Mermaid1962
Majesty
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2007
- Messages
- 6,305
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- NearTheCoast
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- Canada
This is something I've been pondering lately. (Some might think I have too much time on my hands.
) In the early days, the publicity she had was much like any young, photogenic bride of the Prince of Wales would have. She was a young, aristocratic woman who married the heir to the throne and did her duty (both in terms of charity work and in producing two heirs in quick time); but at some point, her fame went into the stratosphere and she became the most photographed, most-talked-about woman of her time with her influence extending from fashion and volunteerism to the banning of land mines. In her later years, her royal status seemed to become less important than her celebrity status and her fame. An argument could be made that there's been a sea-change in the way that the younger generation of the British Royal Family is viewed compared to the way that their parents and grand-parents were seen, and the late 20th century--particularly during the 1980s and on--is when it happened. My own feeling is that the perception (and perhaps the "selling") of Diana began to change in the mid-80s, when she began to be referred to as "Dynasty Di" and "Disco Di". To my knowledge, this was before she began trying to influence her media coverage in a direct way. However, she did ramp up her glamour factor at the same time that she began taking on more solo appearances. Then there was the trip to the USA, which was soon after her first interview since her wedding happened. She and Charles tried to kill rumours about their marriage and their eccentricities during that interview. Another intrusive documentary followed the year after. Was this the point that the high celebrity started? It was a very gradual thing, but somehow the admiration for Diana became full-blown celebrity mania by the late-80s. What do you think?
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