In-Depth: Princess Diana's Humanitarian and Charity Work

Princess Diana or Diana, Princess of Wales earned the title of "the people's princess" by her ease with the media and by the good works she left in her wake. Tragically, Princess Diana was killed in a car accident on August 31st, 1997. It has been 13 years since her death yet her charitable works continue.

After marrying Prince Charles it was expected that the Princess visit hospitals, schools and other places to model the royal patronage of the 20th century. However, Princess Diana went above and beyond traditional involvement and delved into the causes she cared about most.

In 1989, the "People's Princess" became president of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) which was the first hospital in London to provide in-patient beds specifically for children. She immersed herself in causes to fight AIDS, leprosy, homelessness, drug addictions and fought for children's rights. In 1995, Princess Diana was awarded the United Cerebral Palsy Humanitarian Award and in 1996 the Pio Manzu Centre awarded the people's princess with an international humanitarian award in Italy for her "social concern for those in need".

Before her death in 1997, Princess Diana visible lent her support and worked hard with the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, a coalition of six groups working toward the common goal of banning anti-personnel landmines and cluster munitions on a local, national and international scale. Just before her death she had visited Bosnia with the Landmine Survivors Network now called Survivor Corps in an effort to raise awareness about the deadly and horrifying consequences landmines pose to children long after a war is over.

It is believe that her efforts caused the signing of the Ottawa Treaty also known as the Mine Ban Treaty which put an international ban on the use of anti-personnel landmines. The International Campaign to Ban Landmines received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 for their efforts to bring about the treaty sadly after the Princess' death.

Princess Diana's good works still continue through The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund "The Work Continues", an independent grant-giving charity that seeks to keep the work and efforts of the People's Princess alive.

"Helping people is a good and essential part of my life, a kind of destiny."- Diana, Princess of Wales