Blessed with a fairytale beginning, Diana's story ended tragically 16 years after she became a member of the British royal family, following her death in a car crash in Paris.
Here are the main points of a life confined by royal protocol and constantly under the glare of the international media.
July 1st, 1961: Lady Diana Spencer is born.
July 1981: Lady Diana (20) marries the Prince of Wales, 13 years her senior, at St Paul's Cathedral in London.
June 1982: Birth of first child, Prince William.
Sept 1984: Birth of second son, Prince Harry. The marriage is already under strain. Diana's biographer, Andrew Morton, later revealed that she had started suffering from depression and bulimia and had tried to commit suicide five times.
From 1986: Charles and Diana start leading increasingly separate lives. The Prince of Wales renews his "friendship" with Camilla Parker-Bowles. Diana takes a cavalry officer, James Hewitt, as a lover.
August 1992: Scandal after the publication by the Sun of a telephone conversation between Diana and a presumed lover, James Gilbey.
November 1992: In public appearances, the royal couple appear estranged. But Buckingham Palace denies the marriage is in trouble.
Diana issues an unprecedented statement denying allegations of a rift between her and Queen Elizabeth.
December 1992: Then Prime Minister John Major announces to parliament that Charles and Diana have agreed to separate.
1993: The "Camilla-tape" scandal, in which an intimate telephone conversation between the prince and his friend is made public.
Diana announces her withdrawal from public life and asks the press to leave her in peace. But the interlude only lasts a few months.
June 1994: Charles admits in a television documentary that he was unfaithful to his wife, and describes Camilla as a very close friend.
November 1995: Diana retaliates by giving an exclusive interview to the BBC. She admits adultery, asks for a role as a "goodwill ambassador", says she does not want to divorce Charles but is awaiting his decision, and claims her husband is not fit to be king.
August 1996: The divorce of Charles and Diana is officially pronounced.
1997: Diana begins to campaign against landmines, travelling to Angola and later Bosnia. She appears liberated and takes advantage of her independence.
During the summer, news of a liaison emerges between Diana and Dodi al-Fayed, son of Egyptian millionaire Mohamed al-Fayed, owner of luxury London store Harrods and the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
August 31st: Diana and Dodi die in a car crash in Paris while being pursued by media photographers.