|
 Diana was killed at age 36 on Aug. 31, 1997
along with her lover Dodi al-Fayed when a limousine carrying
them crashed in a Paris tunnel as it sped away from paparazzi
giving chase on motorbikes.
The first wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, Diana was
the glittering princess at the center of a royal soap opera
played out in the glare of the media, making her probably the
most recognized woman around the world.
Her passing prompted the biggest public outpouring of grief seen
in Britain in recent times, and few since have captivated the
world like she did.
"There'll never be anyone else like Diana," said Ingrid Seward,
editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of "Diana: The
Last Word".
Previous anniversaries of her death have gone by with little
fanfare, suggesting that the "People's Princess", as she was
dubbed by then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, had perhaps
lost some of her allure and relevance.
But, with her sons Prince William and Harry to the fore, the
20th anniversary has seen her dominate front pages of newspapers
as she did in her prime as the world's most photographed woman.
"There was a period in the early 2000s where very little was
heard of Diana," commented Ken Wharfe, her ex-royal protection
officer. He said her two sons' desire to continue her work by
supporting causes such as helping Aids sufferers, the homeless
and combating landmines, had made her relevant again.
The princes have also been increasingly willing to speak about
the trauma of her death and its lasting emotional impact.
In broadcasts aired over the last six months, William, 35, said
the shock of losing his mother still lingered while Harry, 32,
revealed he had sought counseling in his late 20s to help deal
with the grief.
"She still is our mum," Harry said in an intimate TV documentary
entitled "Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy". "Of course,
as a son I would say this, she was the best mum in the world.
She smothered us with love, that's for sure."
Ashley Gething, the documentary's director, told Reuters he was
impressed with Diana's achievements. "What amazed me was what
she'd actually done... All these enormous issues like
championing the homeless, often in the face of criticism of
politicians and editors of national newspapers."
DARK DAYS
Almost 10 million Britons tuned into that documentary, while
another TV program "Diana In Her Own Words", aired earlier this
month, was watched by 3.5 million Britons, giving broadcaster
Channel 4 its highest viewing figures for a year.
[to top of second column] |
That program featured videoed conversations, never shown before on
British TV, of Diana speaking candidly with her speech therapist
about her sex life with Prince Charles and her sorrow at the
spectacular collapse of her marriage.
Similar shows have been aired or are planned in the United States,
where many have been gripped by Diana's story, from her fairytale
marriage to Charles in 1981 to their subsequent separation and
bitter divorce. More than 33 million Americans tuned in to watch her
funeral in September 1997.
The days after her death were some of the darkest in Queen
Elizabeth's 65-year reign and some monarchists fear the attention
lavished on Diana will rekindle resentment towards the House of
Windsor.
Many Britons were angered at how Diana was ostracized by the royal
family after her 1996 divorce from Charles, with Camilla Parker
Bowles, Charles's lover who later became his wife, a particular
focus of enmity.
With renewed focus on the popular Diana, an ICM poll for the Sun
newspaper this month found that just 22 percent of respondents
wanted Charles, 68, to be the next king while more than half wanted
the next monarch to be his son William.
It also showed that 36 percent of the 2,000 people questioned felt
Camilla, 70, should be Princess Consort and not queen. Only 27
percent backed her having the regal title.
"Anything retrospective can open old wounds and does open old
wounds," Seward said, although she believed the impact would soon
wane. "People forget quickly and I don't think it has any long
lasting effect."
Instead she and other royal commentators say Diana's lasting impact
was a royal family more in touch with the public.
"This program of bringing the royal family into the 21st century is
being continued by her two sons who, for my part, are the future of
the British monarchy," Wharfe said.
(Additional reporting by Alex Fraser; Editing by Alistair Smout and
Mark Heinrich)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
