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"Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear,
but forgetting where you heard it."
-Laurence J. Peter
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"Read not to contradict and confute,
nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider."
-Francis Bacon
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Early September 2002
Itīs five years ago now. Not that I was keeping track. I also needed the media to tell me. If it hadnīt been for them,
I wouldnīt even have noticed. Itīs not that I never think of her anymore. Itīs just that I didnīt remember the dates.
Only the events stuck in my mind. And the peopleīs reactions. But the media had to remind me that this all
happened five years ago. Which just might explain something.
I saw a documentary on television about the death and burial of Diana, the late Princess of Wales. I will not tell you
in detail what I thought of her. Suffice it to say that I was an admirer, or a fan, if you will.
I remember when I switched on the television and was shocked to hear that she was dead. Snatched from life, just like that.
Iīve often been accused by people who donīt know me very well of being cold and practical, but what I saw and heard on TV
moved me. It really did. Her death was a great loss to her family, to her country, to the world.
Like many, many others, I was sad. And angry. At the paparazzi, for their fanatic way of pursuing her. At the driver,
for having drunk before driving. At the English Royal Family, for their unforgivable attitude.
(Remember, it took a public outrage for Queen Elizabeth to decide to fly the
flag at Buckingham Palace at half-mast.)
At Prince Charles, for being such a @§$#%. (I decided to censor that.)
And I was greatly moved by the publicīs expressions of sadness and mourning.
Just seeing the mountains of flowers at Kensington Palace brought tears to my eyes.
And the funeral was worse. I admired Elton John for being able to finish his song without being outwardly moved.
I sympathised with Dianaīs brother and whole-heartedly agreed with his verbal attacks on those unfeeling, cold-hearted
people who had withheld the love and understanding Diana had needed so badly and deserved so greatly. My heart went out
to Prince William and Prince Harry, who were left without their loving mother.
The part where her coffin was moved into an old Hearse and driven home, initially didnīt seem very important.
Thousands of people were watching, but that had been expected. I just hadnīt expected what happened next.
The Royal Family and Dianaīs family, other VIPs, had given Diana a send-off. But now it was the peopleīs turn.
Everywhere the Hearse went, it was showered with flowers, thrown by the crowds.
It seemed like literally everyone had taken flowers to throw. They landed on the bonnet (hood), the roof, the windshield.
The driver had to use the windscreen wipers in order to see the road. At one point, just before turning onto the M1,
he even had to remove big mounds of flowers from the windscreen. The remaining flowers were such a heavy floral load,
that they actually stayed on the roof until the Hearse reached Althorpe, where Diana was buried.
The family had the flowers from the Hearse scattered over the grave, where they
formed a thick, colourful carpet. An appropriate tribute to the Rose of England.
Since then, a charity fund has been founded in Dianaīs name, and a postage stamp with her picture issued.
And of course, plans were announced for other fitting tributes, like a memorial playground and a memorial fountain.
On paper there still are plans for that fountain, but nothing concrete yet.
There is no statue. No commemorative plaque in London. Nothing.
So what happened? Did the British people forget about her so soon? Perhaps. Things change over time. At first,
the majority of the British public very understandably condemned Charles for his relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles.
Only two years later the opinions were divided almost fifty-fifty. And now they seem to be shifting towards tolerance.
Maybe, just maybe, the step-by-step introduction of Camilla in Charlesī public life, and even in the life of William and
Harry, has pushed Dianaīs memory to the background?
Or maybe the British are like me: not forgetting Diana, but also not thinking of her all the time. Maybe they also
needed the media to remind them it all happened five years ago. And maybe that is enough of a reminder for someone to
put wheels in motion and do something about that fountain. In memory of a wonderful Princess.
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Disclaimer
This column is only for the purpose of entertaining, educating or
giving food for thought. Any persons, characters, countries, institutions or groups
mentioned are - as a matter of principle - fictional: any resemblance to existing ones is
purely by chance. ;-)
If the content of this column offends anyone, please accept the
columnist's apologies: no offense was intended.
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column noun
1a: a vertical arrangement of items on a page
b: a vertical section of a printed page
c: an accumulation arranged vertically
d: a department or feature (as of humor, sports,
literary reviewing, or gossip) in a newspaper or periodical, under a permanent
title and generally reflecting the writer's individual tastes and point of view.
2: a supporting pillar
3: a form, structure, or formation shaped like a column
(Webster's Dictionary.)
Relevant reads:
Diana: A Tribute to the People's Princess
Ever after: Diana and the Life She Led
Diana's Boys: William and Harry and the Mother They Loved
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