It was ten years ago today (August 31) that Lady Diana died in that tragic car accident. Some things I never forget. I was filled with such grief when I heard the news from Leona, my sister. I was in a state of shock for one week.
While thinking about that event today, I realized how much has changed in ten years. Each morning I would walk to the corner of the street nearby and buy a newspaper. Each day for one week the headlines would have another picture of Diana. They went overboard for one whole week, and I drank it in. I couldn't help it. I grieved along with the rest of the world. Today I would simply go to the Internet to get all the ghastly details, embellished with video clips. I would be overwhelmed and inundated with too much at once.
Why was Diana such an icon? Why did we love her so passionately? Why did we grieve so much when she died?
I don't know. I met her in person in 1986, when she visited Vancouver for Expo, our world's fair. She walked over to us, waiting in the lineup at the Pan Pacific Hotel, and she spoke to my sisters and took their bouquets of flowers they held out to her. She noticed Marie's "sheep jersey", and commented on it.
Personally, she was a breath of fresh air in our odd world. She was young, beautiful, vibrant, full of life, and we needed a princess. She fit the role so well. At least, we thought she did. We didn't know or realize what her personal life was really like.
Now she is just a memory, a memory of things that could have been, but weren't meant to be. That's real grief.
1 comment:
Wow, Loretta, what a unique perspective. I had no idea you actually met her. From my side, I really didn't pay a whole lot of attention to her, I followed her life a little--who didn't in those days? The news media barely left them alone, both here and in Europe. I felt very sad when she died and watched her funeral, but still felt a bit disassociated with her and I am not sure why. Great tribute!
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