Who was Princess Diana’s mother Frances Shand Kydd?

PRINCESS DIANA is known for being mum to Prince William and Prince Harry but the late royal had a complicated relationship with her own mother, Frances Shand Kydd.

Frances had to bury her daughter after Princess Diana's tragic death in 1997, and passed away herself just seven years later.

Who was Princess Diana's mother Frances Shand Kydd?

Frances Shand Kydd was born on January 20, 1936 and was born into aristocracy.

Her father was the fourth Baron Fermoy, who was a shooting friend of King George VI.

She got married at just 18 years old and went on to have four children, one of whom was Diana, future Princess of Wales.

Frances and her daughter Diana had a turbulent relationship and it was reported that four months before Diana died in a car crash in Paris she refused to speak to her mother after she criticised her choice of men.

Scenes portraying the awful crash that caused Diana's death have been shown in the sixth season of The Crown on Netflix, released on November 16, 2023.

In her later years, Diana's mother converted to Roman Catholicism and became a leading figure within the Church in Argyll.

She once said: "When Diana died, it was wonderful being a Catholic.

"I believe that a child is a gift...God can take that gift away without reproach or question".

She was also the patron of several organisations, including the Highlands and Islands Music Dance Festival, the Highland Division of the Search and Rescue Dog Association, and Oban Air Training Corps.

Frances passed away on June 3, 2004.

When did she marry John Spencer?

On June 1, 1954, Frances married aristocrat John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (later the 8th Earl Spencer), at Westminster Abbey.

At the time, she was 18 and he was 30.

Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family attended the wedding ceremony.

The couple's relationship ended in 1966 when Frances walked out on the family in 1966 to embark on a romance with Peter Shand Kydd.

She and John then fought bitterly over the custody of their four children - with Frances eventually losing the fight.

Diana's brother Charles has claimed that Diana, who was only 5 when her parents' marriage ended, would "wait on the doorstep for [Frances], but she never came".

He added: "Our father was a quiet and constant source of love, but our mother wasn't cut out for maternity.

"Not her fault, she couldn't do it, she was in love with someone else—infatuated, really.”

Royal biographer Penny Junor said of the divorce: "Diana was damaged, mentally, by her experiences.

"And then moving into the royal family was the worst possible scenario that she could have found for herself.

“One of the saddest parts of Diana's short and turbulent life was the failure of those around her — friends and family alike — to convince her to obtain treatment for her extreme symptoms of mental instability."

How many children did they have?

Frances and John Spencer had four children.

Diana had two sisters, now known as Lady Sarah McCorquodale (born March 19, 1955) and Lady Jane Fellowes (born February 11, 1957).

Lady Jane is married to the Queen's former private secretary, Robert Fellowes.

Before Diana's birth, Frances gave birth to a son, John, who sadly died within hours of his birth.

Diana was born July 1, 1961, and was followed by Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, who was born on May 20, 1964.

Diana's younger brother was later central in the scandal surrounding Martin Bashir's interview with Diana.

When did she marry Peter Shand Kydd?

Frances married Peter Shand Kydd, an heir to a wallpaper fortune in Australia, on May 2, 1969.

Frances and Peter settled on a small Scottish island off the coast of Oban where Frances opened and ran a gift shop.

Their marriage wasn't to last, however, as Peter ultimately left Frances for a younger woman.