Diana's Legacy: What is left or what will be left?

[Leopoldine]

It will never happen again because Diana was one of a kind just like The Queen is, MJ, Elvis, Monroe, JFK, Princess Grace.

....that looks like a roll-call of Andy Warhol portrait subjects. Except for Bill Monroe of course, although he deserved it plenty!

 

[M. Payton]

If Diana meant nothing in the history of the royal family, if her popularity was such a brief blip, how to explain the many documentaries and articles in the media twenty years after her death?

This was a woman who was intensely human whatever her faults and she wanted to make a difference. Hence her adoption of unpopular causes like AIDS and Landmines.

I saw her several times in her lifetime. I saw people's reaction to her in crowds. I'm old enough to remember a BRF that was considered out of touch, members who never hugged ordinary people, or chatted in a down to earth way to members of the public they met, perhaps sharing a giggle, who never got down to ground level to speak to little children, who never went over and spoke to people waiting for them behind barriers, who never sat by a hospital bed or wheelchair holding someone's hand.

She visited some patient's families privately and became great friends with them. Did other royals do that then or before Diana? Perhaps Kate Kent? I doubt whether any of the others did. A person at an AIDS hospice spoke of Diana putting her on her knee when she was a child and the comfort she felt from it.

She told Harry about it on his visit to the same hospice and that was well over twenty years later. She still remembered. There are people I know who met her and over thirty years later can still remember her smile, what she said, her beauty, the twinkle in her eye, the warmth she exuded.

When you can't remember those things it's natural to be dismissive but to me and to thousands like me Diana humanised the royal family, and I'm not talking about respect. The Royal family has always had respect through my lifetime. Diana is remembered with love by many and for the reasons I've just stated above.

Yes, she had her faults, her weaknesses, her flaws, but so does everyone, and that includes every other Royal, and every one of us.

However, if I lived on in people's hearts the way that Diana has among those who remember her I would feel proud, and I think that's how how her sons feel, extraordinarily proud. Because in the end, she made a difference, she really did.

I do have to say this Curryong, ***Very Well Said*** and for those that want this woman to fade away into the past, not going to happen any time soon.

Just remember that **each and everyone of us has faults and none of us is or are perfect**.

 

[Curryong]

Thank you M. Payton. I haven't forgotten Diana and never will. And no belittling of her and her legacy will change my mind.

 

[M. Payton]

Thank You Curryong, thing is there is absolutely nothing anyone can say or do about Diana, nothing!

People just seem to forget that she lived her life on an emotional rolly coaster and in her marriage she became a *Woman Scorned* and women scorned in a marriage can and do create hell on earth for everyone around them and they do everything to get revenge. Diana ran and took off with all her feelings, not thinking, her feelings and we all know what happened.

There is plenty of blame to pass around, not just Diana either, each member of the royal family has some blame on them for they did not take great care of her. You do not think of one minute that any woman would accept a *mistress* into her life with her husband and think it was okay? This was acceptable in this family for that is the way things were done in the past........she really bulked at that didn't she? So yes she used everyone and everything around to get even, she did and said every ugly thing to anyone who would listen and she was a deeply hurt woman yet she gave of herself to others because she had no one else to give to except her boys.

This is how I view Diana:
Here is a woman alone in this world who has no one to turn to, so she adopts a dog of all things..........she cherished and loves and nurtures that dog, she takes great care of the dog, it becomes her life, someone to love who won't hurt or bit back and accepts her.

Alone in the world is being in a royal family that she trusted no one and had no reason to trust anyone. The dog is her public and it won't bit back and hurt her for she only gave so much to the public. I am talking about the public not the media here for the media sure could not be trusted as she found out also.

She failed miserably in letting anyone in for she lacked one big thing in life and it was taken away from her............TRUST.......she trusted no one to be honest and loving with her because she was terrified of trusting anyone.

Yes Diana did all those things, each and every one of them and IMHO here, think most want her to fade into oblivion and never to return, well that will *Never* happen for one very simple reason, she has 2 very wonderful boys whom still to this day LOVE their mother regardless of her faults and yes, there were plenty of faults as we each and everyone of us has faults (least we forget we are not perfect either). Those boys, William and Harry carry on her legacy till the end of time, they are part of her legacy and if anyone thinks in getting rid of Diana they are sadly mistaken for both will never let that happen. So what if it is 20/30 years from now and most don't know her and what she did......(do we all know that Elvis did at that age and how he messed up lives as some keep bringing his name up here) her family will keep her alive in their works and minds and hearts.

My opinion, it is just **my opinion* of Diana. I accept her the way she is and understand her, her place in history will be rewritten a dozen times over again and again and each time it will be different just like everyone else in history.

We do NOT know her feelings and why she did what she did, we just know what happened and surmise why she created all that hell on earth.

Sorry for the rant and yes bring it on each and everyone .......?

It is not about who is popular or not, who did what or not, the past is moot here...yet she is not going anywhere anytime soon even in death!

 

[royal rob]

If Diana meant nothing in the history of the royal family, if her popularity was such a brief blip, how to explain the many documentaries and articles in the media twenty years after her death?

This was a woman who was intensely human whatever her faults and she wanted to make a difference. Hence her adoption of unpopular causes like AIDS and Landmines.

I saw her several times in her lifetime. I saw people's reaction to her in crowds. I'm old enough to remember a BRF that was considered out of touch, members who never hugged ordinary people, or chatted in a down to earth way to members of the public they met, perhaps sharing a giggle, who never got down to ground level to speak to little children, who never went over and spoke to people waiting for them behind barriers, who never sat by a hospital bed or wheelchair holding someone's hand.

She visited some patient's families privately and became great friends with them. Did other royals do that then or before Diana? Perhaps Kate Kent? I doubt whether any of the others did. A person at an AIDS hospice spoke of Diana putting her on her knee when she was a child and the comfort she felt from it.

She told Harry about it on his visit to the same hospice and that was well over twenty years later. She still remembered. There are people I know who met her and over thirty years later can still remember her smile, what she said, her beauty, the twinkle in her eye, the warmth she exuded.

When you can't remember those things it's natural to be dismissive but to me and to thousands like me Diana humanised the royal family, and I'm not talking about respect. The Royal family has always had respect through my lifetime. Diana is remembered with love by many and for the reasons I've just stated above.

Yes, she had her faults, her weaknesses, her flaws, but so does everyone, and that includes every other Royal, and every one of us.

However, if I lived on in people's hearts the way that Diana has among those who remember her I would feel proud, and I think that's how how her sons feel, extraordinarily proud. Because in the end, she made a difference, she really did.

Excellent post Curryong
You always write so lovely about Diana [emoji257][emoji257]

I’m always amused at posters saying no one cares about her etc but obviously they do or we wouldn’t have so many many threads about her.

 

[Kitty1224]

Thank You Curryong, thing is there is absolutely nothing anyone can say or do about Diana, nothing!

People just seem to forget that she lived her life on an emotional rolly coaster and in her marriage she became a *Woman Scorned* and women scorned in a marriage can and do create hell on earth for everyone around them and they do everything to get revenge. Diana ran and took off with all her feelings, not thinking, her feelings and we all know what happened.

There is plenty of blame to pass around, not just Diana either, each member of the royal family has some blame on them for they did not take great care of her. You do not think of one minute that any woman would accept a *mistress* into her life with her husband and think it was okay? This was acceptable in this family for that is the way things were done in the past........she really bulked at that didn't she? So yes she used everyone and everything around to get even, she did and said every ugly thing to anyone who would listen and she was a deeply hurt woman yet she gave of herself to others because she had no one else to give to except her boys.

This is how I view Diana:
Here is a woman alone in this world who has no one to turn to, so she adopts a dog of all things..........she cherished and loves and nurtures that dog, she takes great care of the dog, it becomes her life, someone to love who won't hurt or bit back and accepts her.

Alone in the world is being in a royal family that she trusted no one and had no reason to trust anyone. The dog is her public and it won't bit back and hurt her for she only gave so much to the public. I am talking about the public not the media here for the media sure could not be trusted as she found out also.

She failed miserably in letting anyone in for she lacked one big thing in life and it was taken away from her............TRUST.......she trusted no one to be honest and loving with her because she was terrified of trusting anyone.

Yes Diana did all those things, each and every one of them and IMHO here, think most want her to fade into oblivion and never to return, well that will *Never* happen for one very simple reason, she has 2 very wonderful boys whom still to this day LOVE their mother regardless of her faults and yes, there were plenty of faults as we each and everyone of us has faults (least we forget we are not perfect either). Those boys, William and Harry carry on her legacy till the end of time, they are part of her legacy and if anyone thinks in getting rid of Diana they are sadly mistaken for both will never let that happen. So what if it is 20/30 years from now and most don't know her and what she did......(do we all know that Elvis did at that age and how he messed up lives as some keep bringing his name up here) her family will keep her alive in their works and minds and hearts.

My opinion, it is just **my opinion* of Diana. I accept her the way she is and understand her, her place in history will be rewritten a dozen times over again and again and each time it will be different just like everyone else in history.

We do NOT know her feelings and why she did what she did, we just know what happened and surmise why she created all that hell on earth.

Sorry for the rant and yes bring it on each and everyone .......?

It is not about who is popular or not, who did what or not, the past is moot here...yet she is not going anywhere anytime soon even in death!

BEAUTIFUL!!! She is still the perfect princess!!

 

[M. Payton]

Kitty, Nobody is perfect and Diana was surely not perfect. She was human like all of us and someone who did not understand how to control her feelings which she acted on which in turn created hell on earth for many yet she loved her boys deeply. Take the good with the bad and accept who she was in everything!

 

[Lady Nimue]

Yeah Diana was a superstar something we have not seen in the British monarchy in a very long time and after her death we have not seen anyone like her ever again. So makes me think she was a rarity can't be duplicated. She should everywhere she went and was also credited for resorting relationships to Britain when on royal tours. She was a great asset.

I agreed that Diana was a super star, but in saying that I am not making any comment on her popularity. (A great many layers to the Diana phenomenon are getting conflated). She was an event, very much the creation of the tabloid press of the time. The problem was the projection people engaged in regarding her did not jive with who she was as a person in private. She was a unique blend of tabloid focus and BRF mystique. Both went hand-in-glove to create the phenomenon.

Diana still to this day has the best picture perfect princess and second is Grace Kelly.

I think by this you mean her physical presentation, her style, and public manner, her public image. Maybe. Maybe you are right but it would be a subjective call. I personally do not think she has 'aged well' fashion wise. There are a few stunning photos, and some superlative gowns, but she is so very 1980's. I was enamored of Queen Sylvia of Sweden at the time and to me she was the quintessential Queen (and I still feel that way). I would agree about Princess Grace who had a genuinely mature and gracious manner, but Diana never came close to that level of classiness in my view. You see? Subjective.

I have to disagree. Diana is a celebrity icon in the same way Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley are. Interest in her has little to do with the royal family anymore. It has a lot to do with the fact that she was an attractive world known woman who died tragically at a young age. That's why there was the over the top coverage of the 20th anniversary of her death-there is still interest.

I agree. She is iconic as much for her complexity and drama as her royalty. She's a cautionary tale. There is a reason no one will be her again. I don't think the BRF will ever allow any young woman (like Diana and Sarah) to get the upper hand again. Just my hunch.

I agree. She was special and still no princess after her as had the same reaction she has had in life and in death.

There's no denying that but I do know people who are embarrassed at the public hysteria engaged around her. It was unhealthy, and remains so imo (wherever it lingers). We have the tabloids (still) and Diana's machinations to thank for that hysteria. She knew how to play the crowd, she had a 6th sense for it, like some current politicians do. Something about certain people, how they speak, connects to some visceral level, and the game is on. So it was with Diana.

That's how I see it.

It will never happen again because Diana was one of a kind just like The Queen is, MJ, Elvis, Monroe, JFK, Princess Grace.

Human nature being human nature, I think it will happen again, and not for the good necessarily. It's happening now. Hysteria is an unfortunate human tendency. Some people feed off it, foment it, luxuriate in it. Diana was one such (in my view). The story would have been so much different had she not been of that tendency.

 

[Kitty1224]

I agreed that Diana was a super star, but in saying that I am not making any comment on her popularity. (A great many layers to the Diana phenomenon are getting conflated). She was an event, very much the creation of the tabloid press of the time. The problem was the projection people engaged in regarding her did not jive with who she was as a person in private. She was a unique blend of tabloid focus and BRF mystique. Both went hand-in-glove to create the phenomenon.



I think by this you mean her physical presentation, her style, and public manner, her public image. Maybe. Maybe you are right but it would be a subjective call. I personally do not think she has 'aged well' fashion wise. There are a few stunning photos, and some superlative gowns, but she is so very 1980's. I was enamored of Queen Sylvia of Sweden at the time and to me she was the quintessential Queen (and I still feel that way). I would agree about Princess Grace who had a genuinely mature and gracious manner, but Diana never came close to that level of classiness in my view. You see? Subjective.



I agree. She is iconic as much for her complexity and drama as her royalty. She's a cautionary tale. There is a reason no one will be her again. I don't think the BRF will ever allow any young woman (like Diana and Sarah) to get the upper hand again. Just my hunch.



There's no denying that but I do know people who are embarrassed at the public hysteria engaged around her. It was unhealthy, and remains so imo (wherever it lingers). We have the tabloids (still) and Diana's machinations to thank for that hysteria. She knew how to play the crowd, she had a 6th sense for it, like some current politicians do. Something about certain people, how they speak, connects to some visceral level, and the game is on. So it was with Diana.

That's how I see it.



Human nature being human nature, I think it will happen again, and not for the good necessarily. It's happening now. Hysteria is an unfortunate human tendency. Some people feed off it, foment it, luxuriate in it. Diana was one such (in my view). The story would have been so much different had she not been of that tendency.

I think it will happen again it’s inevitable but in a different way. Still Diana to this day and when she was alive was/is a phenomenon. I agree with what you said about the the reason why she is the perfect princess image. But it’s obvious Diana and Grace are modern princesses that the world still loves. All in all I agree with your opinion!

 

[Countessmeout]

I have to disagree. Diana is a celebrity icon in the same way Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley are. Interest in her has little to do with the royal family anymore. It has a lot to do with the fact that she was an attractive world known woman who died tragically at a young age. That's why there was the over the top coverage of the 20th anniversary of her death-there is still interest.

Yes, because there is still enough people over the age of 30 who buy magazines and watch televisions. Probably more people over the age of 40 who pay for cable and buy paper magazines. The younger population is moving towards more online which doesn't have the same financial draw.

Just as few people under the age of 40 care who Elvis or Marolyn Monroe are (other then cool art work to hang on a wall), same is happening with Diana. As the people who remember her get older, and eventually die off, any interest in her being some famous celebrity will die off as well.

She will one day simply be the mother of King William V.

 

[Lady Nimue]

I think it will happen again it’s inevitable but in a different way. Still Diana to this day and when she was alive was/is a phenomenon. I agree with what you said about the the reason why she is the perfect princess image. But it’s obvious Diana and Grace are modern princesses that the world still loves. All in all I agree with your opinion!

Somehow, Kitty, I don't think we are on the same page. Just a hunch.

'Phenomeons' happen all the time in the world of celebrity (be the source royalty or business or the arts or politics). Phenomenon is a descriptive term, not a value judgement. Phenomenons can be for the good, or for the ill. In Diana's case, my view is she is a cautionary tale, and hopefully nothing like that will be allowed to take place again, for all our sakes.

I was trying to interpret the phrase you are using: 'perfect princess image'. I am assuming you think Diana (and Grace) are the perfect images of a princess because they were pretty and stylish. That's superficial in the extreme and would not be my criteria for 'perfection'. Grace had maturity on her side, Diana did not, even when she was a mature woman. I never experienced Diana as classy. Grace was classy.

I wouldn't call Diana a modern princess, as in avant garde. Diana was unique in the way she 'spilled her guts' everywhere (to put it inelegantly). Not sure that made her beloved as more a disgrace than anything 'noble'. Grace was a savvy woman who had handled her own career and who understood her role as a princess representing her adopted country. As a result she had the maturity and insight needed to deal with her princess status with discretion and class. Diana did neither (imo).

If anything, I think Diana is pitied. I do agree that Grace is likely generally respected.

 

[Kitty1224]

Yes, because there is still enough people over the age of 30 who buy magazines and watch televisions. Probably more people over the age of 40 who pay for cable and buy paper magazines. The younger population is moving towards more online which doesn't have the same financial draw.

Just as few people under the age of 40 care who Elvis or Marolyn Monroe are (other then cool art work to hang on a wall), same is happening with Diana. As the people who remember her get older, and eventually die off, any interest in her being some famous celebrity will die off as well.

She will one day simply be the mother of King William V.

Disagree. You underestimate Diana.

 

[Lady Nimue]

Disagree. You underestimate Diana.

The Diana story is pretty harrowing, filled with venal motives, petty payback and aggressive drama. If anything, I don't think anyone reading her story can underestimate exactly how distressed she was. She is clearly important to those who are her 'adherents' (fans). They see the gloss, but history will see the tattered life thrown to pieces against the wall. I think that is the story that will enthrall the future. Not her gloss. Her gloss will be a footnote. JMO.

P.S. So yes, she will be well-known far into the future because of her spectacular meteoric rise and crash-and-burn. Iconic. For sure. In that way Diana will be a legend.

 

[Curryong]

The trouble is IMO that those who dislike Diana and dismiss her see her as all faults, weaknesses and terrible flaws and those around her, who played a vital role in her story, as absolutely flaw-less. No faults are ever attributed to them.

As for how much Diana will be remembered in the future decades, who knows? Eventually every single person is forgotten. Who today remembers Sarah Bernhardt, one of the most spectacular actresses of the 19th century, Alexandra, one of the most admired Princesses of Wales for most of second half of that century, while memories are fading of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Edison, Logie Baird and thousands of other once famous people.

Is Charles going to be remembered in 100 years time, will Camilla, or will they fade, as George V and VI have? People do linger however in the memories of their children and when (if) William V comes to the throne in another 20 years or so, Diana will still be among his dearest memories and he may well speak of her, just as King George VII in his turn may choose to impart how much his father missed his mother and how he would talk about her sometimes. She may well be kept in the public memory in that way. And she's not forgotten yet!

 

[Lady Nimue]

The trouble is IMO that those who dislike Diana and dismiss her see her as all faults, weaknesses and terrible flaws

I am not disliking Diana, I am critiquing her. I have not dismissed her. In fact, I am agreeing with Kitty that she will indeed be remembered by history. She will not be a cypher. She had a huge impact on the BRF and the British public and it will be noted. In fact, part of William's historical descriptive as King will likely be the condition of his parents' marriage in the public eye and the influence of Diana in his upbringing and by her untimely death. There will be no getting away from the legacy of Diana's life as she lived it.

and those around her, who played a vital role in her story, as absolutely flaw-less. No faults are ever attributed to them.

As for this I know naught of what you are talking about. You are making a broad statement alleging something I have never engaged in the post you are addressing, so I have no choice but to read it as ott self-referencing and leave it at that.

It seemed important to respond because it is precisely these kinds of posts awash with currents of accusation and innuendo that bleed into fruitless, aimless argumentative posts. Hopefully, the discourse can stay on track without undermining individual posters (ex: me). JMO.

 

[M. Payton]

I have thought a few times why her sons have taken on the subject of mental health......it deals with *feelings* of which were not spoken of in that time period of history. No, the attitude was just be quiet and go about yr duty, feelings did not count. Heck I understand that for I grew up in that type of environment and it wrecked havoc in my life for I did not understand *feelings* either. Well fast forward and lots of therapy set me straight and made me aware of life in general......sadly Diana lost her life way to young and never got that chance that many of us seniors have done.

I would bet my last turkey drumstick that that both boys understand more about their mother today then ever before and this subject just might be something in the back of their minds that will not only help others but comes from the lack of therapy that their mother did not receive or accept.

It is like if you have a broken leg, go to the hospital and doctors and get it fixed, well the same with *feelings*, they are a huge part of us each day as we do and make all choices in life with feelings, if the mind does not stop to rest and think and goes in circles on a constant basis........time to find a doc that deals in mental health. After all not all of us come from *perfect families that love us*, so we need to fix the emotional side of our soul to make life better for each of us. And during Diana's time period mental health was a subject that was forbidden to be talked about........people were ashamed to admit that they needed help.....good grief there is no such thing as mental health....fast forward and it is a huge illness of the world today. Times certainly have changed.

I am sorry if I sound like I am lecturing here, I just try to make it plain and simple to understand.

I have learned about 2nd chances in life and unfortunately Diana never got that chance. Yet her sons will do wonders in this world all because of the mental health issue that they have taken on and that will be a part of her legacy by them.?

 

[Lee-Z]

Imo indeed Diana's legacy will be "Sissi-fied" where the image of the person becomes a persona in itself, not necessarily related to the actual person.
I'm not saying with Diana the proces is as complete as with Sissi (empress Elisabeth of Austria) yet, because there are still a lot of people who knew the actual person, but i do see her image going that way in the distant future.

 

[Curryong]

It could but it depends on whether people read biographies in fifty years or more, or just rely on documentaries and newspaper articles about Diana and the events of the 1980s and 90s. As far as Sissi is concerned for instance a couple of very romanticised films, TV series, of the past few decades seem to have set the Empress's image in a certain direction and fictionalised it if you will. While biographies of her, or the ones I've read anyway, tend to be more rounded.

 

[Lee-Z]

It could but it depends on whether people read biographies in fifty years or more, or just rely on documentaries and newspaper articles about Diana and the events of the 1980s and 90s. As far as Sissi is concerned for instance a couple of very romanticised films, TV series, of the past few decades seem to have set the Empress's image in a certain direction and fictionalised it if you will. While biographies of her, or the ones I've read anyway, tend to be more rounded.

Agreed, but that kind of movies usually reach a much larger audience than a well-researched biography...

It is not necessarily be a bad thing, i mean how many people would know about Empress Elisabeth if not for those movies; but it's just not the real person

 

[Osipi]

Looking for silly Ascot hats one summer night years ago, I found this community and even back then, there were scads of threads and discussions dealing with aspects of Diana. Her life, her loves, her foibles and her successes. I read the threads, I read the books, I learned about the ins and outs of all things pertaining to the BRF and most importantly, because of Diana's wish to air her hurts and her grievances and her anger in public, came to know far more about her life in private than I think we had the right to know. The more I read and learned about Diana's life, the more I realized that I could identify with her in ways as both of us went through years in a broken marriage. Some of the things she did, I understood why she did them.

Princess, to me, became nothing more than a title of status and position (along with really getting interested in how British titles and styles work). I think what happened is that Diana stepped off the front of the glossy magazine covers and out of the documentaries on the screen and became a breathing, real true to life human being for me. Not someone on a pedestal or a rock star poster in a teenager's bedroom but a woman who faced a lot of ups and downs in her life and like the rest of us, learned as we go along that sometimes things don't go the way we want them to and that there is no guarantee of a "happily ever after" in life.

As time passes, there will be other "superstars", in their own way, that will grab and hold the public's attention and the life and times of Diana, Princess of Wales will fade into memory. The Diana effect though will continue on through her sons and her grandchildren. We see Diana in William's smile. We see Diana in action when Harry gets down to eye level with a older lady sitting in a wheelchair. We see her boys making choices for their life partners based solely on love rather than checking off the "suitable for a princess" boxes. Diana wrought changes. Some for the good and some that were not so good.

No matter how you slice it, the loaf of bread that was Diana reveals so much to her as each slice is examined. If one only looks at the tiara, they're missing a whole lot of who this person named Diana really was.

 

[Osipi]

I find Diana to be a very interesting person. Probably because of journalistic training, I've been able to look at her objectively. The good, the bad, the ups and downs and the ins and outs of her lifetime.

As I've said, I've found things about Diana that I've identified with as some things in her life were parallel in my life. I do not look at Diana with starry eyes as a "fairy tale" princess as I outgrew fairy tales a very long time ago and Diana's life was anything but a fairy tale.

Can I ask references you refer to when stating an opinion of Diana? Tabloids and glossy magazines and the "Princess Diana" craze really do not give a balanced story about her lifetime. There is so much to delve into in regards to the short time she was on the world stage hence so many different threads here in reference to Diana. Its a quest well worth the time and the energies. I think she'll come alive for you as a person as much as she did for me if you take the time.

We do try and stay in reality here and the discussions need to be based in reality with credible sources to back up our opinions. I wish you well on your journey to discover more and more about Diana and the human being that she was. The first step is to put the "fairy tale princess" idea to rest.

 

[Lady Nimue]

Imo indeed Diana's legacy will be "Sissi-fied" where the image of the person becomes a persona in itself, not necessarily related to the actual person.
I'm not saying with Diana the proces is as complete as with Sissi (empress Elisabeth of Austria) yet, because there are still a lot of people who knew the actual person, but i do see her image going that way in the distant future.

Could someone describe the situation with the Empress Elisabeth so that the reference can be understood within the thread for those not acquainted with Empress Elisabeth (like me). (P.S. I don't think this is off-topic as the Empress Elisabeth is being referenced to illuminate a perspective regarding Diana. I am intrigued regarding 'Sissi-fied' ).

Addressed to Osipi:

Diana will never fade away. It seems like you secretly do not like Diana.

But she will. You may not like that but it is happening all the time.

I am currently reading about the Queen of Romania and am amazed at the vividness of her social, political presence in her time. How many know about her? Except for a reference in some pop song from decades ago?

How many understand the references to Lord Byron, even? A must-know in my book yet many are clueless. If individuals of genuinely significant accomplishment and impact in society, and the arts, and politics, can be forgotten in a generation or two, what do you expect will happen to Diana whose main legacy (unfortunately) is scandal and drama and what-all?

There will be others like her in future, as juicy, maybe more so. More beautiful, more stylish. It's an old story. Diana is not unique except in-so-far as she hitched herself to a (still reigning) royal house, which got her oodles more traction in the end. In that, the story is unique in this way: the BRF and the tabloids. A modern twist on the broad sheets. JMO.

 

[Kitty1224]

Could someone describe the situation with the Empress Elisabeth so that the reference can be understood within the thread for those not acquainted with Empress Elisabeth (like me). (P.S. I don't think this is off-topic as the Empress Elisabeth is being referenced to illuminate a perspective regarding Diana. I am intrigued regarding 'Sissi-fied' ).

Addressed to Osipi:

But she will. You may not like that but it is happening all the time.

I am currently reading about the Queen of Romania and am amazed at the vividness of her social, political presence in her time. How many know about her? Except for a reference in some pop song from decades ago?

How many understand the references to Lord Byron, even? A must-know in my book yet many are clueless. If individuals of genuinely significant accomplishment and impact in society, and the arts, and politics, can be forgotten in a generation or two, what do you expect will happen to Diana whose main legacy (unfortunately) is scandal and drama and what-all?

There will be others like her in future, as juicy, maybe more so. More beautiful, more stylish. It's an old story. Diana is not unique except in-so-far as she hitched herself to a (still reigning) royal house, which got her oodles more traction in the end. In that, the story is unique in this way: the BRF and the tabloids. A modern twist on the broad sheets. JMO.

20 years after her death she is still remember. Monroe, Elvis, MJ are still remembered. Diana made a huge impact and had a huge legacy.

 

[Lady Nimue]

20 years after her death she is still remember. Monroe, Elvis, MJ are still remembered.

Name 5 pop icons from the 1920's. It's not for nothing that your examples are celebrity artists of accomplishment in their time. Diana has no 'body of work' as equivalent. Her 'celebrity' is rooted in scandal (and the fact that she married into royalty), not a 'body of work'. Had Diana behaved as she did married to a CEO, she'd be a cypher.

Diana made a huge impact

Certainly 'locally'. Certainly on Charles, on the BRF by extension and British public, and in her time. But it goes no further.

However, it may go further if the British monarchy does not survive past Charles. If that occurs historians may reasonably posit that the downfall of the British monarchy can be traced back to the the unraveling initiated by the scandals of the Diana era. Might, and that would then be a legitimate 'huge impact'.

and had a huge legacy.

What's the 'huge legacy'? I personally think that the after-effect of Diana (and Sarah) has meant that the BRF has reverted back to being insular and protective of it's privacy as in 1900. In the late 1960's, into the 1970's and 1980's the Queen and Charles were opening the monarchy up to the public. As a result of Diana, that got ended for good.

 

[Osipi]

20 years after her death she is still remember. Monroe, Elvis, MJ are still remembered. Diana made a huge impact and had a huge legacy.

To be honest, Monroe, Elvis and Jackson aren't on my radar whatsoever. I have no interest in them and never will.

Diana's legacy actually is no bigger or better than a lot of previous members of the British royal family. Remember too that a lot of the impact that Diana did make was a very negative one.

In your perspective she's made a huge impact and that's good that you can think that way just as you think Jackson made a huge impact. I don't see it but that's my own perspective. It'd be a weird world if we all thought alike wouldn't it?

Can you please provide some examples and sources to where you get this "huge legacy" from? Inquiring minds need to know.

@Lady Nimue: Come to think of it, I can't even name some pop stars from the 1920s. I'm sure I'd recognize some names if I heard them but I'm stumped to name one from memory here.

 

[Lady Nimue]

Diana's legacy actually is no bigger or better than a lot of previous members of the British royal family. Remember too that a lot of the impact that Diana did make was a very negative one.

Sadly true. It's a pretty messy story. She wore some great clothes and took some great pictures but many people have done that. How many younger posters recall that Princess Margaret was very much the Diana of her day? I hadn't. I had to be shown that. It had to be pointed out. I had to go into some reading material to get the drift of her charisma and impact in her time. It will be the same with Diana methinks.

 

[Osipi]

While we're at it about extraordinary women that have affected the British monarchy and the aristocracy, there was one that wove a tale of a life that was very similar to Diana's.

From The NY Times:

Diana, Princess of Wales, was not the first member of the aristocratic Spencer family to win the heart of her country but not her husband. In 1774 her ancestor Lady Georgiana Spencer married the Duke of Devonshire, who had been considered the most eligible bachelor in England.

‘The Duchess’ Film: Lady Georgiana Spencer’s Life Parallels Diana’s - The New York Times

In recent times, Georgiana's life was made into a movie starring Keira Knightley as Georgiana and I think it did pretty well.

So, the more we look into it, the more we see that Diana most certainly wasn't unique nor was really that much different than many in the aristocratic circle. If she had not married The Prince of Wales, no one probably would ever have really heard of her.

Think I'll dig out my copy of the movie and watch it again.

 

[Curryong]

A cloud of intense gossamer mist has enveloped the Sissi legend, and many viewers (especially females) fell in love with the fictional Elizabeth through the mini series and films. Only reading a few good biographies would create a different impression now.

With reference to the observations we made regarding Sissi here in the Diana thread: there are as many differences as there are similarities in the Diana/Empress Elizabeth trajectories, among other things, very different times and places, and different marriages, so too long a bow can't be drawn with regard to Diana as future legend.

 

[Queen Claude]

To be sure, Diana was the superstar of her time.

Will Diana endure? Who knows, and if she does what will her image be? A couple of people who've popped up in my mind are Anne Boleyn and Edward VIII / Duke of Windsor.

Back to the superstar thing, to me it is indisputable that Diana was a superstar, and the extensive coverage of the 20th anniversary of her death indicates that she has achieved the kind of cultural eminence that Marilyn Monroe has.

Now here's the rub, I don't see that having a superstar like Diana boosted the institution of the monarchy. If I were the courtier tasked with setting the course for the BRF, having another Diana in the midst would not be on my radar.

P.S.
Just to be clear I am not in any way overlooking or diminishing Diana's good works and the contributions she made to the BRF.

 

[M. Payton]

Diana will survive all because of her 2 wonderful boys who will make sure she is not forgotten like a blimp of time. Regardless of what is written about her, it comes from all different sources and some good and some not so good, that is how everything in history goes down. It is whom you believe in and what they write that makes the difference in how she is viewed.