Diana (43 page)

Summer 1980: Diana and Prince Charles finally “connect” and begin a courtship.

February 24, 1981: Charles and Diana announce their engagement on television in their first public appearance together.

July 29, 1981: 750 million people tune in to “the wedding of the century.”

June 21, 1982: Birth of Prince William

September 15, 1984: Birth of Prince Harry

June 1992: Andrew Morton’s book,
Diana, Her True Story,
says that Diana tried to kill herself five times because of jealousy and her difficult marriage.

August 25, 1992: The London
Sun
publishes a fairly lurid transcript of a New Year’s Eve 1989 telephone conversation between James Gilbey and Diana (referred to as “Squidgy” by Gilbey, hence the term “Squidgygate”).

December 9, 1992: Prime Minister John Major announces that Charles and Diana are separating “amicably.”

January 14, 1993: Tabloid newspapers publish a transcript of a lewd conversation between Charles and his old friend and mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles.

December 3, 1993: Diana announces that she is withdrawing from public life.

June 29, 1994: In an interview, Charles says he was unfaithful to Diana after their marriage broke down.

August 1994: Newspaper reports claim that Diana had been making hundreds of annoyance calls to her friend Oliver Hoare, and hanging up when his wife answered the phone. She denies it.

October 3, 1994: Anna Pasternak’s book,
Princess in Love,
claims that Diana had a five-year affair with British Army Major James Hewitt, her former riding instructor. She reportedly denies the allegation.