Just for the memories- where were you / what were you doing when you heard Diana had died?

[MarchionessVonSausage]

The thread about Earl Spencer's book made me think of this.

I'm Australian, the news came through early on a weekend morning, a Sunday I think. I was 22 and driving to pick up a girlfriend who'd had a disastrous night and ended at some random guy's house in the city. When she got in the car she was exhausted and still half pissed. I told her the news and she passed out. I took her home to bed.

She called me later saying "I dreamt Princess Diana died" and I told her to turn on the tv. Ah, memories of youth.

I was in Bratislava in Slovakia, and turned the TV on, many hours after the event. Every single channel was showing wall to wall coverage - even obscure Hungarian ones. Glad I missed the whole palaver. Sad for the family, but I never knew her and I can’t really grieve someone I was not acquainted with

I’d just come down to breakfast at my in-law’s home where dh and I, and our 2 eldest dc (no. 3 wasn’t in the picture yet) were staying, to find the tv on, which was strange, and the adults watching the coverage of the shocking events.

I was in the New Forest, we were filming on location for a kids Tv drama. We’d been on night shoots. Woke up still tired and groggy, put the tv on and couldn’t fathom why all normal TV was cancelled and all talk was about Diana being dead, Diana who? Took ages for the penny to drop. 😔

Driving back from France with a boyfriend was early hours of the morning and it was reporting she was injured and then that she died, got out at a service station to pay for petrol and pictures of her and Dodi all over the front covers, I remember pointing to them and saying the guy behind the counter Diana is dead. He got up and came over and said ‘say what?’ I said ‘Diana had been killed in a car crash’ he said no way and then turned on the radio and Radio 1 was playing classical music and announcing she had died. He gathered up all the newspapers as he said it was disrespectful to her - I remember thinking but yesterday it was ok to have images of her diving on them and that was ok.

Am I misremembering? Lots of people saying it was a Sunday but pretty sure the news broke on a Saturday morning.

I was working with a wedding photographer and we had two weddings that day. I had to move all the tribute flowers in the churches out of people's wedding pics, then put them all back afterwards 😇

In bed. My 7 year old sister came in to see me because she couldn't find the children's programme she wanted to watch. I didn't believe her and said it must have been the Queen Mother and to try BBC2. I hadn't known that the BBC would suspend programming on all channels for a Royal death - my sister was soon back with me saying the news was on BBC2 as well.

The crash was just after midnight on a Saturday so the early hours of Sunday morning. I think the death was announced at about 4/5am on the Sunday.

Oooh I’ve got a great one; my Mum woke me up and told me as she was getting me up. But the real reason it sticks is that I lost my virginity the night before and I was going to tell her but then it didn’t seem right and then I lost the bottle and never did have that chat.

I was pregnant with my third child, and my husband had got up with our two daughters to let me have a lie in. He heard it on Radio 4 and came upstairs to tell me. It all felt quite surreal at the time, but I suppose that's because you know you'll always remember that moment.

It was definitely early hours of Sunday morning.

On holiday with exh in Fuerteventura. Didn’t know but realised something had happened by the way people were subdued and huddling over newspapers! Bought one and found out what it was about.

Completely amazed by the state of the country when we flew back - mass grief which had not been the case on our holiday.

Sunday,

I was a newspaper delivery girl. All the papers got delayed that day as they originally reported that she was ok and then we found out that she had died so the new papers were quickly printed. I read the news as I packed my delivery bag.

I was in Norfolk and had got up quite early to tidy up and make a full English breakfast for my husband and his two motorbiking friends who were visiting for the weekend.

I switched on the kitchen tv and the news came on. Scenes of the police cars at the tunnel approach and from outside the hospital. It was really shocking and I felt very sad. I can’t remember if it was actually a confirmed or unconfirmed report. Dodi Fayed was confirmed dead, but I’m not certain she was. It was really OMG!

I was in a car coming back from a club in the small hours when the radio news told us Dodi had died and Diana was in hospital. Thought that was very sad for her and went straight to sleep at my boyfriend’s house.

Woke up mid morning to find boyfriends mum absolutely sobbing, had a confusing conversation where I was saying “oh yes terrible news” before she realised we didn’t know Diana had actually died. Very surreal.

Getting ready for my DS 1st birthday party. His godmother's daughter arrived and told us (we hadn't been listening to the news).

Also on holiday. Switched on TV and saw "Diana killed in Paris car crash" and thought Diana who? Flew back to the UK on the day of the funeral and the roads were deserted. Fastest ever journey home.

when I collected the Sunday paper late morning. We didn’t have a tv at the time so thankfully missed a lot of the coverage.

I was on a night shift and we followed the coverage through the night from she’s injured to she’s dead .

I was at university. We’d all been clubbing and then come home and put Kiss FM on full blast. I fell asleep in the lounge and woke up to weird music. I couldn’t describe it. Like a monotone organ with wind sounds over the top it. Like you might get at a yoga studio or spa. I fell back to sleep and awoke to the same music. I assumed it was ‘chill out time’ at Kiss FM and made coffee/breakfast etc and the rest of the house awoke. Kiss still playing this weird music. My housemate came flying in to tell us the news. I remember my response was ‘that’s why that shit music has been playing for hours’.

We had gone to view an oriental garden. Beautiful place, in the most unlikely location, a social housing estate in the industrial midlands. One of the loveliest and varied gardens, all very neat and tightly packed. We heard the news before we went actually. On the way home we called in on a friend, much later in the day. She hadn’t had TV or radio on and was so shocked and overcome when we told her. On the day of her funeral, we were glued to the TV and our phone rang (an enquiry for a car we were selling), just as they showed the ‘Mummy’ flowers.
We were all in absolute bits and couldn’t speak properly! As you say, For the Memory.

I was on the way home from clubbing. The news said she’d had a car accident and had a broken arm. I got in and went to bed. When I woke up it was all over the news that she’d actually died. I remember being really upset.

I was 16. I too had a dream about two / three nights before that she had died. I can remember it vividly. She was on a rollercoaster ride high up in the air (in the clouds). I watched as she fell from one of the cars. It really freaked me out.

Then obviously a few days later I woke up, turned on my little television that I had in my room and saw the news.
It was my Mum and Dad’s anniversary so we went to a local pub for a meal and I remember everyone being so sombre.

Came home from my hen night and there was late night news of a crash and a "broken arm", then in the morning the news of her death. My friend had stayed over and I remember us watching in disbelief. Still a really clear memory.

glad you've said that cause my recollection was that the papers were all late but did run with the details of her death on the Sunday morning (i worked in a paper shop rather than out delivering!).