To still not understand the Diana "thing"?

[TeaCake5]

As William and harry said they were bewildered by people who didn't even know her acting in the way they did. Yes it was sad that she was killed but to hand around kensington palace for days crying? Ridiculous.

I was sad when she died and I was upset, but I didnt cry or anything, or even think about it that much at all. I was near KP too when the flowers were being laid down too a phenomenal degree and I felt very proud of myself for not wanting to go and see them!
I regret that now, such a historic moment I should have gone.

I agree with PP that it was the whole fairy tale crap, it was a soap opera, charles had been single for sooooo long and now there she was in this great big dress, huge eyes, innocent Di, the wedding....then the reality of the situation, the lies, the mistress....the poor young boys then the death.

I imagine for many many people she was a ray of light and interest in a grey world..but maybe just like a beloved soap charater.

I think William and Harry are both extremely privileged and I think it is only right that the British public should know exactly what is going on with the Royals. Unfortunately, the whole Diana death paved the way for the requests for the Royal to be consistently left 'in peace' by the media and therefore the public, so they can largely enjoy their privilege and a certain degree of privacy - the best of both worlds. Now I'm not condoning the actions on the paparazzi when Diana died and I think that treating another person with respect and knowing what is going on with them is a different thing to invading privacy. Transparency is the word here.

So, as a taxpayer, I have the right to know what the Royals are up to, how lavish their lifestyle is and who they are dealing with. In the same way as any other benefit claimant in this country is scrutinised.

I really feel the Royal family failed to protect Diana, that both Prince Charles and Diana behaved like two spoiled little brats during their marriage and that we, the public, were subjected to watching the 'circus' of their marriage for years and years. Therefore, just like in any TV show, when one of the main characters dies or if our favourite pop band splits, we feel heartbroken and at a loss. This is what happened with Diana. Suddenly, it was like the realisation that there'll never be another Friends episode.

Princes William and Harry should really pipe down and respect rather than criticise the British public and they should recognise their privilege- especially Harry, I'm afraid because, regardless of the terrible loss of their mother, (and they have my sympathy for that) we are now starting to see the whole 'circus' again of Harry's relationship with the actress with the lavish holidays and transatlantic travels.

Recognise boys that there are many, many in this country who are living in terrible hardship and poverty while both of you are lamenting the actions of the public in response to the terrible death of your mother 20 years ago.

I was given very short shrift by the Diana faithful. I don't remember discussing the subject at any length with anyone except DH. Just a mumbled 'It's sad'.

Actually, the sort of people who bawled in the street and contributed to the compost heaps outside Buck House (particularly if they later went on to do similar things for other celebrity deaths) are people I would, well, never entirely trust. Because if you think that displaying emotion is inherently valuable, and shit yourself with rage when anyone disagrees with you, you're not just stupid and gullible, but you are potentially dangerous, if prodded in the right direction.
There was one proven, documented incident back in 1997 - some young man pinched a teddy bear from one of the mass junk heaps, was arrested and prosecuted. And when he left the court room, someone physically attacked him. A silly little incident, sure - but an alarming one, all the same.

It was tough on Diana and tough on her kids (and friends and family) that she died so young. But the glorification of the wretched woman was not just irritating in itself, it was really quite alarming, if you were a rational adult at the time, to see how much bullshit was being peddled and what a climate of irrational hysteria was being quite calculatedly whipped up and exaggerated.

Totally agree Mrs Mum

So Luminaries, when you grieve it's real sadness but when you don't feel a thing it's a cheap grief holiday? How horribly narcissistic of you.

When I grieve it is for someone I have at least met FFS, otherwise it isn't my bereavement to publically emote about.

Well there I am ahead of you about reality shows. Never had such an absurd narcicsstic show in my day. That I am afraid is of the modern TV persuasion.
People weren't competing they were grieving in their way for someone who REPRESENTED something to them. You have no right to say who or what matters to another. And absolutely no right to question the validity of another persons grieving.

No, I didn't understand it either but then I never had much time for her anyway. As a normal mother of young children I felt little sympathy for a woman who just took off for the summer without her children, especially when they spent so much time at school. Of course I felt very sad for her young sons at the time, but the public and media interest made things even worse for them.

I agree with ItMustBeBedtimeSurely, finding the whole thing pretty distasteful and really irrelevant to any normal person.

MrsMum sympathy but no empathy.

Reanimated I too found it terrifying the way that normally sane people such as neighbours, friends and work colleagues, totally lost all sense of reason over the death of (let's face it) someone who wouldn't have pissed on them if they were on fire.

I cried over my miscarriages and the death of my father, but not over the death of an over privileged clothes horse. Why would I?

The tabloids (perhaps partly due to the wierd spin about 'paparazzi' being to blame) got to steer the sheep in several different directions at once, which was going to provide useful evidence of just how far 'the public' can be manipulated and pushed. This sort of thing Seneca

Derxa, how does that amount to a statement that only "plebs" were grieving?

A friend of a friend who worked in a very upper class boarding school at the time said that one of the most hellish things was trying to keep down the levels of hysteria in the dorms and the noise levels of pupils sobbing round the TV. So clearly it wasn't a class issue at all.

'Conspiracy theory' is an easy way of dismissing what might be an uncomfortable case for asking questions.

One of the worst things about the whole Diana death was the blame put on the driver. Henri Paul. Not only was his blood alcohol level allegedly ridiculously high, but it also contained a high level of carbon monoxide. These two factors are completely incompatible with him being able to walk in a straight line (or indeed at all), let alone walking briskly and normally around the hotel minutes before he got into the car (see CCTV footage).

There are many other unanswered questions about this death - and several books on the subject from people who have the experience (for example from inside the security services) to know where to look for both the questions and some of the answers. (Most, if not all, of the books are available from Amazon.)

Diana had become a problem for everyone, in embarrassment, security and constitutional terms. You have to consider that there were quite a few vested interests in her death.

Buck House Bleugh

while both of you are lamenting the actions of the public in response to the terrible death of your mother 20 years ago.

I didn't hear them lament this - or even particularly complain. Just say that it was strange. And it was strange. If they thought the public response back then was normal, you'd have to conclude there was something seriously wrong with their judgement.

A friend of a friend who worked in a very upper class boarding school
Anecdote... may never have happened.

Actually, the sort of people who bawled in the street and contributed to the compost heaps outside Buck House (particularly if they later went on to do similar things for other celebrity deaths) are people I would, well, never entirely trust. Because if you think that displaying emotion is inherently valuable, and shit yourself with rage when anyone disagrees with you, you're not just stupid and gullible, but you are potentially dangerous, if prodded in the right direction.

Very true. Several people recounted at the time how they were the targets of very real threats and aggression simply for daring to express the opinion in public that Diana may not have been a living saint. And that was only a slightly more extreme version of the bullying demands that the Royal Family come down to London, the flag be flown at half mast, etc.

Diana had become a problem for everyone, in embarrassment, security and constitutional terms. You have to consider that there were quite a few vested interests in her death.

Well I wouldn't be hiring those assassins again - what a crock of a job they did - killed 2 additional people unnecessarily, including the son of a rich and powerful man, doing it in full gaze of cameras in a a foreign country, left a survivor. hope "they" got their money back.

@GreatAuntMary, Except that she would have survived if she'd been wearing a seatbelt! How does that fit with her death not being an accident. The security guard survived, he was the only one wearing a seatbelt.

The ONLY conspiracy theory I want to hear concerns Prince Philip (then 77, I think), dressed as a ninja and riding a Harley Davidson at 100 mph through Paris tunnels before throwing a ninja 'star' thing at the tyres. Because that's the most plausible explanation for the crash.

Does that make me sound heartless, like TheLuminaries? I do hope so.

I thought the whole public display of grief was ridiculous, I was 14. Probably find a similar reaction in this day and age if Kim K died in a car crash!

I may be wrong but I think if Prince Philip decided to take someone out, even now, it would be done very very efficiently.

Probably find a similar reaction in this day and age if Kim K died in a car crash! Nope

And absolutely no right to question the validity of another persons grieving

I disagree. If someone who had never met my father had turned up at his funeral and ostentatiously wept and wailed, I would feel every right to question the validity of their grief.

I would also question whether it is true grief. There have been a number of times when I have felt extremely sorry about the death of someone well-known to the extent of shedding a few tears - most recently, I think, Victoria Wood. At the time I felt very sad about the fact that a young woman had died violently and tragically, and in particular I felt sad about her sons. But none of that bore the slightest resemblance to the grief I felt when people close to me died. I really strongly doubt whether those people wailing at the funeral procession were going through anything remotely resembling the process of real grief: the reality is that they were having a good day out picking over the whole thing with a lot of other like-minded people, and at the end of it they went home and got on with their lives.

Anecdote... may never have happened.

And only one example of a number of different testimonies at the time.

Do carry on sticking your fingers in your ears and going la, la, la, derxa. It will make all those pesky facts go right away.

Except that she would have survived if she'd been wearing a seatbelt! How does that fit with her death not being an accident. The security guard survived, he was the only one wearing a seatbelt

He wasn't wearing a seat-belt. None of them were, as was confirmed in the inquest. It was pure luck that he survived. It's not guaranteed that Diana would have survived if she had worn a seat belt either, as the car was going at 80 mph when it hit a concrete post. Seat belt or not, it would be a miracle if you survived that.

But yes, the conspiracy thing is idiotic. She had known Dodi for a matter of weeks. This wasn't a serious relationship, she was not pregnant and they weren't going to get married. Surely if someone was going to plan a murder, it would take quite a while to find a suicidal driver who just happened to work for the Al-Fayeds and coordinate the whole thing. Probably take longer to plan than the time that Diana had known Dodi.