when she asked that media capture her embracing patients in hugs. She was quoted as saying "HIV does not make people dangerous to know. You can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it."
2. She brought leprosy to the world's attention
-Very similar to the stigma of HIV/AIDS, she worked hard to get the taboo of leprosy changed. Diana supported those who were afflicted with the disease, despite Queen Elizabeth II reportedly asking Diana to support a "much more pleasant" cause instead. Diana supported these people despite what the Royal Family did or said
3. She was against landmines
-In 1997, she travelled to Angola to bring awareness to landmines being used there in the various civil wars being committed. She was photographed walking through a former minefield and brought awareness to the lack of prosthetics. Because of her International Campaign to Ban Landmines, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize posthumously, a few months after she died
4. She supported homeless youth
-A cause you normally hear about too often on the news, Diana supported these young souls as well. Centrepoint, a charity helping homeless youth, was her main choice of support for this topic. 1992 saw her becoming a patron of this charity and was quoted as saying "We, as a part of society, must ensure that young people - who are our future - are given the chance they deserve."
5. She sold her clothing to raise money for charity
-While some celebrities would rather chew off their own body parts than part with their luxurious clothing, Diana was the opposite. She sold 79 of her world-famous dresses to raise money for AIDS/breast cancer research. This was suggested by her then 15 year old son, Prince William, at the time
6. She stood up to the Royal Family
-Not an easy task, you would think. Standing up to a small yet mighty woman who controls what happens sounds as easy as defusing a bomb with a hyperactive kid banging cymbals behind you. But Diana was able to stand up to the deeply rooted traditions of the British Royal Family. She did this in small ways that did not go unnoticed by the people of England. Out of all the royals, she was the only one to work with AIDS charities. She chose to raise her sons herself instead of hiring nannies. On her many visits outside to hospitals to speak with patients, she never wore loud, lavish hats or gloves because she found it disrespectful to the patients. She also was the first royal to have a "common" engagement ring picked out of a catalogue, like what most if not all normal people do when getting engaged. This ring is now worn by Duchess Kate Middleton
7. She initiated an "equal" wedding tradition
-Tradition in the Royal Family says the wife obeys the husband. At her wedding to Prince Charles, she not only broke this tradition: she shattered it. This small act stirred up high levels of controversy and was considered unheard of at the time. Since Diana considered herself a free spirit and a strong supporter of equality, she made sure to lead by example. This still rings three decades later, as Prince William and Duchess Kate did the same thing and even Prince Harry and Megan Markle did too
8. She was a women's advocate
-She had a genuine care and love for women and girls. She advocated for these ladies and girls. Rather than just show up to be just a "gracious royal", she would visit homeless youth centers, sipping coffee as they did and just talk with these people, getting to know them as people. When she visited hospitals, nurses would speak highly of her, saying that she was "never patronizing or detached". She truly cared for people and wanted them to become highly successful, highly independent strong women themselves
9. "Royal wife" are two terms not to describe this woman
-She did everything she could to defy the terms of an expected "royal wife". Despite the fact she helped everyone, she still did have a personality all her own. Her husband Prince Charles invited her to "sit and watch him work", but she would bluntly decline and spend time with the public instead. She also acknowledged her husband's infidelity publicly in a BBC interview in 1995. This interview sparked the now phrase "three is a crowd"
10. She was the first to admit her flaws
-Everyone has flaws. Some are loath to admit it; others will make it the first thing they say. Diana was the first to admit she was not perfect. She was a royal, yes, but she had flaws too; she's human like the rest of us. During her marriage to Prince Charles, she dealt with nearly crushing loneliness because of his affair with Camilla Parker. She began seeking the company of others. She came clean about the affair she had had in a BBC interview prior to her divorce. While there is nothing admirable about engaging in an affair, Diana had the guts and bravery required to admit this on camera. Even though it would taint her reputation, this is proof that she is human
11. She raised her sons without the Royal customs
-She raised her sons as any normal mother would do. She believed in a firm "hands-on" approach to parenting, like any non-royal parent would do with kids. She got up and took them to school herself, take them to McDonalds occasionally and theme parks occasionally. She even attended school events like all mothers. She also taught her sons to homeless shelters, AIDS clinics to help develop empathy for others. "I want my boys to have an understanding of people's emotions, their insecurities, people's distress, and their hopes and dreams," she said in an interview
12. She sent "thank you" notes
-What royal does this? I know. Princess Diana. Every little detail mattered to this beautiful soul. She sent thank you notes for even the smallest deed and instilled this in her sons, Harry and William. Prince William continues this habit to this day. A good example is a chauffeur showing William a fun video one day and William giving him a thank you note
13. She openly admitted her struggle with depression
-With the media being the harassing vultures they are, always looking for dirt on the latest celeb, instead of highlighting the good, the disapproval of the royal family, her marriage falling to bits, it's no wonder Diana began to suffer from depression. She wrote an autobiography and it detailed her suffering from post-partum depression after having her son William. Compounding her depression was the fact her husband Charles was never around and the royal family all but turning their backs on her. She went public with her depression diagnosis in the hopes that more time would be spent researching mental health to be understood better
14. She publicly acknowledged self-harm and bulimia
-This was at a time when mental health and other disorders were barely known. She brought awareness to them by going public and shedding light on them. During a BBC interview, she came clean about a battle with bulimia that began the moment Charles called her "chubby" the week of their engagement. She spoke of multiple suicide attempts as well as self harm that came because of the mounting pressures surrounding her. Her openness about mental health gave the desperately needed hope to thousands of women and girls suffering the same thing.
15. She shared a connection with Mother Teresa
-She had formed a very strong connection with Mother Teresa. In 1992, Diana had visited Mother Teresa's hospice in Kolkata, India and met every single patient on the verge of death there. The two women would meet three more times before Diana's death to discuss their idea for the betterment of humanity. Five days after Diana's fateful car crash, Mother Teresa herself had passed
16. The UK's first AIDS hospital ward opens thanks to Diana
-1987 saw the opening of the first AIDS hospital ward in the UK. She wanted the public opinion of HIV/AIDS changed and it was thanks to Princess Diana that it did change. While on one hand she considered it important to change the public's view of a disease associated with homosexuals, she would often visit the patients after hours to spend time with them, giving her time to them and making it special
17. She was a patron of the arts
-In her youth, being a ballerina was what Diana wanted to become. But her height exceeded the standards for this career and was forced to change that. She still pursued her love of the arts in any way possible. She made an appearance as a ballerina at the Royal Opera House in 1985 as a surprise for then husband Prince Charles. With marriage into the royal family and other duties, she supported her passion any way she could. She became a patron of the Royal Ballet, a patron of the Natural History Museum and acted as president of the Royal Academy of Music
18.She was a highly talented pianist
-No one would suspect this highly intelligent, kind-hearted woman could tickle the ivories so beautifully. She is and was a classically trained pianist. Her favorite song was Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem and she would play it to the delight of hospital patients to distract them from their woes and to entertain children
19. She loved being around children
-Prior to the birth of her two sons, Diana loved being around children and showing them as much love and affection as possible. When she left school, she took on low-paying, but highly fulfilling jobs as a nanny, youth dance instructor and kindergarten teacher. When she entered the royal family, she spent a lot of time visiting orphanages and children's hospitals. She was a loving, devoted godmother to her friend's daughter who had been born with Down Syndrome. In an interview, her friend mentioned that Diana was "a huge encouragement" and told her to "Believe in her daughter, love her and I'll be there every step of the way."
20.She was an animal rights activist
-One of the many causes she fought for was animal rights. She believed in protecting the animals. She was strongly against the hunting traditions that had been a part of the royal family for generations. Her activism of animal rights stayed with her sons, who are against the ivory trade and the killing of endangered species. Prince William banned all ivory items from the royal palaces to support the efforts of preventing ivory poaching
21. She followed her heart
-You can say whatever you want about Diana, but one thing is true-she followed her heart no matter what. She took a genuine and sincere interest in people. It was just that-genuine and sincere, not that plastered on kindness celebs do. She never sought publicity and if publicity did follow, it caught her doing something good-showing what a kind person she was. Her sons follow in her footsteps of doing what's right for others. In a 1995 interview with Martin Bashir, Diana revealed she never contemplated becoming queen and she'd rather be "queen of people's hearts". She also suspected that the royal family would not want her to become queen because she "leads from the heart and not the head". But Diana has no regrets about anything she did and that she felt it was her duty or calling to "go out into the world and love people."
