Dman
Imperial Majesty
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2012
- Messages
- 15,827
- City
- Midwest
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- United States
I didn't degrade it to "practically nothing" but I am also not going to exaggerate it. If she had such a passion for helping others, why did she drastically cut back her appearances for charities in the last few years of her life?
The fact is that she lived a very comfortable existence and she gave very little of her own money to charity. She spent more time and money on vacations and shopping than she spent helping others. My husband and I have probably given a higher percentage of our income to charity than Diana ever did.
She brought a lot of publicity to great causes, and she enjoyed the experience of helping others as well as the adoration she received for doing so. There is nothing wrong with being a little selfish when doing charity work. Mother Teresa's motives weren't entirely unselfish: She did it with the expectation that she would be rewarded in heaven (and I think she is).
It is ridiculous to claim that Diana was completely unselfish and put herself at risk to help others. Her charitable work helped others while giving her the good publicity she craves and she was able to perform it without being truly inconvenienced.
One of the reasons that Diana is so fascinating is because she was living the fantasy for most people: she lived a comfortable life and helped others at the same time. I'd rather be Diana than Mother Teresa.
Of course she loved the praise, but she didn't live for it. People and her charities appreciated the attention she brought to many causes. Also, they adored her because she was a very popular senior royal. The royals and palace officials enjoy their popularity. Popularity have it's ups and downs, but it's one of the things that help the Monarchy stick around.
Members of the royal family give an undisclosed amount of money to many charities and other organizations. No one can say they give "very little" or "a great deal" because no one really knows. That's their private business.
Diana loved supporting her many patronages, but she couldn't be as active as she wanted to be with all of them. She cut back and focused on a select few that she could be hands on with. The organizations understood her position, but she just didn't turn a cold shoulder to them.