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.

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.

GreatAuntMary, the massive question no conspiracy theorist has ever managed to answer is why, if anyone wanted to kill Diana, they would have done it in a country where they couldn't control the authorities and the media and utilising a method that was perfectly survivable, particularly by anyone wearing a seatbelt.

Pallisers

It is the Royals who are strange and it is THEIR responses that are strange. The public behaved that way because we are all trained by the TV and media to respond with emotional hysterics to any abnormal or shock situation that doesn't impact us directly. The soap opera effect. The dead pop star effect. So, what do we expect? An outpouring of grief is worn as a badge of honour to make people appear as though they care. When the very same people would pass a beggar on the street ignore their lonely wee neighbour.

The two Princes and the privileged don't understand this about narcissistic public behaviour. Why should they? They live in a gilded cage and know little about the emotions or hardships (and need to forget about them for a while) of the ordinary person in the street. The Royals taught us all about the benefits and privilege of narcissism.

The whole sorry episode episode of Diana has ensured that Wills, Harry and all other Royal hangers on can do what they like without any repercussion or scrutiny. The Monarchy should only consist of those in line to the throne and the rest of them should have the common decency to disappear and redistribute their wealth to those who need it in this country.

'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. "

Would it not occur to you to wonder why they were expressing grief when you had not met them? You may not know everything about your father. This point aside, Diana was a high profile public person. Why do people like, adore, etc, 'stars' it is almost always that we identify with that person. We don't have to know them but we put something of ourselves into them. It is ourselves with whom we are identifying and if you can't do that ?

The Monarchy should only consist of those in line to the throne and the rest of them should have the common decency to disappear and redistribute their wealth to those who need it in this country

Disagree. The monarchy should go, full stop. These are unelected people, living in obscene wealth, paid for by the tax payer, barely working a day in their lives, yet able to claim 'privacy' and are shielded from excessive press intrusion. The idea that someone is better than everyone else, just because they happen to be born into a particular family belongs in the middle ages. I can't believe it is still going on in 2017. You couldn't make anything as ridiculous up if you tried.

But there was something special about her. In the whole canon of celebrities, she still stands out to me, and I'm not that interested in celebrities or royalty, but she still was fascinating and somehow more human and real, and she lived her ups and downs in such vivid publicity, it was easy to empathise with her. Duchess Kate is lovely too, but Diana was a different story. Still can't believe she died so young.

Papafran

I'm inclined to agree. But I think they also bring tourism to the economy. Although I'm struggling to think of any other benefits to having them. Feel sorry for the Queen. Poor woman no wonder she looks so miserable all the time. What a life.

Bit harsh about the royals they have given alot to the country and maybe donate to charities and are certainly patrons of good causes i wouldn't want their lives can't be easy being scrutinized every second

But there was something special about her. This is what people who have actually met her have said. She had charisma.
Both my DF and DB had huge amounts of charisma. They had huge funerals and people were very sad. i knew another side to them but I was devastated by both deaths. Grief is a very odd emotion. We do not handle it well in this country and especially poorly in England. It's better in Scotland and Ireland.

I understood how people felt. I visited Kensington palace with my family to lay flowers. I cried then and I still cry now for Lady Di, the people's princess. I know that I would not shed a tear for any of the other member of the royal family when they die. That's just how some people genuinely felt.

I think there wasn't enough about Dodi's death. I hadn't realised until a few years later when I went to see Hazel O Connor that he ? produced Breaking Glass. They were set to do a sequel to it when he died.
Much was made of him being a rich playboy and he was blamed for nagging his off duty chauffeur to drive and not looking after himself and Diana by belting up, but I don't recall his involvement in that film being mentioned. I was at an age when that film made a big impression. He wasn't just an empty airhead.

But I think they also bring tourism to the economy

This is a huge myth that gets trotted out every time. Nothing to stop them doing the changing of the guards etc for the tourists in the future. Buckingham Palace could be made into a museum. I don't see France or Germany claiming to have no tourists because they don't have a monarchy. It's not like any of the tourists will ever see the queen or any member of the royal family. Eugenie and Beatrice cost the tax payer a shitload for example- do any tourists go on holiday for a glimpse of them?

I am hoping they will be abolished when the queen dies because Charles will just be unable to keep his beak out of political matters and people will then realise how screwed this system really is.

It was the 'Greek Tragedy' inevitability of the whole mess. Charles did not 'have an affair' - he married a naive girl who hero worshipped him, solely to breed legitimate heirs WHILE he continued his long term affair with a woman who had (also during this lta) married and had children. When Diana finally accepted the horrible truth of her situation - yes, she did act like a needy drama queen - but TBH I think she just knew she had been used in a vile way and could never trust again. - The car crash was an accident but many factors made something like it pretty likely.

I don't think they bring anything to the country, i certainly don't think they bring in the tourists. That's just a myth to justify having them. Paris has more tourists than anywhere in the world, big empty palaces that once had royals must be a big attraction. They're an expense we can ill afford and are an embarrassment to a country that promotes equality imo.

I felt sorry for her - she was the only royal family member that seemed to have anything likeable about her. The rest of them seemed and still seem like bad people to me.

The displays of grief after her death and that awful Elton John song were in horrendously bad taste though. I knew someone who repeatedly played it at her daughters christening. Quite unbelievable.

I also felt the manner in which she had been laid to rest was bizarre. She apparently wanted to be buried near her father.

'I don't think they bring anything to the country, i certainly don't think they bring in the tourists. That's just a myth to justify having them'

I agree. What must they cost in security at the very least?

They're an expense we can ill afford and here we have the real views.

I like the royal family.
If I was designing a country from scratch it wouldn't have an inherited monarchy but seeing what a sorry lot our politicians are, largely due to the press and public being so intolerant about human flaws in our politicians and nosy about their private lives that only thick skinned narcissist survive to the top (on the whole) I'm quite happy to keep the royal family. I do a like a bit of pomp and a procession as well.

Oh is she dead again?

The monarchy has its flaws but I'd still rather we had them than the likes of President Trump. Be careful what you wish for. Far more money is spent on the US presidential election campaigns.

In Charles's defence, I think it was as much the system's fault that he, a 31 year-old educated man with many developed interests, was forced into marrying a relatively uneducated woman just out of her teens. I remember thinking at the time that the whole virgin thing was very problematical and was one of the reasons that he wound up marrying someone with whom he had little in common. It seemed very odd to me. It would have been difficult to fulfill the virgin requirement with someone a bit older who had compatible interests.

A republic doesn't mean you have to have a Trump.

I'm quite happy to keep the royal family. I do a like a bit of pomp and a procession as well. I do as well. I consider it money well spent. I don't revere them. I don't know them. But there there and they're not Trump or whoever.

If I was designing a country from scratch it wouldn't have an inherited monarchy but seeing what a sorry lot our politicians are, largely due to the press and public being so intolerant about human flaws in our politicians and nosy about their private lives that only thick skinned narcissist survive to the top (on the whole) I'm quite happy to keep the royal family

At least our politicians get sacked or have to resign when they cock up. Charles has quite strong political views (as seen when he wrote those letters to ministers a few years back). I take it you're happy to see him pushing his various agendas when he is King and head of state, with no hope of getting rid of him until he dies (maybe in 30 years' time)?

Well, I don't know about being more expensive but anything is better than he is!