Frances Ruth Shand Kydd

Frances Shand Kydd was born into a life of privilege and aristocracy as the daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy and a confidante of Queen Elizabeth. She married John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, in 1954 at Westminster Abbey and became the youngest woman to wed there since 1893. She had five children with him, including Diana, who would later become the Princess of Wales and one of the most famous women in the world. Frances's marriage to Spencer was unhappy and she left him in 1967 for Peter Shand Kydd, an Australian wallpaper heir. She divorced Spencer in 1969 and married Shand Kydd the same year. She moved with him to Scotland and lived a secluded life away from the media spotlight. She converted to Roman Catholicism in 1994 and devoted herself to charity work. Frances had a strained relationship with her daughter Diana, especially after Diana's divorce from Prince Charles in 1996. She disapproved of Diana's involvement with Dodi Fayed, an Egyptian Muslim, and reportedly told her that she was a "whore" for sleeping with Muslim men. She also refused to attend Diana's funeral in 1997, saying that she wanted to grieve in private. Frances suffered from various health problems in her later years, including Parkinson's disease and brain cancer. She died at her home in Seil Island, Scotland, on June 3, 2004, at the age of 68. She was buried at Pennyfuir Cemetery in Oban, Scotland. She was survived by her son Charles and her daughters Sarah and Jane.