Public Library Of Youngstown & Mahoning County: 60th Birth Anniversary Of Diana, Princess Of Wales

Press release from the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County:

Judy Jones

July 1st, 2021

Lady Diana was loved by many people around the world.  Diana was born Diana Frances Spencer.  Her father was John Spencer, and her mother was Frances Ruth Roche.  Diana’s lineage goes back 500 years.  Diana’s grandparents were invited to live at Park House in the 1930s by King George VI. Queen Elizabeth II attended Frances and John’s wedding at Westminster Abbey.  The Spencer family was close to the British Royal Family for decades. Her maternal grandmother, Ruth, Lady Fermoy, was a longtime friend of, and a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.  When her grandfather died in 1965, he was the seventh Earl Spencer, she inherited the title Lady.  

Diana was athletic, she like to ride her bike, swim, and climb trees.  She also played the piano and enjoyed music.  She was fond of animals and had pet hamsters and a cat named Marmalade.  When she was in boarding school, she visited an old woman who lived near the school.  She cleaned her house, did errands for her, and spent time talking to her.  She also visited the hospital for the mentally and physical challenged once a week.   

She did not need to work because her family was so wealthy, but she took a job as an Assistant Kindergarten teacher at a private school.  She was quite happy to sit on the floor, have children climbing all over her, the owner of the school noted.  She also worked as a part-time nanny for an American family who lived in London; they did not know that she was part of the British nobility, all they knew was she did a great job taking care of their one-year old. 

To learn more about Princess Diana, here is a selection of print, DVD, and online ebooks & videos available for check out to library cardholders:

DVDs to watch 

Diana, 7 Days 

Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy 

Downloadable Videos from Hoopla 

The Story of Diana 

The Diana Story: Part I, The Young Princess

The Diana Story: Part II, Broken Hearts 

The Diana Story: Part III, Legacy of Love

Princess Diana: The Quiet Revolution 

Library books about Diana 

Diana, The Portrait 

The People’s Princess 

Diana, Her True Story — In Her Own Words (Audiobook available from OverDrive)

Remembering Diana, A Life in Photographs 

The Diana Chronicles (Audiobook available from OverDrive)

Diana, Case Solved: The Definitive Account That Proves What Really Happened 

eBooks available for instant download from Hoopla 

The Real Diana 

Lives of the Princesses of Wales 

Judy Jones

Judy is a certified Career Facilitator. She has worked with many patrons over the past four years assisting them in writing effective resumes and cover letters. She has guided individuals through the online job application process and has helped them register for Ohio Means Jobs. If you need assistance or would like to send her your resume for review, please email her at jjjones@libraryvisit.org. If you would like to call her to book an appointment, please call 330-744-8636. Judy in also an avid Anglophile! She likes to read British History, fiction and non-fiction, likes to watch TV shows and movies related to British History and often likes to pick at the historical accuracy of such shows.

This press release was produced by the Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County. The views expressed here are the author’s own.