About Frances Shand Kydd
Frances Ruth Shand Kydd (previously Spencer, née Roche; 20 January 1936 – 3 June 2004) was the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the maternal grandmother of William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Born into the British nobility, she was the daughter of Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, and Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy, a confidante of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Following her divorce from Viscount Althorp in 1969, and Diana's death in 1997, Shand Kydd devoted her later years to Catholic charity work after converting to Catholicism. == Early life == Frances Ruth Roche was born on 20 January 1936 at Park House, on the royal estate at Sandringham in Norfolk. Her birth occurred on the same day as the death of King George V. Her father, Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, was a friend of King George VI and the elder son of the American heiress Frances Ellen Work and her first husband, the 3rd Baron Fermoy. Her mother, Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy, a daughter of Colonel William Smith Gill, was a confidante and lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother). Since birth, she held the style of The Honourable as the daughter of a baron. She was educated at Downham School in Essex. == Marriage and children == On 1 June 1954, Frances 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 ceremony.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.