The Memorial Service: August 31, 2007


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Hi C-T,
you say so, then I have no doubt that Zara was at Burghley, but are you sure that she didn't attend Diana's memorial?

Not that it matters, but I was sure that I saw her kiss Harry before departing, rather quickly.

It's a small matter, after all.

Best,

Well, I can only say that I hope you are right and you did see her because this would be much more lovely! But I know she had the Burghley trials the same day, that's all, and I didn't see her at all! :)

Here is a continuation of post 114, more pics from Getty and Rex. (Sidenote: As also noted in post 114, from the Spencer clan some are still MIA, hehe, like Alexander Fellowes, Emily and Celia McCorquodale.)
Lady Annabel Goldsmith
Lady Annabel Goldsmith (is it only me or did she seem uncomfortable to others too?)
The beautiful Spencer twins - and a tidbit: they are students of Stowe School, if I remember, set to do A Levels in 2009
Lady Kitty Spencer Like the twins, she attended Stowe. Now I think she studies at Edinburgh Uni. (Her cousin Laura Fellowes studied at Edinburgh Uni also.)
Funny one of Sir Cliff Richard - Is he trying to get a taxicab or what? :lol:
Here we can see George McCorquodale looking pensive in background, and Prince Harry sorry to say, I don't know who is the gentleman strolling in front
Here we can see Baron Fellowes behind Gordon and Sarah Brown - this is the only time I noticed him in all the pics and showings
A fine one: Earl Spencer and Lady Sarah talking to Prince Harry
George M, Amelia Spencer, Earl Spencer
I am 99% sure this is Eleanor Fellowes next to Eliza Spencer
Here we can see the Earl of Ulster behind Prince Edward
Sir David and Lady Frost and their son Rex also had pics of them and called the son Miles but I am sure it must be wrong, because according to Getty this son is one of Diana's godchildren, and if so he must be the Hon. George Frost.
Ladies Rose Windsor and Davina Lewis
The Earl of Snowdon and ??

Some of you will note in post 4 that some of Diana's godchildren like Domenica Lawson and George Frost were at the service. The others are listed here. I will presume all of them were invited, but I hesitate to add them to the list of attendance on post 4.
I also presume most or all of the van Cutsems attended, but again I don't know for certain.
It would seem that Diana's pages & bridesmaids were all there, but from the press reports I can only confirm Sarah Jane Gaselee, India Hicks, Lord Nicholas Windsor, and Edward van Cutsem. Does anyone by chance know about the others?
 
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Is photo on Countess of Spencer,Raine is step-mother to Princess Diana? She come to Princess Dianas memorial day??
 
Is photo on Countess of Spencer,Raine is step-mother to Princess Diana? She come to Princess Dianas memorial day??

Yes. Diana's stepmother Raine de Chambrun* was there.
:flowers:

(* formerly known as:
Raine McCorquodale
The Honourable Mrs Gerald Legge
The Viscountess Lewisham
The Countess of Dartmouth
The Countess Spencer,
The Dowager Countess Spencer
La Comtesse de Chambrun
Raine de Chambrun)
 
Good job on the footnote, Henri. It's funny about Raine's name. I think she would give anything to go back to being Dowager Countess spencer. Lucky for her, the media always call her as her most recognizable "Raine Spencer", as I presume she hates being stuck with the legally and technically correct "Raine de Chambrun." :D
 
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Harry had a wonderful speech, I don't think that he could have done better with it. I think that he will be remembered for this for a long time.
 
Thanks for the pictures of Viscountess Linley, Iceflower! :flowers: You made my day.:D
 
I am 99% sure this is Eleanor Fellowes next to Eliza Spencer

THATs CELIA MCCORQUODALE AND KITTY STILL GOES TO STOWE BEING SHE IS ONLY 16 YRS OLD...ooops...sorry for the caps letters

Thanks! I stand corrected with Getty. They said "Emily Fellowes" and I said Eleanor Fellowes. Poor Celia. :rolleyes:

Here are some more pics from Isifa. My apologies if some are already posted. I tried to add different ones than posted before. Maybe smgaries can help ID other Spencer family members, such as here?
Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
Prince Michael of Kent and family arriving in the finest style
Duke and Duchess of Kent
Princess Alexandra, the Hon. Lady Ogilvy
Sarah Jane Gaselee and boyfriend, father of her child (and clearly another child on the way) :)
India Hicks
The Duchess of Westminster and Emilie van Cutsem

Will post more soon...
Question: Was Julia and James Ogilvy at the service? Maybe their children too?
 
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.The Queen and The Duke next to him were emotionless during the service. That is what I meant.

I agree with you Henri. The Queen and The Duke did seem to me trying to gage the people at the memorial's response to them. During the service they were emotionless. And going up to be seated in service their faces seemed to have frozen smiles.

Remember, the people gathering there were the closest to Diana in life and would be the royals worst critic. I don't think the inquest into her death that is looming in the next few months helped matters, or Camilla.

Prince Charles really showed his love for his children. For me when he asked Harry about having his speech on him spoke volumes. Some other poster said that in seating Prince Charles did not sit close to his mother and father. He did leave a space. Also, when the service was over and he was outside the chapel the Queen asked him something and he did not response very positively to her. I think there is some tension between them.
 
Prince Charles really showed his love for his children. For me when he asked Harry about having his speech on him spoke volumes.
I loved seeing the interaction between the boys and their father, it really warms my heart. I think Charles is a great father...it seems like they have a close and loving relationship.

BTW thanks to the members who have posted photos of the Spencer family. It is great to see photos of William and Harry's cousins, you don't really get to see them very often. How beautiful they all are! :)
 
Thanksgiving for Diana - Top Stories - News - Mirror.co.uk

good story in the mirror
*quote from article "
*As the two boys, now men, walked out of the service and into the rest of their lives, the lunchtime crowd went quietly back to work. And it seemed as if the overwhelming emotion this time was not grief, but relief - as if Britain had been liberated from the grip of some sickness and was now well enough to move on once more.​
 
I also found it heartwarming to see the interaction between Prince William and Prince Harry and their father and grandparents. When they were standing outside of the chaple before they went in, it was amusing to see Prince Charles make sure that Prince Harry hadn't forgotten his speech.

The service itself was lovely and dignified and I really enjoyed the music, it was appropriate for the occasion and very moving.

For me Prince Harry's tribute to their mother was so hearfelt that I had tears in my eyes. When the camera panned to Prince William, even though he had his head down you could tell by his facial expression that he was barely composed. He looked like he was holding back the tears.

I think many people did not realise that it was planned that Prince William would read a passage from the bible and Prince Harry would give a short speech.
According to the article below, Prince Harry consulted with Prince William when choosing his words for the tribute, so they worked on it together. Indeed, the first words of his speech were "William and I".

I think it would have been a bit much for both princes to give speeches. I also think that Prince Harry gave the personal tribute instead of reading a bible verse because Prince William's reading wasn't just for himself as Diana's son, but as a Windsor.
Diana's sister Sarah gave a reading for the Spencers, so that means Prince Harry could speak for both of Diana's sons. In this manner, all family members on both sides were represented.

Harry leads Diana memorial tributes

"..Speaking also for Prince William, whom he consulted over his words, Harry called for his mother to be remembered as she would have wanted.."
Harry leads Diana memorial tributes | the Daily Mail

It's nice that the princes were of one accord, and it's even nicer that both princes paid so much attention to detail that they chose to have one of them sit with their Spencer family relatives and the other sit with their Windsor family relatives. That way everyone was seen to be included.

I do feel that the bible passage Prince William read from St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians was very appropriate for the situation because it was about the depth of the love of Christ and inner strength.
 
Thanksgiving for Diana - Top Stories - News - Mirror.co.uk

good story in the mirror
*quote from article "

*As the two boys, now men, walked out of the service and into the rest of their lives, the lunchtime crowd went quietly back to work. And it seemed as if the overwhelming emotion this time was not grief, but relief - as if Britain had been liberated from the grip of some sickness and was now well enough to move on once more.​

Well, apart from the die-hard Diana fanatics and their enablers in the Daily Mail, of course.
 
Well, that was a yummy memorial for Diana although some might have felt like they were eating crow. Now for an Encore -- I do believe they should build a Diana Memorial on the same grand scale as the Lincoln Memorial -- maybe one right across from Buckingham Palace?
 
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Well, that was a yummy memorial for Diana although some might have felt like they were eating crow. Now for an Encore -- I do believe they should build a Diana Memorial on the same grand scale as the Lincoln Memorial -- maybe one right across from Buckingham Palace?

??? Eeerh... I would not dare to compare Diana to the greatness of Abraham Lincoln....
 
Indeed not. Even the latest addition of Nelson Mandela alongside Churchill and Lincoln has raised eyebrows so I don't think a Diana statue would be at all welcomed there.
 
Churchill, Lincoln and Mandela all achieved their "greatness" in times of war, and as Victors, their PR Spinning was a fait accompli. Diana achieved her greatness in peace time with all the Palace PR machinery spinning against her. Now to level the playing field on who deserves the biggest memorial, handicaps should be assigned.
 
as long as it isn't a romance novel replica like at harrods- thats the most over the top tacky piece of sculpture i've ever seen. perhaps she'll be honored well when her son is king- as it is i cringe when i think of the guest list for the unveiling of anything in london (a repeat of the memorial fiasco is just tooooo awful to think about). i love diana but i don't put her on the level (with or without handicaps) with churchill, lincoln or madela
 
Of course The Queen is not emotionless. I only referred to the two readings by the Prince in which you could see Prince Charles be glowing of love and pride and also -when Prince Harry spoke- touched by the tender words.

The Queen and The Duke next to him were emotionless during the service. That is what I meant.

Doesn't The Queen call this her "Miss Piggyface" expression??

By nature and mostly in public, she has a "set expression" on her face. The only formal religious service where she has smiled more than once was Prince Andrew's wedding, as far as I remember in a few decades of royal watching.
 
I think it all went well. I think the boys got to say in public what they have wanted to say for a long time. They obviously loved their mother very much. They also love their father and you can see his love for them. No walls came tumbling down, just a nice rememberance for someone they loved and were too young to speak for and about at the time of her death. I think they did themselves proud.
 
Thanksgiving for Diana - Top Stories - News - Mirror.co.uk

good story in the mirror
*quote from article "

*As the two boys, now men, walked out of the service and into the rest of their lives, the lunchtime crowd went quietly back to work. And it seemed as if the overwhelming emotion this time was not grief, but relief - as if Britain had been liberated from the grip of some sickness and was now well enough to move on once more.​

Despite shelves full of books written by everyone even remotely associated with Diana (including the housekeeper who cleaned her carpet!), the 2 people who have mattered the most to me in their perspectives of Diana were always William and Harry. I've waited a long time for my thoughts to be validated that she was indeed a "Supermom".

How nice and refreshing it is William and Harry are standard bearers for her now. She is no longer defined as only a Spencer, Windsor, jet-setter, emotional wreck,etc., but simply as "The best mother in the world".

I knew William and Harry would triumph in the end over those who cashed in on Diana.
 
I think it all went well. I think the boys got to say in public what they have wanted to say for a long time. They obviously loved their mother very much. They also love their father and you can see his love for them. No walls came tumbling down, just a nice rememberance for someone they loved and were too young to speak for and about at the time of her death. I think they did themselves proud.


I agree with this sentiment and Pinkie's as well;I think it's time to remember Diana for being a good mother and a philanthropist and to
ignore the avalanche of the "make-a-profit-on-Diana-poor quality-material and salacious news" miscellania that is floating about these days.
 
I agree with this sentiment;I think it's time to remember Diana for being a good mother and a philanthropist and to
ignore the avalanche of the "make-a-profit-on-Diana-poor quality-material and salacious news" miscellania that is floating about these days.

Right on misselle, its time we remember Diana as a good mother and one of the world's greatest humanitarians.
 
http://i19.tinypic.com/4tp4xsj.jpg

I see Raine is still a firm supporter of the bumroll. Can you imagine if old Babs was still with us? It would indeed have been a sight to see the great pink alp float down the aisle shouting, "Coooeee!" to the Queen.
 
{response to deleted post removed - Elspeth}

But who can forget Raine, Diana's stepmother, grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat and wearing white to Diana's funeral in 1997???

I can't.
 
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Although I admit to being a champion of Harry's, I think he did a great job with his eulogy. If he wrote most of it himself, he's a pretty good speaker! It was a very sweet speech and he did a good job crediting both his parents for raising them (a pretty sensitive area, we all know).

William looked pretty emotional during the speech IMO.

I'm glad they were finally able to give their memorial to their mother and maybe this will bring some closure to a difficult period in their lives.

The York girls looked wonderful but it seemed strange to see them ahead of the Wessexes, without their father. And I wish Sophie would get rid of that hat.

But all in all, I think it was a healing event. Thank you BBC for bringing some better coverage, although I still didn't see the whole thing.

Oh, Patrick Jephson was commenting on this memorial highlighting problems between Charles and Camilla. "His" people don't like her allegedly, and "his" out-of-touch people are unable to produce events without some avoidable complication (like announcing that Camilla would attend). And now they say Camilla's jetted off to the Mediterranean (I guess we should have preferred that she stay at Clarence House and pout about not being wanted).

Too bad that, despite this being a healing closure, my cousin Camilla is still going to get pilloried over this event.
 
Well, that was a yummy memorial for Diana although some might have felt like they were eating crow. Now for an Encore -- I do believe they should build a Diana Memorial on the same grand scale as the Lincoln Memorial -- maybe one right across from Buckingham Palace?

I would like to know how the British taxpayers among us feel about a Diana Memorial of the magnificent scale of Lincoln Memorial! :ROFLMAO:
However, I won't entirely disagree with you. I think a Diana statue of some smaller scale might be appropriate, perhaps one overlooking the Diana fountain. As long as it's not a depiction of wedding-day Diana.... :sick: Mature, humanitarian Diana is the best.
 
{response to deleted post removed - Elspeth}
But who can forget Raine, Diana's stepmother, grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat and wearing white to Diana's funeral in 1997???


I actually loved Princess Michael's outfit. It's by far my favourite on her. Raine actually wore black and white to Diana's funeral - the majority was black and yes she smiled but it's hardly the crime of the century. The RF did seem to get conflicting messages about what this was though - I was told it was a celebration and so the bright gay outfits were appropriate but others obviously took it as a second funeral and so wore black.
 
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