It seemed that the whole world was in love with Diana except her husband, and as a substitute for this lonely existence, she took on more and more engagements on behalf of her many charities.  By 1991 the marriage was teetering on the edge. In February 1992 they made a trip to India, where Charles and Diana were not only in separate bedrooms but on separate floors of their palace. And the signs of open hostility between them were becoming more and more apparent.

A month later in March 1992 Diana received devastating news- of the death of her  much-loved father- while she was skiing in Lech, Austria. Despite Andrew's Morton book and the publication of tapes of intimate telephone conversation known as the " Squidgy Affair" Diana continued to maintain her extraordinary hold on public sympathy and affection.

By December they had  agreed to a legal separation and it was announced by Buckingham Palace and in the House of Commons by Prime minister John Mayor, who said there were no plans for a divorce. For Diana it brought deep, deep, profound sadness. Diana was alone, again, and trying to come to terms with her new and unique role, as the separated wife of the Prince of Wales and mother to his sons, one the future King.

By the end of 1993, the stain was genuine and Diana was at a low ebb. It was then she shocked her admirers by announcing her withdrawal from much public life and her role as the figurehead of many charities. Although she planned to go on supporting a few charities, Diana appealed for time and space to rebuild her private life. and she pledged: "My first priority will continue to be our children, William and Harry, who deserve as much love, care and attention as I am able to give, as well as an appreciation of the tradition into which they were born".

To that end, Diana devised a program to make the two Princes aware of the darker side of life by taking them on visits to hostels for the homeless and people dying of AIDS. It was part of her conviction that the monarchy had to change for a modern age and that she knew the secret of how to do it. Of the remaining charities Diana concentrated on included the Leprosy Mission, to whom she made substantial personal donation as well as raising its profile. There was her beloved English   National Ballet, the Center Point charity for the homeless, to whom her patronage brought "unquantifiable" funds and attention.

She was patron of the National Aids Trust and helped put their work in front of the public. And as President of the Royal Marsden NHS Trust at the London cancer hospital she kept up a constant, keen interest in patients and research. One Diana trip  to Chicago  raised $800,000   for the hospital-and the auction of her clothes in New York brought in over a million. Last, but not least in the six "favorites" was London's Grat Ormond Street Hospital for children, of which Diana was fund President.

I was her most recent campaign,  against landmines, which really engaged Diana's passions. When she flew to Angola, one of the world's most heavily-mined countries, to highlight the campaign, she finally believed she had achieved her stated aim.

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