This year marks 20 years since the passing of Princess Diana. The fascination surrounding her life and death continues. This past weekend I watched two documentaries. One on Friday night was The Life and Death of Princess Diana. The other, The Last 100 Days of Princess Diana.
I thought I knew everything, and yet these shows gave me even greater insight into the Princess.
Look at her. She was beautiful. She captivated the world with her beauty and vulnerability. She indeed was, The Peoples' Princess.
The Princess and her mother had a difficult relationship. That fact has always endured me to Diana. We had that in common, as my relationship with my own mother was at best, difficult. Her mother left her father at an early age. I can just picture the princess watching her mother leave with a suitcase in her hand, never looking back. Diana thought she was the reason her mother left. That made her feel unwanted and unloved.
That dark moment from her past shaped her. It was mightily important that her marriage worked.
She never wanted to be divorced like her mother. Unlike her childhood, she was looking for a home to be happy. She totally believed she had found that with Prince Charles.
I was reminded of this now cryptic quote by Prince Charles. When asked if they were in love, the princess beamed, "Of course."
Prince Charles replied, "Whatever in love means."
Quite telling from the start.
I loved watching the clips from the royal wedding. I remember getting up early to watch the fairy tale celebration when I was in 8th grade. Didn't most of us? Wink wink!
One detail I did not know...While Diana was walking down the aisle, she was scanning left and right, up and down the rows. At one point, she spotted her. Camilla Parker Boyles. She would later refer to her as The Rottweiler. Diana knew at that point, seeing Camilla present at her wedding, she was never going to go away. And she'd be right. On their honeymoon, Diana found Charles' diary. She opened it and a picture of Camilla floated to the floor. How horrible that must have felt.
Remember the infamous interview? Diana stated, "There were three of us in this marriage. It was a bit crowded." That interview paved the way for the divorce. At the point of the divorce, Diana gave up her royal security. I believe that was the beginning of the end.
These two shows gave me great insight into her last year of life.
I found this relationship fascinating. Hasnat Khan was nothing like Prince Charles. The heart surgeon was her "Mr. Wonderful." The program went on to describe their love affair and that of Diana's relationship with Dodi Fayed. I am of the opinion she was in love with Khan until the day she died. She knew Hasnat for over two years. From start to finish, Dodi and Diana only knew each other a total of 30 days.
What a picture of grief. Imagine the smell of the flowers around Kensington Palace on the days following her untimely death. I wonder if Diana ever really knew how much she was loved by the people. Would she be surprised by the fascination of her life all these years later?
For all her imperfections and misdoings, I loved Diana. She continues to intrigue and fascinate me. She opened the conversation about feelings and she wasn't afraid to show emotion. We related to her and loved her even more when she touched an AIDS patient. She was real. While working with her charity to get rid of land mines in Bosnia, she came upon a cemetery. She got out of her vehicle and ambled toward a woman weeping at a grave site. Diana held this woman's face and wrapped her in her arms. There was a language barrier, but raw grief needs no words. Diana cared deeply for others.
We can only speculate as to what might have been for Diana. But, I know for sure her family is her legacy. For that, she would be very proud.
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