The People’s Princess
Posted on August 31, 2020
I am a fan of the Netflix series The Crown. I suppose it’s not entirely my fault. My mother woke me out of a deep sleep in the early hours for the Royal wedding of Charles and Diana, so that we could watch in real time, and the die was cast so to speak.
I admit I love a peek inside a world that is not accessible. I try to keep in mind that likely what I am watching is not entirely true, perhaps it has no basis in the truth at all. But at some point the lines blur, you watch characters portraying members of a family that does exist. One that is put in place to retain a cultural identity, one that lives under a microscope and is held to the worst scrutiny imaginable.
For Diane who describes her childhood as “very unhappy” one would have never guessed by the way she seemed so dedicated to her sons. I remember watching her embrace them both often, in a way that filled me with admiration. I watched her fight for their privacy during a ski trip and realized how strong she could be. Her influence on young women at the time was so inspiring. She made it ok to not be perfect, even if you were a princess. To be brave enough to tell your story, to say how you really felt and to be your own person. That not only could you stand up for what you believed in but you could help others while you did it.
Her glamour and activism made her an international icon however her popularity came at a price. As we all know, the press literally hunted her, relentlessly feeding on her celebrity and her tumultuous private life. But she fought back with a superhuman move that could only be described as genius; she turned the tables on them using their cameras to highlight some of the planet’s worst problems at the time which included: destigmatising the conditions surrounding HIV/AIDS patients, removal of landmines, animal protection, homelessness, addiction, cancer, and helping the elderly just to name a few.
When she died the world mourned in unison as she had touched all our lives, one way or another. Time stood still when you heard of her crash and the tears of thousands upon thousands of the people who loved her were now on display. It was an unforgivable loss. One that should have changed the media forever.
Watching Harry retrace her steps in Angola was emotional. I too lost a parent at a young age and know it is something that never heals. How you constantly wonder what they would say to you. Maybe that is the worst, missing not only their love but also their counsel, their advice, and having to make it up for yourself instead. But to have this type of grief broadcast and analyzed by the planet is something I cannot imagine. It breaks my heart to think of it.
It is clear that Diana lives on through both her sons and their families, and that through them she will continue to be with us all.
1 thought on “The People’s Princess”
Mandy
–She was such an inspiration and beautiful soul!