FINALLY, having leafed through endless Diana tomes. Morton (interesting, but skewed) Burrel (insufferable hagiography) Colin Campbell (interesting) Brown (anti) I finally found one that appears to give a rounded account. Clayton & Craig, Diana: Story of a Princess. It's a very sad story. I think a lot of us felt sad with her. Not for, but with.When she died, the country went nuts. That week, Britain ran out of cut flowers and newsprint. The shops were almost empty ~ everywhere. Nobody wanted to buy anything. Newspapers reported on nothing else. Television played endless tributes, discussion etc etc.
Here from pp315-6, describing the last working trip Diana made, to Angola.
We went into one particular ward with children. And there was a little girl who was clearly in a terrible condition. She'd gone to fetch water and had stepped on a mine and basically had her entire insides blown out, and everything was sort of hanging out. It was horrific. And the hospital said that she wouldn't survive ~ they were just making her as comfortable as possible. You could see that she probably wouldn't last, maybe even that day.
After Diana moved on, I stayed and just asked the girl a few more questions, because I thought I would write about her. And she said to me, "Who was that?" And it was quite hard trying to explain Princess Diana to somebody who didn't know. And I said, "She's a princess from England, from far away." And she said to me, "Is she an angel?" And I found that really moving. This little girl probably died a few hours after that ~ I know she died ~ and it somehow seemed nice that that was the last thing that she saw, this beautiful lady that she thought was an angel.
DIANA: THE SECRET TAPES
The tapes in question were the audio tapes on which Andrew Morton based Diana: Her True Story. The tapes in these extracts are videos of Diana practising a speech on addiction. It doesn't start till 5 mins into the part 8; she is being coached by the actor Peter Settelen. William and Harry are in the background, (part 9) Diana keeps reprimanding them for laughing and not sitting still.
I still think she was murdered. :(
ReplyDeleteI was playing horseshoes at our campground when I heard - my first words were "That was convenient - wonder if it was a hit" I still think it was.
ReplyDeleteIt's really too bad that Diana really had a good heart and wasn't just playing a role like the rest of the royals seem to. She was unaware that she was hired for the part because she had a virgin vagina - something hard to find these days and likely won't be a qualification in the future. She was far too innocent and naive and trusting and likely should have been told up front how it would be so she could make an informed decision.
Akelamalu ~ nah! I've read the nothing that convinces me it was murder. AFter all she was on a boat all week, about 1 or 2 weeks before that. Falling off a boat would be a dead easy way of murdering her and almost impossible to disprove. Arranging a 70mph crash in a tunnel... not easy. Bearing in mind the driver would have been paid and the driver died. He was drunk. x3 over the legal limit, probably x1.5 the limit here. I just think it was a horrible accident.
ReplyDeleteJeannie the night after she officially said yes her police protection officer apparently said to her, enjoy this, because it's the last night of true freedom you will ever have again. He was wrong, she'd already lost her freedom by then.
Apart from marrying a princess, as was the custom, he couldn't have chosen anyone more up to the job. She was the daughter of an earl. Her ancestral home is enormous. She understood as well as anyone could at 19 what her new life would engage her in. But what do any of us know at 19?
I think she was jealous and an attention seeker. The instances of Charles supposedly being cruel just illustrate how tired he was of such histrionic behaviour. E.g. when she threw herself down three stairs and he brushed the experience off: "I'm going riding". And he did, while the dr checked her out. The Queen waws apparently white-faced and trembling. Diana was pregnant with William at the time.
Well neither of us knew her personally and I don't know about you, but with Diana the connexion did somehow seem personal. That was part of her magic.
I still love Diana and I think she set a marvellous example of how one can rise above one's problems and make a difference, no matter how much you hurt inside.
She was clearly a troubled young woman. Probably a raging codependent from her father's alcoholism and her mother's criticism. She would have benefitted from Al-anon.
ReplyDeleteAkelamalu... I've read the nothing? Akh! Typical!!
ReplyDeleteSyd: I wonder what the answer to her problems would truly have been.
One of Charles's biographers wanted to say she had borderline personality disorder, but the chapter was dropped. She DID display all the symptoms, including paranoia. But a shrink said if she'd had it she'd not have been able to do engagements as professionally as she did.
I reckon she was troubled to the point of mental illness at one point, and eaten alive by jealousy. But she WAS in an unhappy marriage and the war-type situation she got herself into around the time of her divorce... well that never brings out the best in anybody.
I reckon just before she died she was finally finding peace at last. Such a shame fate came and snatched it all away...
& I felt so sorry for her 2 boys. Poor Prince Harry looked so tiny on the day. At the funeral of his Mum. Poor little soul.
I still think the Firm hasn't been the same since. Her loss did huge damage to a dying Royal Family. All hope lies with those two young princes. I often wonder whether Charles will ever see the throne, perhaps he'll abdicate and Willy will be king.
ReplyDeleteShe didn't half stick the boot in, during her angry period around the time of the divorce.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Charles would ever abdicate or the Queen abdicate for that matter. There is no tradition of abdication in the UK, unlike the Netherlands, where Queen Beatrix's mum gave up the throne for her daughter.
Our Queen promised at the start of her reign that "my whole life, whether it be long or short, I dedicate to your service.." something like that. As a woman of her word I cannot see her ever breaking that promise.
If she became too ill to fulfil public engagements perhaps she would let Charles rule as regent (is that the word?) She would be nominal Queen but he would carry out all her duties including the State Opening of Parliament, which is the only time apart from the Coronation, when we see her wearing a crown.
I do love the Queen, but I think it's a shame Charles, who would make a great King, and has lots of original ideas (unlike the Queen, who merely sticks to tradition). He would be a far more radical King than Elizabeth is Queen.
It would be fascinating to see Wills on the throne. What a breath of fresh air!
I thinki she did her best in the circumstances in which she found herself and was "more sinned against than sinning". Poor girl.
ReplyDeleteWas the driver also on antidepressants? Do they mix well with alcohol? Just curious.
ReplyDeleteI really loved Diana, and I miss her presence in the world still.
ReplyDeleteWhen I heard the news of her death, I was sitting at a bar with my ex-husband and I burst into tears and ran to the ladies room. He thought my reaction was ridiculous, of course. "You didn't know her," he said. Later, when he found out a lot of the world had reacted the same way, I think his opinion changed.
I was surprised at my reaction to her death and I sat and wept through her funeral. A sad young woman.
ReplyDeleteHope you're feeling better now gledwood, and busy getting that me-shaped hole filled. (That sounds a bit odd!)
Hey Gleds, how's things? Just stopping by to say hello and to see how you are doing. I read you've started writing? I hope you'll succeed. It may even be therapeutic, who knows.
ReplyDeleteBe good mate. Take care,
V.
I adored Princess Diana and have many books about her and the Royal Family. Quite an interesting bunch!
ReplyDeleteI was on a load of mushrooms when I heard about her death. The DJ announced it over the dance floor. We were all confused so we just kept dancing....lol.
ReplyDelete