20 yrs since Princess Di Died

I was staying at my grandparents', came downstairs in the morning, my grandad had been working the night shift. He told me that she'd died and I thought that there was a punchline. Found it almost incomprehensible.

 

I was 8, I remember it quite vividly oddly enough. I'd just got up and went in the living room to put the TV on. The news was on all the channels (we had 5 back then). I told my mum that the news was on every channel instead of my programmes, and she asked me what had happened. When I told her Princess Diana had died, she burst into tears.

 

She seemed a good person and it's always incredibly sad when a mother dies young, but looking back the public reaction was unbelievable - it was as if she was literally a saint and it kickstarted a trend of grief tourism which continues to this day.

I've never understood the deference and idolisation shown to the royal family and never will.

 

My dad rang me up I'd just got home from a club and was a little tired he said 'should have been a bus trip lad' and hung up. I had literally no idea what he was on about.

 

In fairness he always wanted to marry Camilla but she was already past child bearing age and they are far better suited. However, being heir to the throne he needed an heir and so had to marry someone who could provide him with one. it was always a marriage of convenience as they were like chalk and cheese in spite of all the coverage of the 'happy couple' on the balcony after the ceremony.
In private, I suspect that once she had provided him with an heir there was a tacit agreement that they discretely (probably not quite as discretely as l the monarchy would have wanted) lived their own lives when it came to relationships.
I also think it was one of the rare times the Queen failed to recognise and relate to the mood of the country, something she has normally done very well.
The Royals have struggled to recover fully from that episode.

 

Camping in Bakewell. Didn't know anything about it until we were loading the van up to go home about midday. Was all over the radio, news etc.

 

Woken up by a call from the hospital at 5.30am. Wife about to give birth to first (and is our only) child. Heard on news of Diana's death. Spent the morning gawping either at the TV (they had one in the room) or the area where the baby was due to emerge from.
Became convinced it'd be a little princess to replace the departed one. It was however a boy - disguised, when they held him up and shook him, as a blue looking rubber chicken.
He's 20 on Aug 31.

 

I was at my dads, 14 years old. He told me when I got up, and I thought oh right, that's sad. But not much more than that at the time.

And I remember being a bit pissed off that they cancelled Liverpool v newcastle that afternoon as the previous two seasons the matches ended 4-3 and I was looking forward to that match.

Got two buses back home, actually to my nannas that evening, and watched the news. Prince Charles bringing her body home, the flowers starting to come, interviews with the public.

I didn't get the level of grief then and I don't now to be honest. She was a lovely lady yeah, used her influence to do good with kids charities and so on, but she was hardly a saint. It was a tremendously sad event but the hysteria it caused I felt and still feel was excessive in the extreme. It was like folk had to be upset or they weren't British.

People paint all sorts of pictures about Prince Charles and the royal family treating her badly and in some ways perhaps they did but let's get it right, she was hardly a saint herself. There are still rumours prince Harry isn't a prince at all. She probably never really wanted to be married to Charles as much as he never really wanted her - but she was young and pretty enough to provide the heir and spare, whilst he gave her fame, fortune and title. And at her young age I suspect her family reminded her of her duty a little too, pressured her. It was convenient on all parts - to be less cynical perhaps at one point they were happy. But let's not pretend she was faultless, just because she died.

I just felt for the boys, being between their ages I was very sad for them. I couldn't comprehend losing my mum, my late dad was very ill with MS at that time, wasn't long after that he had to give his bungalow up and go into a care home, so it wasn't that I couldn't imagine losing a parent, just not so tragically and unexpectedly.

The mass media coverage, al fayed and his continued conspiracy theories and even the level of public interest can only have made it even more difficult for kids of 15 and nearly 13 to cope. It sounds now like really they didnt. But they and those around them have nothing but praise for their father and how he helped them, some would argue that would always be said - I'm no huge fan of the monarchy as such, not against it though have reservations, but I have a lot of time for prince Charles, the bloke doesn't mind having an opinion without having the level of comedic bafoonary of his father, who was a comedy genius at times.

I think he gets a bad press because he didn't love a woman who the rest of the world did - at least not enough.

Twenty years on and there's still hysteria, still conspiracy theories, and still invasion of the grief of her lads.

The current princess of wales cannot and will not use the title - though let's be clear, she is the princess of wales. She also plans not to call herself queen - purely because the public would say that's what Diana should have been, and will apparently be princess consort. Its ridiculous - they were divorced before she died. Camilla has as much right to the titles and if the tradition of the royal family is to be maintained, which apparently is important to a lot, she should have and use her titles. Primarily the princess of wales, secondary title the duchess of Cornwall, duchess of Rothesay in Scotland. Queen consort when Charles inherits the crown. But she won't, and i personally think that is too much. I used to be quite anti royal until I visited London and saw the interest from Tourists. Cynic yes but I warmed to the idea having seen how much money they must generate. I also can't comprehend still working in my nineties. However privileged the queen has been and is, at her age she should be expected to do no more than get up and watch TV! Good on her for carrying on. I admire the sense of duty, her knowledge that it's her job until the grave.

 

Have they caught who was responsible yet?

 

Got up with kids at about 06:30 made them breakfast & put Nickelodeon on, scrolling at the bottom of the screen it said: Nickelodeon asks you to tune into sky news. Couldn't believe it, total shock.

 

We were on holiday on the South Shore Holiday Camp in Bridlington. I'd been out for a walk on the beach with our two German Shepherds we had at the time, thoroughly enjoying the peace and quiet. When I got back to the chalet for breakfast (Crystal was making a delicious fry up), Christopher came in from the front room to say there weren't any kids programmes on the tv. I was convinced he was simply unable to find the appropriate channel, so I went to sort it out. He was right, every channel was, understandably, broadcasting the news of her death.
It certainly made for an unusual holiday, as everywhere we went with the kids, people were down and depressed.

 

Honestly wasn't too fussed at the time was a boring day with nothing on tv. Sad a young mum died but im sure that happens all the time. Never had any interest in the royal family at all the whole concept of royalty is to my mind wrong.
Her death was however a great reminder of the need to wear seat belts and not drive at crazy speeds.

 

Wasn't there also an unborn child involved?

 

Regardless not saying it wasn't a sad event, but i felt exactly the same level of detachment i would if it happend to someone i had never heard of. Yes its sad two yound boys lost a mother but i could find a story like that every day.

 

Have you not fully read my post ?

She gave birth around midday.

 

If I am honest, I never got the outpouring of national grief that came with her death. It seemed blown out of all proportion. It meant as much to me as the deaths of William S Burroughs, Mother Teresa and Burgess Meredith (all died within a month either way), and far less than some others from that time and since, like Kurt Cobain or Johnny Cash, who I had at least seen play live.

It is sad for her family and kids, but similar tragedies happen every day leaving kids without both parents and the safety net provided by being part of the Royal Family.

 

I remember that bird tha pulled, she would be well into her 80's by now :- ), sithi.

 

Every hole's a goal

 

I've often wondered why blokes refer to girls as birds.
Anybody know why that is.?

 

Mine's always sticking her beak in, and won't let me have a go on the nest.