Frances Shand Kydd

Mother of Diana, Princess of Wales (1936-2004)

Frances Ruth Shand Kydd (later Spencer; née Roche; 20 January 1936 – 3 June 2004) was the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales.[1] Shand Kydd was the maternal grandmother for Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. The earlier became the second in the line of succession to the British throne. The latter was the sixth in line of succession.

Marriage and issue

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On 1 June 1954, Shand Kydd married John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (later the 8th Earl Spencer), at Westminster Abbey. Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family attended the wedding ceremony.[2] She was 18 years old and became the youngest woman wed in Westminster Abbey in the last five decades.[2]

They had five children:

Shand Kydd was born in the Sandringham village of Norfolk County in eastern England. She died almost five months after her 68th birth following long illnesses. They included Parkinson's disease and brain cancer.[3] Shand Kydd was inside her home in Seil, one of the Slate Islands in Scotland when she died.

References

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  1. "Princess Diana's Brother Shares a Rare Portrait of their Mother". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Queen heads lists guests at wedding". The Montreal Gazetta. London. 1 June 1954. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
  3. "Diana's Mother Dies 'Peacefully'". BBC News. Retrieved August 22, 2021.