What Was The Princess Diana Charity Work All About?
As soon as she started to date Prince Charles, Princess Diana was constantly in the media and the public watched her every move, even up until the moment of her premature and tragic death in 1997. During the course of years that she was in the spotlight, people all around the globe grew to admire and respect her and when she died, people in ever corner of the globe mourned her loss and felt it deeply. Now, more than ten years later, Diana continues to live on through a number of Princess Diana charity work projects that she championed.
When Lady Diana Spencer married Charles, the heir to the throne of Britain, in 1981, her life was forever changed in ways that she surely had never even imagined. It was in 1987 that voluntary charity work seemed to take on a more important role to her. It was at that time that Diana participated in the opening of a hospital ward that was dedicated to AIDS patients. People from around the globe were in shock when they saw that she chose not to wear protective clothing because the common belief, at that time, was that AIDS could be spread by casual contact.
Many have pointed to that very day and said that it was when the Princess Diana charity work, which she became perhaps best known for, was set in motion. There were a great many people, including the Queen, Charles and various royal advisors, who were not altogether sure that the Princess should be so closely associated with something like the AIDS charity volunteer work. However, it seemed that the debate itself over this matter gave her a more firm resolve to stay committed to voluntary charity work.
Soon enough, it was not only the AIDS hospital volunteer work that gained from Princess Diana’s awareness and ministrations. Diana became the royal patron of no less than seventy different volunteer charity agencies and in short order had a packed schedule to try keep up with all of them. At first, the needs of babies and child welfare received most of her attention, but it was not long before Princess Diana took on many other dimensions as she discovered other opportunities for volunteer work London and through the British Empire.
After the AIDS cause, the volunteer charity organization that Diana became most closely aligned with was a group called Birthright and she soon became a patron of the group. Birthright is an organization that functions as the appeal department of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The mission of Birthright is to do significant amounts of fundraising to support research of the common problems of unborn children, including occurrences such as stillbirths, infant deaths and the complications of infertility.
Princess Diana’s tireless work on the behalf of numerous voluntary charity organizations helped to throw a spotlight on many of the issues that were being addressed by international volunteer work programs and was instrumental in helping to encourage people around the globe to donate of their time, skills, effort, and money to good causes. Princess Diana did much more than just raise funds for various charities; she compassionately served those in need and inspired countless people to follow her lead.
“There is something quite moving about the way she talks with patients. Not only is she concerned about their problems, but they know she is. She understands the joy of having a baby and the anguish if something goes wrong. She felt very lucky and privileged to have had two healthy children, says Vivienne Parry, one of the group’s national organizers.
Princess Diana had a strong determination to help charities that had been rejected by others, and her efforts extended to charity work overseas as well. Touched by the awful effects of leprosy, Diana became a patron of the Leprosy Mission. She was admired for the way that she not only shook the hands of those with leprosy but also would sit with them on their beds and visit with them like an old friend.
During the all-too-brief duration time that Diana was with us, the Princess Diana charity work that she championed was an unmistakable signal to others that people should have no compunction about serving those who fall victim to diverse diseases and illnesses. Diana led a life of grace and compassion that was a beacon to many in showing others how to serve those in need and her contributions to charity work will not be forgotten any time soon.
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