There was always an element of celebrity about Royalty, in the sense that they have been 'celebrated persons.' I think, for example, that Princess Margaret was more of our present idea of a celebrity than the Queen was/is. Perhaps an argument could be made that Princess Margaret was the first real celebrity Royal because of her heartbreak and scandals. She would have shown up in the gossip magazines before Diana was ever on the scene. With PEOPLE magazine showing up in the 70s, I think that really started a whole new age of celebrity-watching. Then US magazine came out and now we have racks filled with magazines about people-watching. Diana was also a joy to look at, even before the media started delving into her personal life and she began dishing it out herself.
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Originally Posted by Grace Angel
I thunk royals being regarded as celebrities is certainly a process that Diana helped along, although it likely would have happened anyway, given how much emphasis is put on celebrity culture these days.
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