English Every Day: Remembering Princess Diana

Your Daily English Programme #39 - Diana Spencer: The People's Princess (Caption Reading B2-C1)

Think Before You Read

Do you know the woman in the picture? Do you know why her image is printed on British stamps?

Source: staticflickr.com

On August 31, 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash in a road tunnel in Paris.

Diana Spencer was born on July 1, 1961, into the Spencer family, a family of British nobility. On July 29, 1981, She married the heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, and officially became a member of the British royal family. They had two sons, the Princes William and Harry, but their marriage ended in divorce on August, 28, 1996. Diana died only a year later in a fatal car crash in Paris. Because of her charitable work and immense popularity among people, Diana was dubbed the "People's Princess".

Watch and Read

Watch and Read: Why do the video producers believe that Diana was a royal 'like no other'?

Let's Practice

Did You Notice? The video captions are full of very interesting and useful English idioms that you can also learn to use in your own writing, or even speaking (though some are too formal to be used in casual speech). Below are some of the sentences from the video captions: Watch again and find the missing words in each idiomatic expression:

(move your mouse over the phrases to see their meanings and more)

1. Dubbed the ‘People’s Princess’, she captured the public’s _________ . 2. Initially, she seemed to live a _________ life. 3. She made __________ dancing with John Travolta at the White House. 4. She used media interest to draw attention to charitable causes, and to help remove the ________ attached to those living with AIDS. 5. Intimate details of the royal couple’s problems were laid ______ . 6. Even after the divorce, her life was the _______ of worldwide scrutiny. 7. The Princess’s death led to an _________ of public grief. 8. A nation stood still as thousands paid ________ to the late Princess. 9. Her _______ lives on through her sons, Princes William and Harry. 10. They (Princes William & Harry) remain __________ to continuing her charitable work.

Over to You

Have there been any public figures (royalty, politicians, actors, etc) similar to Princess Diana in your country? Why are they loved and admired? What were/are their greatest accomplishments? (share your answers with us in the comments below)

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