Princess Diana—The Peoples' Princess
戴安娜王妃——“人民的王妃”
She was known as the People's Princess， and her tragic death in an automobile accident in Paris was recorded as her life in a series of photographs snapped even before rescue workers appeared on the scene. When Diana died at the age of 36 she had become the most photographed and the most admired woman in the world. She walked as easily among the poor and ailing as among the glittering elite. She held children who had lost their limbs in war and reached out to those attacked by such silent enemies as AIDS and cancer.
As the Princess of Wales， Diana saw the opportunity to do goods throughout her life when others in her position might have been satisfied with a comfortable lifestyle and two healthy sons. As she grew in confidence， Diana realized that she could use her fame and her influence to make people's lives better. Being associated with charities is often part of being a Royal. Princess Diana's main interests were with the very old， the very young， and those in hospitals or hospices. Diana was always willing to meet the less fortunate and give them encouragement. She was patron of Turning Point， an organization that helps people recovering from drug or alcohol addiction， and she did much work for the homeless. Drug abuse was another Diana's concerns and she wanted to be involved in the fight against it. She also showed great concern for the deaf and became proficient in sign language so she would be able to communicate with the hearing impaired when she visited them.
Princess Diana was well aware of the pulling power of her image. While she was often the victim of the media's unwanted attention she knew how to use its power for good and she was happy for charities around the world to benefit from it. Among the many causes she supported the most notable were those that worked with AIDS sufferers. After criticism that taxpayer money was being wasted on research into the condition， she put herself at the forefront of a campaign to reveal the impact of the disease. She strived to comfort AIDS patients and to convey the message that people with AIDS should not be treated as outcasts. In 1991 Diana became patron of the National AIDS trust. During the same year Diana made a highly public visit with Barbara Bush to the AIDS ward of the Middlesex hospital and while there she hugged one patient. This small gesture emphasized her words given in a speech shortly before； “HIV does not make people dangerous to know， so you can shake their hands， and give them a hug. What's more you can share their homes， their workplaces and their playgrounds and toys.” Less well known was her campaign in support of leprosy sufferers. This was first demonstrated in 1989 during an official visit to Indonesia. She asked to visit a Leprosy Hospital where she shook hands with a large number of patients， many of them were children. Later in 1990 she visited a leper hospital and a leper colony. The Princess subsequently became a patron of the Leprosy Mission in Britain.
Princess Diana's short but high profile association with the Red Cross's anti-land mines campaign turned the world's attention to the subject of land mines， which continue to kill and maim innocent civilians long after wars have ended， and calling for a world-wide resistance to the manufacture and sale of these deadly weapons. She shrugged off criticism from politicians who accused her of meddling in international affairs. Her response was to travel to Angola and Bosnia， strolling bleakly through cemeteries full of land mine victims and talking with children who had lost limbs in minefield explosions. Diana's mission was to bring home the horrors of this particular kind of warfare and she succeeded brilliantly.
Nothing could have prepared anybody for the way that Princess Diana died. Nor could anything have prepared us for what followed. The world-wide outpouring of grief was evident in the flowers and tributes that surround her Kingsington Palace home. Her love and compassions transcended races， religions and cultures around the world. The light she brought into the lives of others in difficulties around the world will also remain undiminished， her charitable work and an extraordinary legacy of compassion live on both in practice， and in the hearts of many.
她是“人民的王妃”，在巴黎惨遭车祸，无数闪光灯之下，还未等到救护人员赶及现场，她就香消玉殒了。戴安娜去世时年仅36岁，已是当时世界上曝光率最高、最令人崇拜的女人！她入得贫济之所，出得大雅之堂；她会拥抱因战争而四肢缺失的孩子；她会慰问饱受病魔困扰的艾滋病人及癌症患者。
作为威尔士王妃，戴安娜一直在寻求机会从事慈善事业。换作别的女人早就安于现状了。安逸的生活、两个健康的儿子，还有什么不满足的呢！逐步成长的戴安娜发现借助自己的声望及社会影响可以让人们过上更好的生活，这让她更加自信。参与公益事业是王室成员生活的一项内容，戴安娜关注老人、孩子，还有那些在贫济院里生活的人们；她更乐于去接触生活中那些不幸的人，给予他们鼓励和支持。戴安娜还是一家名叫“转折点”慈善机构的出资人，主要帮助人们戒酒戒毒。她还积极妥善安置那些无家可归的人们。滥用毒品是戴妃关注的另一焦点，她希望自己也能加入反毒品斗争这一行列之中。戴安娜还体察关怀着聋哑人的生活，能熟练运用手语与听力有障碍的人们亲切交谈。
戴安娜王妃同样意识到了自己作为公众人物所独有的人格魅力。虽然她经常会沦为媒体炒作的负面对象，但戴安娜知晓如何运用自己这份特殊的影响力来做善事，并因全球的慈善机构为此受益而倍感欣慰。在戴妃所从事的诸多慈善事业中，最值得称道的是她主动慰问艾滋病患者。当时，有舆论批评说把大笔钱花在攻克这种不治之症的实验研究上，简直是在浪费纳税人的钱。戴安娜就身体力行广泛宣传艾滋病给人类带来的危害。她竭力安抚艾滋病患者，传递爱的信息——艾滋病患者同样不该受到大众的排斥。1991年，戴安娜成为美国艾滋病组织的资助人。同年，戴妃与芭芭拉·布什在媒体的关注下一同访问了中塞克斯郡的艾滋病防治中心，在那里戴安娜拥抱了一位艾滋病患者。就是这个小小的举动，验证了不久前她在一次演说中所说的：“与艾滋病患者交往并不是件危险的事儿，因此我们可以跟他们握握手、给他们个拥抱，我们大家还可以共处一室、共同工作、共享游戏场所和玩具。”而与此轰动效应相比，戴安娜对麻风病患者的关怀可能并不为人共知。媒体的首次报道是在1989年她对印度尼西亚进行的一次官方访问。戴安娜主动要求去慰问一家麻风病医院，她同诸多麻风病患者亲切握手，其中有很多孩子。后来在1990年，戴安娜又拜访了一家麻风病治疗中心，为麻风病患者送去慰藉。也因此，戴安娜成为英国麻风病特使团的资助人。
戴安娜王妃曾与红十字会开展过一次反地雷运动。虽然为期短暂，却声势浩大。同时也把世界的目光转向了地雷战这一主题——虽然战争早已结束，但地雷却一直危害着无辜百姓的生命。她呼吁全世界人民联合起来抵制生产、销售此类致命武器。戴安娜从不理会政客们指责她干涉国际事务，反而以去安哥拉、波斯尼亚旅行为名，来到地雷战遇难者的墓地凭吊作为回应，并与雷区爆炸灾难中不幸失去手足的孩子们亲切交谈。戴安娜此行的目的是希望激发英国人憎恶此类战争，她以其独有的智慧与魅力很快就赢得了民心。
没人能料到戴安娜王妃就这么离开了，也没人能设想出这随后所发生的一切。整个世界都仿佛弥漫在悲伤的氛围之中，在戴妃居住的肯辛顿宫周围堆满的层层鲜花及缅怀贡物说明了一切。她的仁爱之心超越了全世界的种族、宗教及文化；她为世界上贫济之人所带来的那份希望之光将永放光芒；她对慈善事业所付出的心血及其博爱胸怀将永驻人间，继续造福人类。
译者感言
当王室成员为赢得民心指数而竞相访问时，戴安娜王妃走进了艾滋病治疗所，摘去了文明手套与患者亲切握手、相拥；当全世界还沉浸在对戴安娜王妃无尽缅怀之时，查尔斯王子却又迎娶了备受争议的卡米拉，但风光却早已不及当年的世纪婚礼那般隆重。一个既无赫赫功勋、又无高深学历的前王妃的去世，为何会使人人为之恸哭？对她的怀念又为何会如此强烈？为了能在吊唁簿上签名留念，人们不惜等上五六个小时；长长的人流中，有坐着轮椅的残疾人，也有推着婴儿车的妇女；为了能在葬礼上看她最后一眼，人们不惜忍受奔赴伦敦、露宿街头之苦，早早地聚集在伦敦等待那最后一面……戴安娜王妃端庄秀丽、风采迷人、独具魅力。然而，真正博得广大平民爱戴的原因，却是她接近民众的正直形象、积极献身公益活动的从容举止。她走出王宫，贴近民众，使其在美丽之上，更具有仁爱之心，从而成为永远的“人民的王妃”。
