A New Diana?

[TLLK]

Diana's death changed a lot of things. I'm not sure any royal nor the media want that again.

I was just watching her new bio on the REELZ Channel and Diana lived through a crazy time of Dynasty and a new celebrity era. I think it was even too much for her to handle.

I agree that the various royal families would not want another Diana type "star" in their ranks. As for the media I do believe that they would likely want someone who could sell as well as the late Princess of Wales.

 

[Dman]

I agree that the various royal families would not want another Diana type "star" in their ranks. As for the media I do believe that they would likely want someone who could sell as well as the late Princess of Wales.

I think her passing even changed the media a bit. The media don't chase around well known people like they did to Diana. Also the royals has legally put their foot down on personal privacy. It was a different story when Diana was around. Once she died so tragically, it shocked and shook everyone, including the media.

I just don't think anyone would want to go back down that road.

 

[Jacknch]

I'm not sure any royal family has ever had cause to worry about having their own version of Diana - it seems to have been an exclusively British phenomena - the exception being Princess Grace of Monaco I suppose.

 

[Dman]

I'm not sure any royal family has ever had cause to worry about having their own version of Diana - it seems to have been an exclusively British phenomena - the exception being Princess Grace of Monaco I suppose.

I don't think there will ever be another like her, but I do think there are some of the new generations of royals who might have taken a few inspirational notes from her though. Even some classy celebrity women have done so.

The media just don't treat today's royal women like that did Diana.

 

[Denville]

I sill maintain that none fo the others has that quality that Diana had. Of course the media popularised her and the fact that she was English (I don't like the term British), helped to give her more or less global popularity because of the big English Speaking market. But still, I think that her combination of vulnerability and beauty and "good things" made her a star.. Other women who had married inot the RF before her, had a year or 2 when they were "stars", but that would usually fade into "normal accpetacne" but she if anyting became more popular as time wnet on...

 

[camelot23ca]

Even if any of the current royal women had aspirations of becoming the new Diana - and I sincerely doubt most people want that level of drama in their lives - there's also the question of whether any of them have the political skills and media savvy Diana developed after her marriage. Diana was charismatic, but she was also very conscious of her image and went to great lengths to preserve it. She was extremely good at using the press for her own ends and was able to keep the media narrative running in her favor, (mostly), for an extraordinarily long time.

IMO what Diana had that the vast majority of people don't was a Machiavellian level of skill at manipulating a situation. Without that quality she would still have been a very famous woman, but more like Kate is now, or Queen Elizabeth was as a young woman - lots of attention but not so frenzied.

 

[Denville]

I think that is a little harsh. But perhaps not entirely unfair. She was smart at using the meidia, but perhaps not as smart as she initially seemed.. I think she was good at using them to promote her causes and to keep her image bright, and to suppress news of her faults getting out. But also, I think that was helped by the fact that there was still SOME respect for the monarchy in the UK and the protection of being in the RF helped her to keep her faulty side concealed. It may be significant that stoiries of her weaker side came out more, in the last few years when she was no longer really a member of the RF and I think then after the separation and the divorce the press were less respectful and knew that the RF wouldn't complain as much on her behalf if she was an "ex princess."
As many writers have said she did have a sharpness in dealing with the press and her PR but she did make significant mistakes, mosty that she thought short term and not long term. She wanted out fo the RF, but I think she didn't really think what might happen if she got her wish, how she would cope with that life and how her image might be tarnished and her social position weakened. SO in dealing with the Press she often didn't think ahead.. she seems to have used them to put out the story of her romance with Dodi. She did that very skilfully, but this created a mad rush for pics of them together and that quite literally led to her being hounded in her last few months and chased to her death.

 

[lucien]

I'm not sure any royal family has ever had cause to worry about having their own version of Diana - it seems to have been an exclusively British phenomena I suppose.

Deo Gracias!......

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

A new Diana? I hope not. Person, time, place, circumstances, society, all are variables. No one is a clone of another person. By the way, the monarchy narrowly survived the first Diana, let alone a second version of her...

 

[Curryong]

The view that the BRF took a hit in the collective solar plexus in 1996-97 that it barely recovered from, has become an accepted part of the story of those years.

With regard to this, these poll results from September 1997 are interesting, I think.

https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/poll.aspx?oItemId=2116

 

[Osipi]

What I find interesting is that the poll was taken in the days leading up to Diana's funeral. Mass hysteria and grief were rampant at the time and were bound to show in the poll taken.

 

[Curryong]

Yes, yes, the grief was reflected, very much so. However, Question 15 asked 'Do you think the Monarchy should continue as it is, or should it be abolished?' A solid 63% said it should continue as it is, while just 23% said abolish it. 10% didn't know. And that was in the eye of the storm, so to speak, in the middle of all the grief and anger etc. (Contradicting some earlier answers, I think, but still interesting.)

 

[Denville]

she certainly did give them a wallop but a lot of their problems were due to their own behaviour. She didn't make Andrew and Sarah divorce, with a lot of scandal. Anne's marriage ended with affairs on both sides, just they were lucky in that the press took little notice of Anne and didn't make much fuss about it. Di didn't behave very well at times but neither did Charles, nor IMO other members of the RF

 

[Denville]

What I find interesting is that the poll was taken in the days leading up to Diana's funeral. Mass hysteria and grief were rampant at the time and were bound to show in the poll taken.

How do you know it was "mass hysteria?" I think the grief was short lived and it wasn't felt by all, but it was real and genuine and deserved. And as Curryong indicates it DIDNT mean there was a big yell for abolish the monarchy. People on this forum seem to believe that there was something terrible about it, but IMO the greif was real, the feelings that the RF had let Diana down were real and a deserved criticism.. People didn't necessarily want the monarchy abolished and they weren't IMO baying for blood.. but they were saddened by Di's death and felt that the RF hadn't behaved very well and that changes would be needed....

 

[Rudolph]

Diana wasn't the first stylish royal, Diana wasn't the first royal to do charity work, but she came along at the perfect time for a media storm.

I remember an interview from 2011/12-ish in which William said his grandmother isn't a fan of celebrity.

The BRF really allowed things to get out of hand in the 80s and 90s.

Diana making friends with the tabloid press must have seemed like a good idea at the time, but as we now know, it was a deal with the devil.

If you were to write a book on what not to do upon joining the BRF, Diana's marriage would serve as the topic.

There won't be another 'Diana' because the Firm has learned from it's mistakes and learning from the past is a good thing.

 

[Curryong]

'The Firm' certainly seems to have learned from its mistakes in the way it treats those who've just joined its ranks, and its males in not becoming depressed and resentful when their wives are featured in the pages of newspapers rather than them. (It's a visual medium and an attractive female in a dress will win over a man in a suit any day of the week.) When Diana turned out in those early tours and drew huge crowds early in her marriage she wasn't particularly great friends with tabloid reporters, nor was she trying to outdo her husband. That came later as the marriage crumbled.

 

[Denville]

No but she was more beautiful and more fashionable and IMO more likable than most other female royals In a long time.. And other women had married into the RF and had a year or 2 of great popularity but it would fade away... DI's didn't.
I think she made mistakes in trying to handle the media, but given the massive attention, I think she felt at times that she HAD to try and work out a way of living with them and dealing with them, because she was so much pursued by them.

 

[Denville]

'The Firm' certainly seems to have learned from its mistakes in the way it treats those who've just joined its ranks, and its males in not becoming depressed and resentful when their wives are featured in the pages of newspapers rather than them. (It's a visual medium and an attractive female in a dress will win over a man in a suit any day of the week.)

I agree that it is good that the RF have learned better how to easy new people in, and so on. And that they treat their in laws better too..
But William doesn't have anythig to worry about with Kate, she's never going to outshine him except in terms of she wears preitter clothes. She isn't going to outdo him with work or getting on with people... and He IMO has no particular causes he wants to champion...

 

[TLLK]

I agree with Rudolph that the BRF and other royal families have considered what happened in the 1980's/1990's when it comes to their press relations. I seriously doubt that any royal house wants to see that type of media frenzy when it comes to their individual members. Once the genie was out of the bottle it was too difficult to return to the way things were in the past.

And Curryong makes a good point that the BRF and likely other royal families have considered how they introduce their new in-laws to royal life. Sophie and Camilla had a gradual introduction to their new roles and IMHO they've benefited from it.

 

[wyevale]

Heaven forfend..

The BRF ,or [for that matter] ANY Royal Family needs 'a new Diana' like they need a hole in the head. A narcissistic attention seeker can only do damage to what is essentially a 'family business' in which all members have designated responsibilities under a CEO [the Monarch].
The tensions created by such a 'star' skew relationships between other members [as they are NEVER 'team players'], and divert the press and public away from their worthwhile work... The BRF are STILL recovering from the impact Diana had...

 

[Osipi]

Heaven forfend..

The BRF ,or [for that matter] ANY Royal Family needs 'a new Diana' like they need a hole in the head. A narcissistic attention seeker can only do damage to what is essentially a 'family business' in which all members have designated responsibilities under a CEO [the Monarch].
The tensions created by such a 'star' skew relationships between other members [as they are NEVER 'team players'], and divert the press and public away from their worthwhile work... The BRF are STILL recovering from the impact Diana had...

Y'know, the more I think about it, the more I realize that what you've described could go over pretty well as a Royalty Reality Show. Might last a season or two until the public got bored with it and moved on.

 

[camelot23ca]

I think the British royal family is the only one with enough global clout or recognition to even potentially produce another Diana, in terms of star power or notoriety, or whatever you want to call it. More specifically at this point in time it could only be William and Harry and their wives. I've always thought it revealing that the two people who experienced the Diana media phenomenon up close and personal have gone out of their way to revert to the more reserved and distant status quo of the British royal family. William in particular seems to want absolutely no part of playing games with the press or building himself and Kate up into some sort of celebrity super couple.

I had a video pop up on my instagram feed awhile ago of some random vacation Diana took with the boys when they were school aged. It was 20 seconds of complete chaos. Diana looks tired. William and Harry look miserable. The security guards look so tense you worry they're going to have strokes. The only people who are enjoying themselves are the ever present photographers. That's no way to live, IMO.

 

[Denville]

I agree, that Will and H dont by and large want a big media circus following them. hardly anyone would, and I dont agree iwth people who say that Diana Did.
But frankly in any case neither Harry, nor Will nor Kate have anyting like 1/10 of Diana's magic or pulling power. Will had a brief period in his late teens but it didn't last because he's not really magnetic, he was just very handsome at the time and attracted teeny girls.

 

[TLLK]

I think the British royal family is the only one with enough global clout or recognition to even potentially produce another Diana, in terms of star power or notoriety, or whatever you want to call it. More specifically at this point in time it could only be William and Harry and their wives. I've always thought it revealing that the two people who experienced the Diana media phenomenon up close and personal have gone out of their way to revert to the more reserved and distant status quo of the British royal family. William in particular seems to want absolutely no part of playing games with the press or building himself and Kate up into some sort of celebrity super couple.

I had a video pop up on my instagram feed awhile ago of some random vacation Diana took with the boys when they were school aged. It was 20 seconds of complete chaos. Diana looks tired. William and Harry look miserable. The security guards look so tense you worry they're going to have strokes. The only people who are enjoying themselves are the ever present photographers. That's no way to live, IMO.

I wholeheartedly agree with your observation regarding William and Harry's behavior with the press. They appear to have no desire to replicate the celebrity years that they experienced as children and teens. I expect that should Harry choose to marry and have a family that he will not play games with the press either.

 

[Osipi]

There have been many sources that stated that Diana would avidly pour over anything that was about her in the media and how she was perceived by the public was almost an obsession with her. This is where the young royals of today are quite different. They seem to be working against how they are personally perceived by the public and to keep their public spotlight on the causes and issues they are working to promote.

The last thing they want or need today is the celebrity iconic status that Diana courted. They're happy enough in their own skins and try to maintain their own private lives outside of the media circus.

 

[camelot23ca]

I agree, that Will and H dont by and large want a big media circus following them. hardly anyone would, and I dont agree iwth people who say that Diana Did.
But frankly in any case neither Harry, nor Will nor Kate have anyting like 1/10 of Diana's magic or pulling power. Will had a brief period in his late teens but it didn't last because he's not really magnetic, he was just very handsome at the time and attracted teeny girls.

I guess that's where we disagree, because I don't think there was anything especially "magic" about Diana. I think she was an attractive young woman who'd grown up with a lot of instability and drama in her home life and therefore became very skillful at both dealing with and cultivating instability and drama. Then, in her early 20s, she was given the world's biggest stage. If Kate all of a sudden started doing things like looking tearful in public, or posing alone at the Taj Mahal looking like a lost puppy, or jetting off to exotic vacations in places where she and her children would be on full display to the media, or complaining about the press being intrusive while at the same time regularly cultivating relationships with her favourite reporters and giving them all kinds of personal information you better believe the media would be building her up as the most magical, magnetic, charismatic woman in the world because she would be making them a ridiculous amount of money.

I guess what I'm saying is that I think a big portion of Diana's so called magnetism was tied up with the never ending soap opera of her life. If she and Charles had met when they were older and settled down as a happy, mutually supportive couple - in effect, if they were like William and Kate - then I don't think Diana would have become the larger than life figure she's remembered as.

 

[Rudolph]

I guess that's where we disagree, because I don't think there was anything especially "magic" about Diana. I think she was an attractive young woman who'd grown up with a lot of instability and drama in her home life and therefore became very skillful at both dealing with and cultivating instability and drama. Then, in her early 20s, she was given the world's biggest stage. If Kate all of a sudden started doing things like looking tearful in public, or posing alone at the Taj Mahal looking like a lost puppy, or jetting off to exotic vacations in places where she and her children would be on full display to the media, or complaining about the press being intrusive while at the same time regularly cultivating relationships with her favourite reporters and giving them all kinds of personal information you better believe the media would be building her up as the most magical, magnetic, charismatic woman in the world because she would be making them a ridiculous amount of money.

I guess what I'm saying is that I think a big portion of Diana's so called magnetism was tied up with the never ending soap opera of her life. If she and Charles had met when they were older and settled down as a happy, mutually supportive couple - in effect, if they were like William and Kate - then I don't think Diana would have become the larger than life figure she's remembered as.

I agree. I don't think there was anything 'magical' about her.

Diana was a creation of the tabloid press. A perfect princess for the MTV generation.

She was built up because she played along. In the end though, it was her downfall.

I follow a Twitter that tweets headlines and newspaper clippings of Diana's life and it was one giant soap opera.

May she rest in peace, but the BRF moved on from the Diana days.

It certainly doesn't want or need a 'new Diana'

 

[wyevale]

Might last a season or two until the public got bored with it and moved on

Which is NOT what is required for an institution that has endured for nigh on a THOUSAND years...

 

[Osipi]

Exactly. The last thing the BRF wants or needs is to be relegated to the celebrity limelight. There's a world of difference between HM, The Queen's influence and reputation over the years and Marilyn Monroe's iconic status. The popularity and following Diana had is comparable to Monroe's rather than the Queen's.

 

[Curryong]

Senior Royals have to have a certain amount of magnetism, of 'pulling power' to bring people to their engagements. It's not much good if, apart from weddings, and Trooping the Colour, all they have as a viewing audience to a particular event are three age pensioners and some local school children who are bussed in and given flags.

In other words there has to be something to bring the public to see them. It's the same with charities and causes. There has to be a lot of public interest to bring those donations in.

Most of the above postings concentrate on Diana's machinations during the War of the Wales years when there was constant controversy because a very high profile marriage was breaking down. And sorry, that troubled marriage wasn't all Diana's fault.

People forget, because journalists and others wanted to preserve the fairy tale, it was years and years before any news of the troubled Royal marriage got into the newspapers.

In those early years Diana brought huge crowds to her engagements and enormous publicity to her causes. You see, I remember the early years when there wasn't controversy, when people flocked in their hundreds of thousands to see Diana, and she wasn't in touch with tabloid journalists then.

I remember her first tour of Australia in 1983 when millions of people turned out to see Charles and Diana, and I believe it was mostly Diana they came to see.

In the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh's first tour of Australia in 1954 there had been crowds like that, but over the years people's interest died down and the crowds became smaller. She brought those crowds back and then some when William was a baby, and there was always interest. She wasn't in touch with tabloid journalists then.

She didn't have to have engagements in Oz tacked on to something like the Sydney Show or Australia Day when there are crowds of people out enjoying themselves anyway as happened recently.

As for the charities and causes Diana was patron of, many of them thanked their lucky stars for her. People who don't like Diana can sneer all they want but it was her charisma and star power that brought huge publicity and large increased donations to hundreds of worthy causes.