Here's How Far Princess Diana Really Got In School

Princess Diana was one of the most endearing members of the British Royal Family before tragically passing away in 1997. On top of her youthful energy and striking fashion sense, the late Princess of Wales never shied away from connecting with non-royals. She engaged with several communities impacted by hardship, and her compassion shaped Prince William's aspirations as a working royal. But despite growing up in nobility, Princess Diana's educational background wasn't as decorated as that of her ex-husband, King Charles III, or her sons.

Princess Diana had a private instructor at home in her early years, like many aristocrats. She went to Silfield Day School in her hometown of Norfolk before attending Riddlesworth Hall two years later. As a teenager, Diana attended West Heath, an all-girls boarding school in Kent where she excelled in fine arts and won an award for helping her peers at school. However, she ended up failing her high school O-Level exams twice and subsequently went to a finishing school in Switzerland to study social etiquette. The late Princess of Wales was very insecure about her education. Royal expert Mary Kenny explained, "I think one of the problems with Diana was that she never got a proper education. She had a terrible inferiority complex about that, and said that she was as thick as two planks" (via Woman & Home).

Lacking a complete formal education didn't hold the princess back from living an independent life before marrying Charles, however. Diana broke a strict royal rule by nannying and teaching at a nursery school part-time. Her education didn't stop her from being a change-making royal either.

Other royals might be impressive because of their prestigious education, but Princess Diana's charity work has had a lasting impact after her death. Her choice to shake people's hands without wearing gloves broke the stigma of touching people with AIDS during the crisis in the 1980s. Her brave act also taught the public that the disease cannot be spread by shaking hands.

Diana also set a precedent for royals educating people about the disease. In 2016, Prince Harry followed in his mother's footsteps to destigmatize AIDS and HIV by taking an HIV test on Facebook. According to HuffPost, Harry's test with Terrence Higgins Trust led to an uptick in orders for the at-home test. The trust's medical director Dr. Michael Brady said, "The pilot self testing scheme has been a real success in terms of developing our plans for increasing HIV testing in the future, but also was important for the people who took the test and may not otherwise have known their HIV status."

Although Prince William is more focused on working with the homeless, his support for people navigating life with HIV honors his mother's legacy. When Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas shared his HIV diagnosis in 2019, William shared on X (formerly Twitter), "Courageous as ever -– legend on the pitch and legend off it. You have our support Gareth." But the prince hasn't only make a difference online. Martyn Butler, a founder of the Terrence Higgins Trust, praised William and other royals for supporting the organization in a 2023 interview with Scottish Daily Express. Diana's memorable charity work makes it clear that inspiring change doesn't require a degree or any kind of fancy education.