Princess Diana

[smg]

My Mum thought she had a bond with Diana, they shared a birthday. I was still grieving my Mum when Diana died exactly 5 months later. Diana was always loved in our house, I was about 9 when she married Charles, remember watching the wedding with huge eyes.
I felt sorry for her after her life sort of fell to pieces but she seemed much happier away from the royal family. I sympathized greatly with William and Harry as I all too well knew how hard it was to lose a Mother, they were so young to have to deal with that but I was so proud of those boys on the day of her funeral.
I hope she's looking down on Prince George with a big smile on her face :-)

[findadeathaddict]

Just read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Diana-The-Last.../dp/0312354991

It is called "Diana-The Last Word" by Simone Simmons, Diana's "healer". It was an interesting read. I came away thinking Diana was her own worst enemy.

[Elizabeth]

Diana is on the cover of Vanity Fair--gorgeous!!! And a great article about Hasnat Khan, a Pakastani heart surgeon, who it is said she truly loved, and was just dating Dodi al Fayad to make jealous.....I would highly recommend you pick it up if you need a Diana fix!!!

[findadeathaddict]

Diana is on the cover of Vanity Fair--gorgeous!!! And a great article about Hasnat Khan, a Pakastani heart surgeon, who it is said she truly loved, and was just dating Dodi al Fayad to make jealous.....I would highly recommend you pick it up if you need a Diana fix!!!

According to the book above, you are exactly right. She really didn't give two flying flips about Fayad. She really was into the heart surgeon.
Also, her Vogue covers were gorgeous as well. I will pick up a copy of the Vanity Fair. Thanks for the heads up.

[cash]

some new claim about her death. the conspiracy people will go nuts

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...new-claim.html

[neilmpenny]

I am the total opposite of most people. I didn't care for Diana and I don't hate Camilla. I am glad Charles is able to be with someone who makes him happy, and the fact that she isn't some beautiful young thing makes me like them together even more. It must really be love. The whole cheating part is not good, but I never got the impression that Charles and Diana loved each other.

I am with you on this. The cheating went both ways, and Harry is the proof of that. Charles should have been left alone from the beginning to be with Camilla.

[cleanskull]

seatbelts save lives

[duchessmary]

Two words: Tragic accident.

[artymorty]

Harry has got lots of red haired family , some of whom look very like him. The British press wore that story out and retreated when they saw others in the family looked very like him .James Hewitt is a "red " herring .

[Leasie]

Two words: Tragic accident.

Sad, but yes. I agree.

[lisalouver]

I am the total opposite of most people. I didn't care for Diana and I don't hate Camilla. I am glad Charles is able to be with someone who makes him happy, and the fact that she isn't some beautiful young thing makes me like them together even more. It must really be love. The whole cheating part is not good, but I never got the impression that Charles and Diana loved each other.

Although I am not really a fan of Diana, (I neither like nor dislike her) she was a woman of grace, humility, and class. Her utter lack of physical attractiveness aside, Camilla has none of that. Keep in mind that even if she and Charles loved each other for decades (remember he told her in the recorded call that his wish was to come back in another life as her tampon. Who honestly says something that disgusting?) they knew the rules when they married others. I do believe that Diana loved Charles in the beginning. I think there is no question of that. However, his behavior took all that away.

[Bidmor]

I think the old queen looked at Camilla with disdain regarding producing heirs, so they found poor naive Diana who was young enough and certainly more attractive than Camilla to bear Charles a couple of boys and that was it. Diana was solely for breeding purposes.

[SomeChick]

Princess Diana museum to close. Contents to go to sons William and Harry:

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/may...harry-20130506

[cash]

someone put a 'Diana' movie poster near the accident location in Paris

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-location.html

[Sgt. Pepper]

someone put a 'Diana' movie poster near the accident location in Paris

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-location.html

Classy.

[cash]

no link between Diana's death and SAS. No surprise here.

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/di...k-9008952.html

[tamiele]

I think the old queen looked at Camilla with disdain regarding producing heirs, so they found poor naive Diana who was young enough and certainly more attractive than Camilla to bear Charles a couple of boys and that was it. Diana was solely for breeding purposes.

Can you imagine what William and Harry would look like with Charles and Camilla as parents?? I can't even imagine. The only unattractive traits the boys have come from Charles, imo.

[sfcitygirl]

Can you imagine what William and Harry would look like with Charles and Camilla as parents?? I can't even imagine. The only unattractive traits the boys have come from Charles, imo.

Aka the result of centuries of inbreeding.

[duchessmary]

Diana was not murdered. *eyeroll*. Sigh. This is news?

[artymorty]

Just noticed a poll on todays aol , nearly 50% of all people polled still believe she was murdered .

[Jangles]

I feel that she was murdered.

[artymorty]

I feel that she was murdered.

Me too .Always have .Too much of a co-incidence that she tipped off the press that she was about to make a big announcement .

[Giada]

The Diana Chronicles ... Tina Brown

How many years have I had this on my bookshelf? Excellent read, thoroughly researched.

"This was monarchy 101, and she better get used to it, was the palace view. Diana, it seemed to them, was simply unable to come to grips with the double reality of being an international celebrity in the eyes of billions, while simultaneously, in the palaces and apartments where she actually spent most of her time, being treated as just a cog in the machine."

http://www.amazon.com/The-Diana-Chro.../dp/076792309X

With the royal family, (as in any dysfunctional family), you conform to the dysfunction or you remain an outsider.

[NewEnglander]

Giada, years ago I read a biography on Sarah Ferguson and it said the same thing. Sarah referred to the palace insiders, who ran the ship, so to speak, as the "Gray Men" and they were terrible to her too. She was a cog as well but they tended to put her down a lot.

It's funny that you mentioned that book, 2 weeks ago, I spent quit a bit of time on Youtube watching tons of documentaries about Diana, spanning from the start of her marriage to Charles until their divorce.

[Giada]

I've done something similar NE, and yesterday watched the Martin Bashir interview with Diana.

Kudos to Diana for holding her own against the royal's. Through both standing firm and with a good attorney she was able to obtain everything she asked for in her divorce. During Camillagate, (calls between Charles and Camilla) she heard the two of them planning where they would meet for their next tryst. When Diana heard the tapes she was upset by the betrayal by those who she considered friends of both she and Charles offering up their homes.

Charles to Camilla, on one of the tapes, "Your greatest achievement is to love me." Which to me sums up the attitude of the entire royal family.

[NewEnglander]

It seems like William has a lot of Diana's nerve in him. He seems to be unwilling to allow the Palace Gray men to rule his roost. I guess that the Palace learned not to mess with Diana's son. They know that the people loved Diana and love William because he's her son. The public won't tolerate the Palace mistreating Diana's son.

[Giada]

wI agree NE ...

It's also an example of the world moving on generationally. The queen's gen would never have thought of therapy or inner reflection as a need or of value. Charles had his moments, e.g., reflecting on his mother as a distanced relative and his underlying feelings of sadness at being secondary to her royal position.

And along came Diana ...

It's interesting to watch the media play with the RF. Charles may well be king before too long and who will care? Not those of Charles age who believe the monarchy is outdated, and not the x'ers and milennials who think of Kate and William as akin to the Kardashians.

[NewEnglander]

I also think that Charles has always been viewed as a man just waiting to get his tukish on the throne (and Mommy hasn't cooperated due to her longevity). William and his brother Harry, have actually done things to make them more than just Royals. William with his Royal AF career and Harry with his Army career. They have done things that has given their life a lot of substance and validity. Charles has too (like the Dutchy of Cornwall) but he did what he was supposed to do while William and Harry chose what they did (military careers, their charity work ect...).

[duchessmary]

^^^Lots. He and Camilla, along with the younger royals, are slowly beginning to represent the Queen overseas, while the Queen prefers to stay closer to home. Her husband is 92. She is 88. They may not have too much time together left.

[NewEnglander]

I just read, online that William, who was in the US for a wedding over the weekend, flew home in coach.

[SomeChick]

^^^Lots. He and Camilla, along with the younger royals, are slowly beginning to represent the Queen overseas, while the Queen prefers to stay closer to home. Her husband is 92. She is 88. They may not have too much time together left.

I noticed this as well. And I like that Diana's sons are the new face of the royal family. Makes the whole thing seem less stodgy.

[Desert Ghost]

My favorite Craig Ferguson joke is still:

What do you get when you cross the Queen and Prince Philip? Dead in a tunnel.

[cash]

My favorite Craig Ferguson joke is still:

What do you get when you cross the Queen and Prince Philip? Dead in a tunnel.

what was Diana's cause of death ???

Car-pool-tunnel syndrome

[glowegal]

You can now buy a copy of Diana's (or anyone else who had their will probated in the UK) will for about $16US.

[Shellie]

The strange thing is I never had much time for her but it was weird for me when she died. The day before there was a huge spread in one of the Saturday papers where nearly every letter was against her for holidaying with Dodi and the usual words...loose woman...disgrace to the monarchy etc were being tossed around. I was watching the TV and it was about 1.20 (I think) UK time that it came on that there had been an accident and I literally never moved from my sofa until the next night. I watched as she was taking to the hospital, Charles arriving in France, his arrival to identify her etc. As all the reactions started coming, that's when I finally realized how many people were hypocrites. The day before she was being called a tart and now the same 'fans' were calling her a saint.

Like I said, I didn't hate her but she wasn't that much on my radar either, even so I watched the funeral and got upset, something I can't understand to this day. A lot of my friends were the same and the conclusion was because we grew up with her - I was born 13 July and she was married on July 29.

The one complaint I do has is all these people claiming Diana would love Kate...the hell she would. Daughter in Law or not, she would be seen as a rival and Diana did not like rivals.

[NewEnglander]

The strange thing is I never had much time for her but it was weird for me when she died. The day before there was a huge spread in one of the Saturday papers were nearly every letter was against her for holidaying with Dodi and the usual words...loose woman...disgrace to the monarchy etc were being tossed around. I was watching the TV and it was about 1.20 (I think) UK time that it came on that there had been an accident and I literally never moved from my sofa until the next night. I watched as she was taking to the hospital, Charles arriving in France, going to the hospital etc. As all the reactions started coming I, that's when I finally realized how many people were hypocrites. The day before she was being called a tart and now the same 'fans' were calling her a saint.

Like I said, I didn't hate her but she wasn't that much on my radar either but I watched the funeral and got upset, something I can't understand to this day. A lot of my friends were the same and the conclusion was because we grew up with her - I was born 13 July and she was married on July 29.

The one complaint I do has is all these people claiming Diana would love Kate...the hell she would. Daughter in Law or not, she would be seen as a rival and Diana did not like rivals.

I was on the other side of the fence, so to speak. I admired her a lot. Of course I was about 15 when she first got engaged to Charles and I thought she was darling on 60 Minutes (they showed the engagement interview). And I got all caught up in the wedding excitement etc...I mean before Diana the only other Princess I was aware of was Princess Ann and she didn't have a lot going on except for being surly and rude LOL.

What annoys me, is not so much of the press saying how much Diana would have loved Kate, what bugs me is when they constantly compare her to Diana. Like when you see articles with side by side photos and they are dressed in either similar outfits or the same colored outfits. Or how Kate is so down to earth and loves kids, like Diana. Stop it!! (to the press) Kate is not Diana and she never will be. She is her own person. It's so annoying how the press is trying to replace Diana with Kate.

[Shellie]

I was on the other side of the fence, so to speak. I admired her a lot. Of course I was about 15 when she first got engaged to Charles and I thought she was darling on 60 Minutes (they showed the engagement interview). And I got all caught up in the wedding excitement etc...I mean before Diana the only other Princess I was aware of was Princess Ann and she didn't have a lot going on except for being surly and rude LOL.

What annoys me, is not so much of the press saying how much Diana would have loved Kate, what bugs me is when they constantly compare her to Diana. Like when you see articles with side by side photos and they are dressed in either similar outfits or the same colored outfits. Or how Kate is so down to earth and loves kids, like Diana. Stop it!! (to the press) Kate is not Diana and she never will be. She is her own person. It's so annoying how the press is trying to replace Diana with Kate.

Kate has had a lot of time to grow into the role unlike Diana who whether you like her or not was the sacrificial lamb there for breeding and nothing more. Kate has learned from Diana's, Sarah's and the others mistakes. The bloom does seem to be wearing off though. Slowly but surely the magazines and papers are starting to slate her choices on clothes, decisions and the way she is raising her son.

[*sarah*]

I always liked Diana. I was 14ish when she died, so she was the only princess I had ever heard of so I thought she was neat. I like Kate. She seems nice and stylish. But honestly I get tired of seeing her on the cover of People magazine all the time. Little George is just precious though with his chubby cheeks!!

[NewEnglander]

Kate has had a lot of time to grow into the role unlike Diana who whether you like her or not was the sacrificial lamb there for breeding and nothing more. Kate has learned from Diana's, Sarah's and the others mistakes. The bloom does seem to be wearing off though. Slowly but surely the magazines and papers are starting to slate her choices on clothes, decisions and the way she is raising her son.

I guess it was only a matter of time before the press turned on her. They did the same to Sarah and Diana, criticizing the money they spent on clothes, or their weight ( the press was unmerciful to Sarah when she gained weight after having her first child). Diana was too thin, spent too much on clothes, didn't spend enough time with the Royals etc.. So now it's Kate's turn. She was the darling new fiancé and wife of the future kind of England and now they are looking for faults. Typical of the press.

[Shellie]

I guess it was only a matter of time before the press turned on her. They did the same to Sarah and Diana, criticizing the money they spent on clothes, or their weight ( the press was unmerciful to Sarah when she gained weight after having her first child). Diana was too thin, spent too much on clothes, didn't spend enough time with the Royals etc.. So now it's Kate's turn. She was the darling new fiancé and wife of the future kind of England and now they are looking for faults. Typical of the press.

The problem with Sarah if you could call it that was she refused to change who she was for them and in the end she was damned either way. She was always gonna be the underdog yet now she seems to be the one who has managed to balance the line between wife/ ex wife perfectly. Whenever you see her with Andrew, they are always happy and it's not just for the cameras. If she had lived, I honestly don't think Diana would ever have got to the stage that she and Charles could be in the same room as each other.

As much as people don't like Camilla, her and Charles seem to be happy..happier than you ever saw him with Diana and I don't think she would have liked that. A lot of people have claimed that she was a vicious woman who would even use her children if it meant scoring a victory. Personally, I'm not sure if that is true but I truly think she wouldn't like having to deal with the fact that Camilla is now living the life she was ousted from/left.

[Poo Bah MCGee]

Diana was ushered into a world for which she was totally unprepared. She was a beautiful, slightly royal, virginal, innocent teenager. She was used, abused, and in the interim did enough with her royal status to make the world love her like a sister or daughter. The accident that took her life was because of hounding photographers and a inebriated driver. She died of trauma in the vehicle, most likely blood loss and ruptured organs.
Charles was, and remains, a culpable dweeb for his behavior with Mrs. Parker-Bowles, even up to the night before he married Diana. Camilla remains in the cold shadow of Diana, and always will. Her relationship with William, Kate, and Harry, will remain their business, not ours. William has a dignity which tells us something about how he has undertaken representation of his mother and father, as he ascends to the throne.
To his credit, Charles has remained father to Prince Harry, although it seems likely that Harry may have been sired by another man.

[NewEnglander]

The problem with Sarah if you could call it that was she refused to change who she was for them and in the end she was damned either way. She was always gonna be the underdog yet now she seems to be the one who has managed to balance the line between wife/ ex wife perfectly. Whenever you see her with Andrew, they are always happy and it's not just for the cameras. If she had lived, I honestly don't think Diana would ever have got to the stage that she and Charles could be in the same room as each other.

As much as people don't like Camilla, her and Charles seem to be happy..happier than you ever saw him with Diana and I don't think she would have liked that. A lot of people have claimed that she was a vicious woman who would even use her children if it meant scoring a victory. Personally, I'm not sure if that is true but I truly think she wouldn't like having to deal with the fact that Camilla is now living the life she was ousted from/left.

I agree, Sarah and Andrew have really done a great job of being divorced, if you can say that. They seem to be genuine friends and weren't they living together, in the same house, when Sarah had all her financial problems? They certainly have presented a united front, which I agree, Charles and Diana could never have done, had she not been killed. There would always be tension between the two of them. I do think Diana was in love with Charles, as a 19 year old but as one grows older, what they find enchanting at 19 can become very annoying at age 30.

Diana was ushered into a world for which she was totally unprepared. She was a beautiful, slightly royal, virginal, innocent teenager. She was used, abused, and in the interim did enough with her royal status to make the world love her like a sister or daughter. The accident that took her life was because of hounding photographers and a inebriated driver. She died of trauma in the vehicle, most likely blood loss and ruptured organs.
Charles was, and remains, a culpable dweeb for his behavior with Mrs. Parker-Bowles, even up to the night before he married Diana. Camilla remains in the cold shadow of Diana, and always will. Her relationship with William, Kate, and Harry, will remain their business, not ours. William has a dignity which tells us something about how he has undertaken representation of his mother and father, as he ascends to the throne.
To his credit, Charles has remained father to Prince Harry, although it seems likely that Harry may have been sired by another man.

I think Diana was used by the powers that be to get Charles married and start sprouting some heirs. Plus they didn't prepare her for the role she was taking on then scratched their heads when she didn't do something right. Duh. She was a teenager thrown into the international limelight.

[Shellie]

I agree, Sarah and Andrew have really done a great job of being divorced, if you can say that. They seem to be genuine friends and weren't they living together, in the same house, when Sarah had all her financial problems? They certainly have presented a united front, which I agree, Charles and Diana could never have done, had she not been killed. There would always be tension between the two of them. I do think Diana was in love with Charles, as a 19 year old but as one grows older, what they find enchanting at 19 can become very annoying at age 30.



I think Diana was used by the powers that be to get Charles married and start sprouting some heirs. Plus they didn't prepare her for the role she was taking on then scratched their heads when she didn't do something right. Duh. She was a teenager thrown into the international limelight.

Totally. They assumed she would always be the timid, shy woman she first was but she obviously wasn't as naive as they thought and learned a lot. By the end, not only did she manage to play them at their own game, she left them in the shade. Down the line it's not going to be Charles who is remembered but rather 'The Queen of Hearts' and for Diana that will be the perfect FU to everyone of them.

[sajones48]

Diana was not murdered. *eyeroll*. Sigh. This is news?

I agree, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time! Such a great waste of life!

[sfcitygirl]

Giada, years ago I read a biography on Sarah Ferguson and it said the same thing. Sarah referred to the palace insiders, who ran the ship, so to speak, as the "Gray Men" and they were terrible to her too. She was a cog as well but they tended to put her down a lot.

It's funny that you mentioned that book, 2 weeks ago, I spent quit a bit of time on Youtube watching tons of documentaries about Diana, spanning from the start of her marriage to Charles until their divorce.

At least Fergie seems like she'd be kinda fun. I never got that vibe from Diana. I completely understand why Fergie, especially, was treated horribly. She was certainly spirited. And seemed kinda crazy... hence why i think she'd be fun. LOL

As far as Diana and Charles, IMHO, yeah, she was used to produce heirs, but after so many years I also don't really understand the contempt people still hold against Charles. He seems to be a decent father and he's actually got a great sense of humour. No, Camilla isn't royalty. No, she doesn't seem like she'd be fun to be around. Yet for whatever reason, she is (and seemingly always has been) the love of his life. Un-PC/unpopular as my view may be, I hope they're happy together. The fact that Charles did finally marry her says a lot IMHO. No, they can't have children together, but god knows the family doesn't approve. For him to finally go against that means something as far as I'm concerned. :Shrugs:

I'm not really a royal watcher and can't say I care about their personal lives, so that certainly influences my comments.

[TorontoDude]

deleted post

[Xiroi]

I beg to difer... Not about Diana being kind and lovely, but some of the things you mention in your post. Sorry for this being a bit lengthy.

Diana REQUESTED that her HRH status be removed too.... as if Sarah was a precident.
The Palace repeatedly tried to have Diana remain HRH'd as they knew she was intending to "spin it" for sympathy...she held out and after the divorce it was settled.
The Queen had to sign a command to strip the title- Palace insiders say Her Majesty knew it was not a good move....


... Diana was stripped of her title... BUT she insisted that they do it.

As much as Diana would have requested it, Diana couldn't possibly have the power to decide about keeping or not keeping her Royal Highness status. It was not for her to decide and the Queen would NEVER do what Diana wanted instead of what her advisors recommended, which is the same as to say that Diana was more powerful than the Queen and had a bigger decission power. If you no longer want to use a title (RH status in this case) you were given, you stop using it or, in the case of titles, you can pass them to your heir, you don't have the power to return them, though.

The other thing is the Camilla factor.

They knew THEN in the 1970's they cannot marry as they were BOTH descendants of King Edward VII...yah they are cousins. Thin Royal blood and hemophylia etc precluded them from the process of ... ah hemm ..breeding.

Cousins? Nope. Related? There's a possibility, never confirmed, though.

Camilla's great grandmother (Alice Keppel) was one of King Edward's (Charles' great great grandfather) many mistresses. In fact legend has it that's what Camilla said to Charles when they met "Did you know that your great-great grandfather and my great grandmother were lovers?"

Was Edward the father of Alice's daughter? Could be... or not. In any case they are not cousins, they just might be and but not close family in any case.

As for hemophilia, even if it's true it runs in the family, half of the European royal houses have the disease due to the marriages of Queen Victoria's daughters and grand daughters, this doesn't apply in this case. If I'm not mistaken, the disease is suffered by males but inherited from the mothers. A woman can carry it, but will not suffer it.

So even if (big IF) Edward were Camilla's great grandfather, Alice wasn't from that family, therefore neither he, as a male, or she, as unrelated to Queen Victoria, could have passed hemophilia to the females in Camilla's family so that she eventually got the gen. And Charles, as a male, could only have the condition but not pass it to his children, as only the mother can. So sorry, hemophilia and them being together can't be a factor.

Now if you want an example, the grandfather and grandmother of Spain's current King: they were cousins, they got married, both were connected to Queen Victoria and yup, they had one child who had hemophilia. Both the obstacles you mention weren't considered such almost 100 years ago, when royal marriages were a lot more strict than now.

The fact that Camilla was raised a Catholic was a factor, though. As the future head of England's Church, he can't be married to a Catholic. Thank Henry VIII and Ann Boleyn for that.

Of a matter of form- the Brit upper class have certain unspoken mores'. For instance, an upper class woman has a monogamous marriage up until the birth of a son , once a son is delivered both parties know its a new day, new rules and a new deal....

My step mother is as English upper class as any can be and sorry, no, that "do what you want after the first son" is simply not true.

I'll give you some people might have open marriages, some people stay together even if they don't want to due to whatever reasons, including financial ones... That happens in all social classes, mind you, an unpaid mortgage or lack of regular income keeps lots of marriages together. Imagine when millions are at stake. But what you're implying here as a rule is just not that. If that had been the case, why did Diana's and Fergie's mothers leave their husbands without a second thought?

In any case, this is not upper class we're discussing, this is aristocracy and royalty. A completely different world and even that is changing.

[TorontoDude]

deleted post

[Xiroi]

Royal Highness is a title, not a position (constitutional or not) and it doesn't come with income or military ranks, but maybe it does in the UK0s or exotic Arab monarchies, not in any European monarchy that I know of.

LOL at what you said about the Queen Mother could certainly afford the best dentists.

[TorontoDude]

deleted post