Who is a Princess?

A princess is the female counterpart of a prince, typically the daughter or close relative of a monarch and holds a position of honor within society. She usually performs duties and responsibilities associated with her royal status, including representing the monarchy at ceremonial and public events, promoting charitable causes and maintaining diplomatic relations.

Throughout her life, Diana served as president or patron of over 100 charities and focused much attention on the homeless and those living with HIV/AIDS. She also aided the victims of landmines and other war-related injuries. The Princess of Wales was beloved in her lifetime and is remembered as a compassionate woman who helped modernize the monarchy.

In her later years, she was forcibly committed to a Swiss sanitarium and subjected to experiments by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. He reportedly X-rayed her ovaries to supposedly cool her down and hasten menopause, though this treatment was ultimately unsuccessful. After leaving the sanatorium, she settled in Greece, where she founded an orthodox convent.

While it is difficult for a Princess to give up her title, there are many examples of women who have chosen to do just that. One such example happened just over a century ago when a Princess walked down the aisle at Westminster Abbey as a Princess and then returned up it as a Lady. She is now buried on the grounds of her family estate at Althorp. Her coffin was covered in white lilies—her favorite flower.