Are you aware of Princess Diana’s charitable fund?

The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund was set up after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. It received money set aside by Diana’s will, contributions by her former husband, The Prince of Wales, donations by the public, and the proceeds from Elton John’s new rendition of Candle In The Wind. The fund was founded on 14 September 1997; initial contributions totalled £19m, and the short term proceeds from marketing brought in a further £80m.

The fund’s mission “is to help change the lives of some of the most neglected and marginalized people in the UK, and in the poorest countries and regions overseas”. The Fund grants money for three broad purposes. Firstly, to effect a ban on the use of landmines, and to provide relief for those whose lives have been damaged by them. Secondly, it funds palliative care in Africa for those affected by terminal disease, including HIV/AIDS. Thirdly, it funds projects for young people in the United Kingdom “facing special difficulties in making the transition to adult life”.

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Peter Tatchell asks: If Princess Diana was so caring and compassionate, why didn’t she leave any money to charity?

The publication of Princess Diana’s will has, at last, revealed the truth behind the hype. While the total value of her estate was a staggering £21.7 million, not a penny was left to charity.

The caring Princess clearly wasn’t that caring after all. She was very happy to do charity work for people with AIDS, providing it didn’t cost her anything. But when it came to parting with her own money, she chose to keep it in her already super-rich family, rather than share it with those in need. It would have been easy for Diana to bequeath £5,000 to each of the dozen charities she claimed to “really care about”, including London Lighthouse and the National AIDS Trust. That would have set her back £60,000 - an insignificant sum considering that her personal fortune amounted to nearly £22 million.

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