Celebrity Glimpses (New Edition)

Author: Li Kunyan / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Love is Everything — Diana Although they could no longer recall those past events, when Diana first saw her future husband, she was still a child. It was in the winter of 1961, when the then twelve-year-old Prince Charles of Wales was staying at his mother's retreat at Sandringham. At that time, the young Prince Charles barely glanced at the little mite sleeping in the cradle. After all, how could a twelve-year-old child be interested in a baby? However, the prince would eventually develop a strong interest in this infant—but that was later. In reality, it was sixteen years before Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer met again. That encounter took place during a country hunt in November 1977. It was a dreary afternoon, with biting wind and relentless rain. Sixteen-year-old Diana, wearing an oversized fur coat borrowed from someone else and boots, stood in blue jeans as she walked through the hunting grounds toward the heir to the British throne. Around dusk, they met face to face near the Nobles' Wood. When Diana saw the prince, she thought, "What a melancholic man." Although Diana was unimpressed by his five-foot-ten height and thought she would easily tower over him if she wore high heels, the future princess still looked forward to meeting the most eligible bachelor in Britain. However, Diana later said she envied the prince's charming blue eyes. Although Diana herself believed, "He didn’t even notice me," the prince later said he thought Diana was a "happy and charming" girl, "very interesting." It was later discovered that Diana first caught the royal family's attention at her sister Jane’s wedding that April, when she served as a bridesmaid. This was her first major social event as an adult, and many royal members were surprised to see the once awkward and unattractive girl had blossomed into such a mature and beautiful woman. Even Queen Elizabeth, the grandmother of the prince, took notice of Diana’s beauty, grace, and charm. She praised the earl for his careful upbringing of Diana. Soon after, Prince Charles sent a formal invitation by his attendant, inviting Diana to accompany him to the opera that evening and attend the midnight court banquet. Although Diana felt flustered and the invitation came too quickly, she accepted. She and her roommate, Caroline Basset, hurriedly got ready and prepared Diana for this important date. The evening was a great success, and soon after, an invitation to a royal yacht party followed. Although Diana was a bit afraid of the royal family at Balmoral, she wisely did not attend the castle. She requested and was granted permission to stay at her sister Jane and her young husband’s villa at Balmoral. The prince visited her there every day, either suggesting they attend an outdoor barbecue together or inviting her for long walks in the woods. When Charles went skiing in Switzerland, Diana longed for him. A day or two after he arrived, he called her and told her he would ask her some important questions when he returned to England. On February 3, 1981, he returned. Three days later, he arranged to meet Diana at Windsor Castle. That evening, as Charles took Diana on a tour of the nursery, he proposed to her. To the prince’s surprise, Diana took his proposal as a joke. She giggled. But soon after, she could see that Charles was serious. Although a voice in her mind kept telling her not to think about becoming a princess, she still accepted the prince’s request. Diana told the prince again and again that she loved him. "Love is everything," the prince replied. P15-19