PRINCE WILLIAM: A Prince William Biography Even before Prince William was born, the eyes of the world were already trained firmly in his direction.His mother, Diana, was a shy, stunning beauty who had captured the heart of the heir to the British throne. The fresh-faced aristocrat worked as a kindergarten assistant and was only 19 years old when they fell in love - or, in Prince Charles' infamous words after their engagement was announced, "Whatever 'in love' means." Her romance with Charles would propel her into an entirely different life from the quieter one she knew as Lady Diana Spencer. The shy English rose was suddenly cast in a role few people in the world are really equipped for - that of leading lady in a fairy tale everyone desperately wanted to end in happily ever after.