If Diana had lived and re-married

[acq80]

As it is coming up to what would have been Diana's 60th birthday, I sometimes wonder if she lived what her life would have turned out like. Obviously its only speculation and we will never know.

If Diana re-married and possibly had more children what effect do you think this would have had on her public image?

Would she still have been a member of the royal family if she re-married and would she still be seen as royal?

I think she would have re-married but not to Dodi I think he was just a bit of fun to her, early days but not a serious relationship. And yes I think she could well have gone on to have more children to another husband.

William would have followed the same / similar path and married Kate.

Harry would have been very different, and I don't think he'd have married Meghan.

Someone suggested Charles's marriage to Camilla was delayed because of Diana's death.
If they'd married sooner, do you think Camilla could have had a Royal baby?

I've just read Camilla was 57 when they married so no a few years earlier wouldn't have made any difference.

The difference between Diana and Margaret is that Margaret was a terrible snob and didn't naturally connect with ordinary people. Despite her many flaws Diana had a real gift for connecting with others and showing empathy.

I agree that the 10 year wait before marriage for Kate and William was not for her benefit. She was obviously desperate to get married. William had to marry and no one else suitable had appeared.
With current photographs, Kate's smile at William alwasy looks forced, a kind of rictus grin.
But Diana would have cared more about his happiness than about the Royal Family.
I think Harry and Meghan are clearly a love match. But Harry seems very shaped by the loss of his mother, so he would have been a very different person.
I do think the Royal Family would have continued to paint Diana as mad, hysterical and unstable. All through "sources" of course.

Camilla was born in 1947, so was 50 when Diana died.

So no, it wouldn't have made any difference.

There was a substantial age gap between Charles and Diana - about 11 or 12 years I think? One of the main factors which contributed to their incompatibility, probably.

I do think the Royal Family would have continued to paint Diana as mad, hysterical and unstable. All through "sources" of course.

Yes, and I’m afraid I actually think the public would’ve given into it. And I think William would’ve grown a bit distant from his mother out of shame. Parental alienation and all that

I don't think it is just the age gap, they are fundamentally very different people.

Agree, @altoran and they should never have married. But she was so very young and he was a whole decade and a bit older.

@DeepThinkingGirl

I do think the Royal Family would have continued to paint Diana as mad, hysterical and unstable. All through "sources" of course.

Yes, and I’m afraid I actually think the public would’ve given into it. And I think William would’ve grown a bit distant from his mother out of shame. Parental alienation and all that

I think some of the public would have believed it, especially younger people. I don't know about William. There was that funny press story a bit ago which sounded like William's take on things. If it was, then he may have become more alienated from Charles. But it is hard to say.

very like him in terms of money and fame, but someone with a social conscience who was also, well, nice.

Placemarking.

Also interested in anyone " Trump like in terms of money and fame, but with a social conscience who was also nice"

Until recently Bill Gates appeared to fit the bill but even he is now somewhat tarnished.

the lives of women like Fanny and me aren’t so much fun when one begins to get older” -

Is it possible that The Bolter actually referred to 'women like Linda and me' rather than her daughter, the mousy homebody Fanny

Interesting thread .I think Diana was a complicated lady .However she had a difficult childhood herself ,and was unable to deal with the pressures of Royal life.I think William would have married Kate for sure. .Dont know about Harry really.As far as Dianas engagement ring it suits Kate perfectly ,and I am sure she would have let William know if she had been unhappy about wearing it . I think Diana would 100% have remarried, at least once by now.She always spoke about wanting more children .Probably best suited to a City type of guy with a wealthy family and a landed estate!

If she had lived Princes William and Harry would have had their lives plastered across the media and the car accident might have happened further down the line with one of them. Her death was the only thing that brought them privacy

I don't think Diana would have been suited to a rich City type. She loved Hasnet's dedication to his important work. She campaigned on important issues. She seemed to be looking for meaning in life and I think would have been attracted to someone doing that with his life.
I can imagine her marrying a wealthy philanthropist who dedicated their time to helping unpopular causes and highlighting them. That would have been right up her street.
It is the Queen who would have been happier marrying someone wealthy so she could live on a country estate with horses and dogs.

@FinallyHere

the lives of women like Fanny and me aren’t so much fun when one begins to get older” -

Is it possible that The Bolter actually referred to 'women like Linda and me' rather than her daughter, the mousy homebody Fanny

Yes, I was about to say that. Fanny was born aged a particularly staid 50, from my memories of the novel.

I don’t think it’s believing a RF-manipulated media to think Diana was a fragile, manipulative, fairly psychologically messy human being, with little or no idea how normal, functional relationships or families functioned, or about the normality and obscurity she said she wanted. I think that’s entirely clear from the things she says about herself.

I think that is very wrong about Diana. She had an eating disorder. She was very unhappy when married to Charles who was cheating on her. She was flirtatious and courted the press.
To characherise all that as her being fragile, psychologically messy and manipulative is a slur and is the type of thing the Royal Family say.
She had relationships after Charles e.g. with Hasnet that were fine.

@altoran well long before she came into Charles’ orbit she was a “bandaid” child for a failing marriage who wasn’t the son and heir her parents needed, and she described her childhood herself as very unhappy and very unstable. She also once pushed her stepmother down some stairs after they had a row. If you read the Vanity Fair article, her relationship with Haznat was also pretty complicated. So I don’t think considering her fragile and messy is at all unjustified.

I'd agree with that. They'd only met 7 times prior to the engagement didn't really know one another. It was a completely arranged marriage encouraged by both sides for the wrong reasons.

@FinallyHere

the lives of women like Fanny and me aren’t so much fun when one begins to get older” -

Is it possible that The Bolter actually referred to 'women like Linda and me' rather than her daughter, the mousy homebody Fanny

Oops, you are quite right, it is of course Linda she’s talking about! She is talking to Fanny, her daughter. That’ll teach me for typing quickly

@randomlyLostInWales Diana was not waging a war against Camilla when she died. Why would she have started to do this after she was already divorced?

I think if there had been a chance Camilla could have ended up Queen - she really would have started one.

I think Charles would have steped back from marriage to Camilla and stayed publicly single - rather than risk raking things through the press.

If Diana had found happinenss or peace later she'd have backed of but frankly I don't think she would have by herself - too hurt bitter and messed up.

Clearly you think differently - but that's my view I think Charles wouldn't have married a second time if there was any chance of bad PR and I think Diana would have made sure there was.

Margaret seemed to manage pretty well into old age.
I think the point being made is that beautiful women are no longer so appealing to many men once they get older. But both Margaret and Diana's royal family connection would make them stand out still as they age. I also suspect Diana would have had cosmetic surgery so would look younger for far longer than people did in the 1940's.

To characherise all that as her being fragile, psychologically messy and manipulative is a slur and is the type of thing the Royal Family say.

I think she had problems but she learned the hard way how to deal with the press and manage her PR - I don't see that as a bad manipulative thing - but frankly a skill set she developed over time and in her position needed.

I also think she was justifiable angry with Charles and Camilla and wouldn't have settled with them having a public happy ever after till she had something similar and cared less about them.

I think Margaret did alright in the end- though I think her middle years were hard and press very down on her though I'm not sure how much Margaret cared.

I think Charles would have remained single if marriage was going to be a PR disaster.

Just as a certain couple, are living together but no longer married. Although I thought they were getting ready for a rematch before the Epstein stuff kicked off.

I agree with others that Diana dying delayed Charles and Camillas marriage.

I think that Diana would have bumped up against the problem that for the public there is no room to be a complex person with faults, especially if you are a women. You have to be good or bad and there isn’t room for someone in between because that’s too much for the public to grasp.

While her death turned her into a near saint, I think public opinion would have turned against her in the end. There’s only so many times you can go on extravagant holidays with playboys in the middle of the school holidays - not seeing your boarding school educated sons for a month - before ordinary mums start to wonder if they would behave like that. I’m sure that’s normal for the rich and famous but we all like to sneer at what they get up to!