Diana, Princess
of Wales
died August 31, 1997
by Alicia Carroll
Diana was not only the most famous
lady of this or any other century, she was also a great humanitarian.
Diana did not strive for greatness or fame. Her fame came because
she married a Prince. Her greatness came because everyone the
world over recognized she was an extraordinary person. A person
who cared so much for so many. Her commitment and dedication to
her charities and causes is what she is remembered for. Her face
was known the world over for her caring ways. So much has been
written and reported about Princess Diana's life, we are in danger
of forgetting what she really stood for and cared about. Diana
was not a " in name only" patron of charities. She cared
deeply especially about those involving children. The list of
charities who owe their existence to the support of the late Princess
is endless. There
is a lesson to be learned by the legacy Diana has left. She is
remembered for her charitable acts and caring ways, not for having
married a Prince.
BUT, where is the proper fitting tribute?
A statue? In a city virtually covered with statues and monuments
on every corner, there is nothing dedicated to the late Princess
Diana.
The following articles were taken from UK newspapers
Sunday June 9, 03:41 PM
Inquest Into Diana's Death
An inquest into the death of Princess Diana is finally set to
go ahead, according to the Mail on Sunday. The inquest, which
will take place before the end of the year, could see Prince Charles
and immediate members of the Princess's family called to give
evidence. The move follows the retirement of the Royal Coroner.
Dr John Burton has opposed the need for a public hearing into
the deaths of Diana, Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul.
It is feared the case could be hijacked by those,
including Dodi's father Mohamed Al Fayed, the Harrods boss, who
have put forward murder conspiracy theories surrounding Diana's
death in 1997.
The law requires an inquest to be held into the
death of anyone whose body is returned to Britain after their
death overseas. The Government is believed to have been pushing
for the case to be dealt with and the Palace is understood to
be resigned to a public hearing. In April, 2002, France's highest
court put a final end to its investigation into Diana's death.
The Court of Cassation upheld the dismissal by the investigator
of manslaughter charges against nine photographers and a press
motorcyclist who were in pursuit of the Mercedes as it entered
the Alma tunnel in Paris where it crashed.
The court dismissed an appeal lodged by Al Fayed
in 1999 after French Judge Herve Stephan ruled that the Princess
was killed because the car's driver Henri Paul, an Al Fayed employee,
was drunk and speeding. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived the
crash
Thursday April 4, 07:00 PM
French draw line under Diana death probe
PARIS (Reuters) - France has drawn a line under a probe into Princess
Diana's death in a Paris car crash, with its highest court ruling
that paparazzi who pursued her car could not be tried for manslaughter.
The father of Diana's friend Dodi al-Fayed and family of the chauffeur
also killed in the crash had demanded that nine photographers
and a motorcyclist, who pursued the car, stand trial for charges
including manslaughter. The photographers chased the couple's
Mercedes as it left the Ritz Hotel in central Paris and took pictures
at the scene of the crash, after the car careered into a concrete
pillar in an underpass on August 31, 1997. However, the Cour de
Cassation rejected their appeal and supported the investigators'
decision in 1999 that the photographers had been too far away
from the speeding car for it to be considered that they caused
the crash. The initial inquiry into the Princess's death cleared
all 10 suspects after evidence showed that driver Henri Paul was
drunk at the time of the accident. The Cour de Cassation said
the photographers' behaviour was contrary only to the "moral
and ethical pursuit of their profession". The decision will
be a blow to Fayed's millionaire father Mohammed, who has often
blamed the death of Diana and his son on a secret service plot
to prevent the couple from marrying. However, eight of the photographers
who took pictures of both Diana and Dodi in the crumpled car after
the crash are still being investigated for invasion of privacy
following a complaint by Egyptian-born Fayed. The pictures were
impounded by police soon after the crash and have never been published.
Tuesday October 24, 3:14 PM
Diana's stunning outfits go
on display at Palace
The red dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales,
for her last official daytime engagement is
among a collection going on show at Kensington Palace. The Princess
chose the smart red knee-length sleeveless crepe shift dress with
neat gold double belt to open the Orthopedic Unit of Northwick
Park Hospital in north west London
on July 21, 1997. It was originally made for a state visit to
America in 1995 but the Princess only felt confident
enough to wear it two years later. "The Princess was in an
upbeat mood to cheer up patients and crowds, so went back to this
bright dress which had been put aside two years before,"
said collection curator Joanna Marschner. The clothes worn by
the late Princess will be displayed from Wednesday at the Princess's
former home with original sketches, patterns and embroidery specimens.
Entry to the collection is £8.50 for adults and £6.10
for children. It will be open from 10am to 4.30pm daily. The collection
includes 11 costumes created by Catherine Walker, who designed
outfits for the world's most photographed woman for 16 years from
casual day suits to sleek evening gowns for royal balls. The outfits,
many on show for the first time, include a black Clerici silk
low-backed evening gown, inspired by a picture frame design, which
she wore it at the Palace of Versailles in December 1994. Walker
wrote in her biography: "It was our first sexy dress and
predictably, it received considerable coverage. Pierre Cardin
commented 'This is the home of the Sun King of France: now we
have the Sun Princess of Versailles'." The exhibition, until
the end of March 2001, also displays a working wardrobe of outfits
which the Princess wore to charity events. They include a fine
wool, pink suit with mother of pearl buttons and a short hemline
which she wore just before her death. Walker's designs bring up
to date the Royal ceremonial dress collection at Kensington Palace
which tells the story of ceremony and style culminating in a dazzling
set of dresses belonging to the Queen, said a spokesman for the
Historic Royal Palaces.
Tuesday October 31, 3:14 PM
Fayed's Diana appeal rejected
A French appeals court has rejected a request by
millionaire businessman Mohamed al-Fayed to revive criminal charges
against news photographers over the death of Diana, Princess of
Wales, and Mr al-Fayed's son Dodi. A Paris judge last year accepted
the investigating magistrates' recommendations to blame limousine
driver Henri Paul and clear 10 paparazzi. They had been charged
with contributing to the deaths of Diana, her companion Dodi al-Fayed
and the driver by chasing the car and failing to help the victims.
Diana died when her limousine smashed into a pillar in a central
Paris underpass on 31 August 1997. Egyptian-born businessman Mohamed
al-Fayed and Henri Paul's family insist that the pursuing pack
of photographers forced the driver to speed through Paris and
should therefore bear some of the blame. Recommendations:
The state prosecutor recommended at the closed door appeals court
hearing last month that the appeal
should be rejected and that Henri Paul should bear the blame,
after being found to be drunk and under the influence of anti-depressants
at the time of the high-speed crash. But Tuesday's ruling by no
means spells the end to marathon legal proceedings over Princess
Diana's death. Mr al-Fayed may still appeal to France's supreme
court to have the original ruling annulled on a technicality.
He argues that the two magistrates who investigated the accident
committed a procedural error by both signing their final conclusion.
Normally only the chief investigator should have done so. He is
also suing the French Government for what he alleges was a failure
to investigate the crash properly. The Harrods boss is convinced
that "evil and racist forces" working through Britain's
security service killed Diana and Dodi. He also has said he will
file a lawsuit against US authorities to release documents he
says may prove the couple were murdered.
Tuesday August 29, 4:12 PM
Princes keep anniversary of Diana's death low-key The third anniversary of the death of Diana,
Princess of Wales, on Thursday, is expected to pass with only
low-key remembrance. Prince William,
Diana's 18-year-old son, will be away from home on the latest
leg of his gap year between school and university. And
Prince Harry, who is 16 in two weeks' time, will be with his father,
the Prince of Wales, at Balmoral, the Queen's private estate in
the Scottish Highlands. It was at Balmoral, on August 31, 1997,
that the Prince of Wales told William and Harry about the Paris
car crash which took their mother's life.
Charles and Harry were with the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh
and the 100-year-old Queen Mother at Crathie Church, Balmoral,
last Sunday. Prayers were said although Diana was not mentioned
by name, as is traditional in the Church of Scotland. The Princess's brother, Earl Spencer, is
expected to spend the anniversary quietly at Althorp, the Spencer
family's ancestral home where Diana was laid to rest on an island
in a lake. The Northamptonshire estate, which has been open to
the public during the summer, will close tomorrow until next year. At Buckingham Palace, the state apartments
will be open to the public as usual during the annual summer opening.
Elsewhere in London, people are expected to lay flowers at the
gates of Kensington Palace, Diana's former home.
In Paris, more floral tributes are expected to be left
at the unofficial shrine above the Pont d'Alma tunnel where the
fatal crash happened. The Princess
will also be remembered in prayers at Westminster Abbey where
her funeral service took place.
People pay their respects at the memorial to Diana,
Princess of Wales, at Althorp House in Northamptonshire.
Photos and floral tributes to the late Princess
Diana, on left on the gate of her former London home, Kensington
Palace.
Wednesday August
30, 6:05 PM
Three years after the crash that killed Princess
Diana, right, the father of herboyfriend, Dodi Fayed, center,
remains convinced that it was no accident. Lawyers for Mohamed
Al Fayed,left, announced Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2000, a lawsuit aimed
at forcing the U.S. government to release documents he says it
has. Al Fayed says the documents may contain information on the
true cause of the deaths of his son, Diana and their driver.
Thursday August 31, 3:50 PM
Diana mourners lay flowers at palace gates Admirers of Diana, Princess of Wales are
traveling from all over the country to pay their respects at Kensington
Palace on the third anniversary of her death.
Mourners hoping to keep her memory alive have placed
flowers and candles at the gates to the Princess's former London
home.
(The gates at Kensington Palace three years ago.) "Tony Blair promised a memorial fountain.
This still hasn't materialized although they have memorials in
Berlin, the US and Paris which is ridiculous when she was our
princess."
Thursday August 31, 1:41 PM
A man outside the gates at London's Kensington Palace
the former home of Diana, Princess of Wales, paints his tribute
as crowds gather on the third anniversary of her death.
Thursday August 31, 12:42
PM
A man dressed in the Union Flag t-shirt lays a bouquet
as crowds gather at London's Kensington Palace, the former home
of Britain's Diana, Princess of Wales.
Thursday August 31, 12:42
PM
Crowds gather at London's Kensington Palace, the
former home of Britain's Diana, Princess of Wales.
Wednesday August 30, 6:00
PM
People pay respects at the memorial to Diana, Princess
of Wales, at Althorp House in Northamptonshire, August 30, 2000
Wednesday August 30, 5:14
PM
Photos and floral tributes to the Britain's late
Princess Diana, on left on the gate of her former London home,
Kensington Palace, Wednesday, August 30, 2000.
Thursday August 31, 3:48 PM
Hundreds of bouquets, soft toys and photographs
adorned Kensington Palace today as fans of Princess Diana struggled
to keep her memory alive on the third anniversary of her death
in a Paris car crash.
Over the past few days a stream of visitors have
been laying flowers and cards for the "Princess of Hearts",
police said. Offerings included
soft toys donated by Marsden Hospital "from children she
had helped bring back to life" and a bunch of roses bearing
the simple message: "Unforgettable".
Above is the unofficial shrine to Princess Diana,
"The Flame Of Liberty" in Paris
Despite a stream of fans and tourists, the tide of national
grief has retreated from the outpouring of sorrow which swept
the country after the "People's Princess" died at the
age of 36. Comment on Diana was
buried deep inside the pages of the tabloid press, in stark contrast
to the newspaper banner headlines after her death.
But faithful fans have continued to flock to Althorp
House, Diana's childhood home and final resting place, which houses
her toys, school reports and the fairy tale wedding dress from
her failed marriage to Prince Charles. Visitors
to the Spencer family estate in central England were estimated
at more than 120,000 for the eight-week summer season, against
145,000 last year. "There's
still a great affection for Diana. People from all over the world
want to come and pay their last respects," a spokeswoman
for Althorp estate said. For their
part, the royal family were "spending a private day remembering
and praying," a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.
Thursday, 31 August, 2000,
16:53 GMT 17:53 UK
Quiet remembrance for Diana Mourners place tributes
at her Kensington Palace home Hundreds of mourners visited Kensington
Palace, laden with flowers, soft toys and photographs, to mark
the third anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. In Paris, bouquets
of fresh flowers, hand-written notes, poems and images of Diana
were laid at an unofficial memorial near the scene of the crash. But Thursday's scenes
were a far cry from those of August 1997 which saw hundreds of
thousands of people flock to Kensington Palace and Althorp House,
where Diana grew up, to pay their respects.
Over the past eight weeks the
Althorp estate, which houses a museum dedicated to the princess,
has attracted 120,000 visitors. The estate (Althorp), where Diana's body lies
in grave on an island in the middle of a lake, closed on Wednesday
until next year. The
Royal Family and the Spencer family marked the anniversary in
private. Prince
William, Diana's 18-year-old son, is away from home on the latest
leg of his gap year between school and St Andrew's University
in Scotland. His
younger brother Harry, who is 16 in two weeks' time, was with
his father, Prince Charles, at Balmoral, the Queen's private estate
in the Scottish Highlands throughout the day on Thursday. The 36-year old princess
was killed in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997 with her
companion Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul.
A fourth person in the car, bodyguard
Trevor Rees Jones suffered serious injury.
Prayers were said at Westminster
Abbey where the princess's funeral was held a week after her death,
and mourners also paid tribute at the London department store,
Harrods, which is owned by Dodi Fayed's father, Mohamad al Fayed.
Tuesday, 18 July, 2000, 07:52
GMT 08:52 UK
Funds for Diana fountain Memorial has backing of
the public and the Royal Family Funding for a £3m fountain
in honor of Diana Princess of Wales, is expected to be announced
by Chancellor Gordon Brown on Tuesday. The
memorial is to be erected in one of London's Royal Parks to commemorate
the life of the Princess, who died in a car crash in Paris nearly
three years ago. The proposal for
a fountain was officially announced last September and is preferred
to a statue or any other form of memorial. Culture secretary Chris
Smith is expected to launch a national search for the best design. The cost is likely to be partly offset by
proceeds from the sale of official Diana commemorative coins. It is thought the fountain could be constructed
within 18 months somewhere along the seven-mile Diana Memorial
Walk. The government has consulted
the Royal Family about the plans and the Royal Parks over a site
for the memorial. There have been
increasing calls from the public for a lasting memorial to the
Princess. More than 7,000 people
paid their respects to Diana on the second anniversary of her
death last August. They signed a petition calling for a permanent
tribute to her. A landscaped memorial
walk and a Pete Pan-themed Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington
Gardens, close to the Princess's former London home, were opened
last month.
Updated 9:24 PM ET September
1, 2000
Princess Diana's mother had
to keep silent on death
LONDON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The late Princess Diana's mother on
Saturday described for the first time how she was forced to keep
silent about her daughter's death until heads of state had been
informed. In her first public comments about the night Diana died
three years ago in a Paris car crash, Frances Shand Kydd told
Britain's Daily Express newspaper in an interview she knew of
Diana's death an hour before the news was broadcast. "Protocol required
that heads of state had to be informed before it was made public,"
she said. "So I was left in an amazing, stunning situation
of having an hour to wait knowing she was dead and being unable
to ask a friend for help." "I was literally in front
of my television saying "Come on, come on. Tell the world."
Shand Kydd, 64, also described how she was besieged by the media
-- who collectively put in more than 1,000 interview requests
within three months of Diana's death.
The media have been accused of
hounding Diana -- the world's most photographed woman -- to her
death on August 31, 1997 after the car she was traveling in crashed
in a Paris underpass while being pursued by press photographers.
Shand Kydd said she did not go to Paris to bring her daughter's
body home because she was not asked to.
She said in the weeks after Diana's
death she spent a lot of time alone at her home on a remote Scottish
island, despite her children's concern that she needed company.
"I needed the space," she said.
Since Diana's death she said she
has dedicated her time to preserving her daughter's memory. "My
children and myself are all totally united in preserving her memory
and caring for William and Harry," she said, referring to
Diana's sons Prince William and Prince Harry, through her failed
marriage to heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles. "I've only
cried in public once since Diana died. I know it doesn't matter
but I always felt if I started I might never stop," she added.
Sunday September 3, 4:50 AM
Diana's mother slams Al Fayed
in attack on 'fantasy theorists'
The mother of Diana, Princess
of Wales has attacked Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed for his conspiracy
theories about her daughter's death. In an interview with the
Sunday Express newspaper, Frances Shand Kydd, speaking for the
first time about the Paris tunnel crash that killed her daughter,
slams "fantasy theorists" who continue to claim Diana
and Mr Al Fayed's son Dodi were murdered.
The paper says she has found "no
shred of evidence" that there is a conspiracy against the
couple- a clear attack on Mr Al Fayed.
Mrs Shand Kydd's comments come
after Mr Al Fayed launched a legal battle in America last week
to gain access to secret CIA documents he claims will prove Diana
and Dodi did not die by accident. Mrs Shand Kydd, 63, tells the
paper: "There are those who got lost in the moral maze, abandoned
trust, and sold and told; those who have no story and have utterly
painful theories on her death. "I have trawled the depths
of my imagination alongside extensive factual knowledge and found
no shred of evidence to support the stories. "People who
have never met Diana were suddenly able to state authoritatively
what she would or wouldn't have wanted." She commented: "There
were times when I felt as though I was having repetitive major
emotional surgery without anaesthetic. "I say this not out
of anger, which I have never felt, nor of pity, which I have never
wanted, but so I can illustrate how great and calming was the
goodness of so many other people. They took the trouble to write
to me in their tens of thousands, sending comfort and caring."
January 23, 2001
Paul Burrell, the former butler and
close confidant of the late Princess of Wales, was arrested on
suspicion of theft last week in a lightning dawn raid on his home
Scotland Yard of investigating the disappearance of Diana’s
personal possessions. The man whom Princess Diana had referred
to “my rock” was led out to a waiting police car in
tears after officers had searched his Cheste home. After being
questioned by police, Paul, 42, who worked for Diana for 10 years
before her death in 1997. He was released on bail while the police
pursue further inquiries. He was not charged. The arrest formed
part of an ongoing police investigation into the disappearance
of some of Diana's possessions from her Kensington palace apartment
in the aftermath of her death. The incident may come as a shock
to many as the former butler is seen to be loyal to Diana’s
memory, saying after her death: “I’ll never betray her
trust.” He played a key role in her funeral arrangements
and true to his promise, has turned down all offers to reveal
details about life with the princess.
Diana's Life
In Pictures
Goodbye England's Rose
May you ever grow in our hearts. You were the grace that placed
itself where lives were torn apart. You called out to our country,
and you whispered to those in pain. Now you belong to heaven,
and the stars spell out your name. And it seems to me you lived
your life like a candle in the wind; never fading with the sunset
when the rain set in. And your footsteps will always fall here,
along England's greenest hills; your candle's burned out long
before your legend ever will.
Loveliness we've lost; these empty days without your smile. This
torch we'll always carry for our nation's golden child. And even
though we try, the truth brings us to tears; all our words cannot
express the joy you brought us through the years. Goodbye England's
rose, from a country lost without your soul, who'll miss the wings
of your compassion more than you'll ever know.
Article from London paper
(January 20, 2002)
A trip to Kensington Palace
is a must for anyone visiting London.
Diana's gowns go on permanent
display
LONDON (Reuters) - A collection of
Princess Diana's evening gowns, including those she wore to state
dinners and film premieres, has gone on permanent display at Kensington
Palace. The collection of 14 gowns has been shown in a number
of temporary exhibitions worldwide, but will now occupy a permanent
space in the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at the palace.
"It adds to the royal dress collection and brings it up to
date," a spokeswoman for the palace told Reuters on Friday.
Highlights of the collection include a heavily embroidered and
sequined pink silk dress with a matching bolero jacket which Diana
wore during a 1992 visit to India. Also featured is the "Travolta
dress", which the princess wore to a 1985 dinner at the White
House where she danced with U.S. film star John Travolta. The
dresses, bought at auction in 1997 by an American woman, raised
more than $1 million (695 million pounds) for charity during a
recent three-year world tour, the collection owner's spokeswoman
said. "She feels that is very appropriate for them to be
at Kensington now as that was the princess's home." The palace's
royal dress collection displays elaborate ceremonial outfits dating
back to the 18th century including Queen Victoria's wedding dress
and coronation robes.
Diana's Dress Exhibition
Earl
Spencer's Eulogy to Princess Diana
Princess
Diana's Will
Kensington
Palace
Everything
Royal Home Page
Alicia
Carroll / royaltyac@aol.com