Monday, August 31, 2015

Princess Diana

Today is the 18th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.

I am reminded of how time seems to travel faster the older you get.  If you were born on the day Princess Diana died and you live in New York State, you became a legal adult today.  Happy birthday!

 I recently discovered the blog of a retired woman called "Anything Except Housework".  In her "working" years, she was a professional photographer, and Princess Diana was one of her subjects.

You will enjoy this blog post,  I think, whether or not you are old enough to remember Princess Diana.  I certainly enjoyed her work.  And, when you view these pictures, also remember that these predate digital photography.  This is film photography.  If you wanted to take both black and white and color at the same time, you needed two different cameras.

Film photography.  Remember that?  Time is traveling by so quickly....

I remember exactly where I was when I found out about the tragic auto accident.  In upstate New York, it was late at night, and I had tuned into CNN for no particular reason.  My spouse was working late, and I wanted to catch up with the news.  I wasn't quite ready to go to bed yet.  I was on my living room couch.  A few minutes of news, and I would head to bed, but life had other plans.

I wouldn't go to bed for a while longer.

I was stunned, and stayed up hoping to hear some official word.  At the point I tuned in, the press was still reporting that she had survived the accident.

When I found out the next day that she hadn't survived, I cried.  My son, who was only seven at the time, couldn't understand why I was so sad over someone neither of us knew. 

The United States pressed had extensive coverage of the days after - the outpouring of love, the floral tributes.

I am not a "Royals watcher" (enough people in the States, are, but I am not) but Princess Diana had intrigued me from almost the moment of her engagement to Prince Charles.  I had never envied the Royals.  In fact, I am quite grateful I was not born into their family.   I am about as introverted as you could get.  I would not have lasted a day if she and I had swapped lives.  The riches don't matter.  How many of the Royals, I wonder, are truly happy?

Perhaps Diana found much meaning in her final works, especially her work to get land mines banned.

She could be so relaxed in the middle of her hectic, public life. That takes poise and a special talent.

Princess Diana had a sense of strength, and endurance.  I invite you to go the blog of Gilly Maddison, and look at the pictures.

And then, consider this - her estate is letting her grave go back to nature.

Finally, in death, privacy.

Do you have memories of Princess Diana?

5 comments:

  1. I remember that day, too. Princess Diana was a true testament to what it means to have class; she will always be remembered as someone who truly cared and showed it!

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  2. Oh wow, has it been 18 years? I wasn't riveted by the coverage on TV (busy with other things at the time), but it was shocking.

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  3. I remember having come back from school to this news...didn't know much except that she was a Princess who was actually quite bothered about people, who actually cared... But yes the coverage went on for hours that day and for a few days after as well

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  4. I remember the day when the news came about Princess Diana's death. I felt sad knowing that the paparazzi was still following her like a hawk when she met with the accident. Around that time one more great personality died - Mother Teresa and this I think was the biggest loss to mankind.

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  5. I remember the incident, but not much of when it happened. Can't believe it's been 18 years. Will head on over and check out those photos. Thanks for sharing. :)

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