I'm not talking about her family here who were obviously and quite rightly in grief. I mean the general public who never met the woman and probably gave her very little thought while she was alive.

It's now just over nine years ago and I'm thinking of writing a satire about the reaction to her death in which Diana is represented by a persian cat and the Queen by a suburbian woman called Mrs Winsor.

Great. BBC and channel 4 will be fighting over it.

Do you mean you'll write the first line, then leave the rest of SF to write it for you? :D

Do you mean you'll write the first line, then leave the rest of SF to write it for you? :D

No I mean for a writing group I am in - not here.

I'm not talking about her family here who were obviously and quite rightly in grief. I mean the general public who never met the woman and probably gave her very little thought while she was alive.

It's now just over nine years ago and I'm thinking of writing a satire about the reaction to her death in which Diana is represented by a persian cat and the Queen by a suburbian woman called Mrs Winsor.

Yes, a ridiculous amount - to the extent that when the Queen Mother died, my initial reaction wasn't "that's a shame" but "here we go again"

No idea about your second para though....there is plenty of satire on this subject available.

Looking back on it don't you think quite a few people went a little over the top considering they didn't even know her personally. And what about Tony Blair getting in on it all.

Looking back on it don't you think quite a few people went a little over the top considering they didn't even know her personally. And what about Tony Blair getting in on it all.

That's what I just said, diddle I?

And as for Tony Blair, he was the Prime Minister, you buffoon.

Totally agree that the level of hysteria was absurd. Come on, most of these people were guilty of reading the anti Diana press weeks before her death. Although, Diana was a bit of a media whore and would have loved the attention.

What annoys me though is that 9 years on they're STILL investigating her death, let the poor woman rest in peace for God sake! :rant:

I know it's not a very good comparison to make, but it's like all these wrestling fans in the WWE, they still keep banging on about Eddie Guerrero who died last October.. The man's been dead nearly a year FFS! Stop dragging his memory out and let him rest in peace as well.

I tell you Vince McMahon is officially an idiot for allowing these anti-Eddie jibes to carry on.

My mate got death threats because he posted something on the internet to the effect that people should get over themselves and stop being hysterical about someone they'd never met.

I'll remember it well. Me and my mates went for a lovely, peaceful walk in the White Peak when it was her funeral to get away from the wailing, gnashing of teeth and hanky wringing. Bliss

At the time of her funeral, I flew a kite. I know what your thinking. Kites are boring. Well, there was nothing on tv that day of any note.

Really and truly , I can never understand what she ever did that was so great ? She SAID she was against land-mines ------aren't we all ??-----and she visited some Aids victims in hospital . Have I missed something out ? I , truly don't know .
She was , by all accounts , a very charming woman , but the vast majority of people had never met her , so what could they get hysterical about ?
In terms of public service , other members of the Royal Family have done much more than she did but seem to constantly get slagged off by the same pubic ! The great British Public ! ; no wonder Big Brother is so popular .

Really and truly , I can never understand what she ever did that was so great ? She SAID she was against land-mines ------aren't we all ??-----and she visited some Aids victims in hospital . Have I missed something out ? I , truly don't know .
She was , by all accounts , a very charming woman , but the vast majority of people had never met her , so what could they get hysterical about ?
In terms of public service , other members of the Royal Family have done much more than she did but seem to constantly get slagged off by the same pubic ! The great British Public ! ; no wonder Big Brother is so popular .

You can't say that! She is the (GHOST) PRINCESS OF HEARTS!

i personally wouldnt care if they never printed another word or picture.
it was all media hype & blown out of all proportion.

Do you mean you'll write the first line, then leave the rest of SF to write it for you? :D

Nice one :)

What annoys me though is that 9 years on they're STILL investigating her death, let the poor woman rest in peace for God sake! :rant:

I know it's not a very good comparison to make, but it's like all these wrestling fans in the WWE, they still keep banging on about Eddie Guerrero who died last October.. The man's been dead nearly a year FFS! Stop dragging his memory out and let him rest in peace as well.

I tell you Vince McMahon is officially an idiot for allowing these anti-Eddie jibes to carry on.

It's not the fans who are at fault for the continuing Eddie Guerrero saga, but Vince McMahon himself. The continued use of Eddie is storylines is ghoulish and in extremely bad taste. His family and friends are now prostituting themselves out by continuing to contribute in Eddie-related storylines.

I was slightly disturbed by Rey winning the Royal Rumble due to the "spirit" of Eddie Guerrero. I didn't like Randy Orton using Eddie in order to get crowd heat prior to No Way Out and I didn't like the way Rey rode on Eddie's glory to get the title at Wrestlemania.

After Wrestlemania I was hoping that they would finally put Eddie's name to rest, but they've carried on using it. First there was the Chavo heel turn and then even Vicki Guerrero was prepared to play along. Watching her using her husband's name to get over as a heel is despicable and the woman clearly has no shame. Hopefully they'll film Smackdown somewhere with a smarky crowd in the next few weeks (New York, Canada) and the fans will all boo them out of the building.

I actually do not believe it was media hype. I do believe it was a true reflection of the country's feel at the time.
There had just been a change of Government, which at that time people had great faith in, and ambitions for.
Diana, for all her faults, represented a change from the hide bound royalty, and was a breath of fresh air.
Her death, in so untimely a fashion was a shock to everyone, and was a great setback to many peoples ideas.
The behaviour of the Royal Family was absolutely astounding. They were frozen into inaction. For perhaps the only time in her life The Queen did not know what to do.
This gave people the chance to dive in with all sorts of ideas and theories, some of which may yet be proved correct.
It was only Tony Blairs actions and words that saved the day for the Windsors.
At that time, he was trusted as a good man.
If simalar circumstances arose today, they would not be so lucky.
There is no young fresh faced PM around to support them now.

Total and utter over-reaction - end of.

Total and utter over-reaction - end of.
What I can never understand is that the ones who feign indifference are always the most vociferous.

i personally wouldnt care if they never printed another word or picture.
it was all media hype & blown out of all proportion.

And the Daily Express has dined out on it ever since. The hysteria was farcical, and a complete media guilt trip.

Total and utter over-reaction - end of.

Totally agree:thumbsup:.

Far better people died on the same day (ie. "ordinary").

I actually do not believe it was media hype. I do believe it was a true reflection of the country's feel at the time.
There had just been a change of Government, which at that time people had great faith in, and ambitions for.
Diana, for all her faults, represented a change from the hide bound royalty, and was a breath of fresh air.
Her death, in so untimely a fashion was a shock to everyone, and was a great setback to many peoples ideas.
The behaviour of the Royal Family was absolutely astounding. They were frozen into inaction. For perhaps the only time in her life The Queen did not know what to do.
This gave people the chance to dive in with all sorts of ideas and theories, some of which may yet be proved correct.
It was only Tony Blairs actions and words that saved the day for the Windsors.
At that time, he was trusted as a good man.
If simalar circumstances arose today, they would not be so lucky.
There is no young fresh faced PM around to support them now.

I think that's cobblers mate. It was overblown false emotion, created in a media frenzy; a media which had just realised that they had, by creating the circus surrounding her, in effect brought about her death.

Had it been a true reflection of the country's feelings for the poor woman, then sales of the rags which were delighting in her personal troubles would have hit rock bottom and stayed there for years, in protest, well before her death.

Nobody gave a rat's ass about her feelings right up to the moment she died, and the gutter press gave even less.

I think that's cobblers mate. It was overblown false emotion, created in a media frenzy; a media which had just realised that they had, by creating the circus surrounding her, in effect brought about her death.

Had it been a true reflection of the country's feelings for the poor woman, then sales of the rags which were delighting in her personal troubles would have hit rock bottom and stayed there for years, in protest, well before her death.

Nobody gave a rat's ass about her feelings right up to the moment she died, and the gutter press gave even less.
I refer the gentleman to the reply I gave earlier :hihi:

In terms of public service , other members of the Royal Family have done much more than she did but seem to constantly get slagged off by the same pubic ! The great British Public ! ; no wonder Big Brother is so popular .

Words like "nail", "hit", "on the head" etc spring to mind.

Yes there was hysteria.

I remember the senior sister on the unit I was working on having a whip round the staff (with menaces) to buy a big bouquet of white lillies from the hospital flower shop to put up in reception area..
:loopy: :loopy: :loopy: F***wit! :loopy: :loopy: :loopy:

She didn't get any of Kiddick's hard earned I'll tell ya :hihi:

Far better people died on the same day (ie. "ordinary").

One of my friends was upset that day because Fatty Buster Bloodvessel's massive heart attack didn't make the news headlines because it happened on the same day Diana died. :rolleyes:

I think that's cobblers mate. It was overblown false emotion, created in a media frenzy; a media which had just realised that they had, by creating the circus surrounding her, in effect brought about her death.

Had it been a true reflection of the country's feelings for the poor woman, then sales of the rags which were delighting in her personal troubles would have hit rock bottom and stayed there for years, in protest, well before her death.

Nobody gave a rat's ass about her feelings right up to the moment she died, and the gutter press gave even less.

well said. :thumbsup:

It's not the fans who are at fault for the continuing Eddie Guerrero saga, but Vince McMahon himself. The continued use of Eddie is storylines is ghoulish and in extremely bad taste. His family and friends are now prostituting themselves out by continuing to contribute in Eddie-related storylines.

I was slightly disturbed by Rey winning the Royal Rumble due to the "spirit" of Eddie Guerrero. I didn't like Randy Orton using Eddie in order to get crowd heat prior to No Way Out and I didn't like the way Rey rode on Eddie's glory to get the title at Wrestlemania.

After Wrestlemania I was hoping that they would finally put Eddie's name to rest, but they've carried on using it. First there was the Chavo heel turn and then even Vicki Guerrero was prepared to play along. Watching her using her husband's name to get over as a heel is despicable and the woman clearly has no shame. Hopefully they'll film Smackdown somewhere with a smarky crowd in the next few weeks (New York, Canada) and the fans will all boo them out of the building.

business is business...:rolleyes:

I actually do not believe it was media hype. I do believe it was a true reflection of the country's feel at the time.
There had just been a change of Government, which at that time people had great faith in, and ambitions for.
Diana, for all her faults, represented a change from the hide bound royalty, and was a breath of fresh air.
Her death, in so untimely a fashion was a shock to everyone, and was a great setback to many peoples ideas.
The behaviour of the Royal Family was absolutely astounding. They were frozen into inaction. For perhaps the only time in her life The Queen did not know what to do.
This gave people the chance to dive in with all sorts of ideas and theories, some of which may yet be proved correct.
It was only Tony Blairs actions and words that saved the day for the Windsors.
At that time, he was trusted as a good man.
If simalar circumstances arose today, they would not be so lucky.
There is no young fresh faced PM around to support them now.

Very well said indeed, Artisan.

And while there are still so many unanswered questions about Diana's death, the case cannot possibly be closed. It would be a travesty of justice to do so - whatever else, the full truth about the goings-on that night in Paris have not come out.

StarSparkle

We're all aware of the deceased Diane's good points . We've been told of them ad nauseum .
Has anyone considered , what I think , was one of her bad points ?
She was often seen , in the last few years of her life , cavorting [ for want of a better word ] around the world with quite a few different men . Her two sons were , at that time , at public schools . Now , anyone , with an ounce of sense , knows , that in this day and age , public schools are not sealed vacuums . Whatever the rumours and innuendos that were floating around , must have got back to her sons by a dozen different routes .
Did she ever give a thought to how her behaviour , however innocent , might affect them , in practice ?
One would have thought that she would have been a bit more self-disciplined or discreet in the unique circumstances .

One of my friends was upset that day because Fatty Buster Bloodvessel's massive heart attack didn't make the news headlines because it happened on the same day Diana died. :rolleyes:

Whoa, whoa, whoa there - are you saying Buster Bloodvessel is dead?

That day goes down as the most annoying and nonsensical day in recent British History.

1. They cancelled Liverpool v Newcastle
2. Ally McCoist coming out and saying "if they make me pay for Rangers today I will retire from football"
3. Idiot Aussie tourist on BBC1 saying "anyone who doesnt feel heartbroken today is a monster"
4. Staff being briefed at Tesco that "we werent allowed to smile" because it might give customers the impression we didnt care.
5. Me getting an official repremand for smiling
6. Checkout girls being sent home (on full pay) because they 'couldnt handle the grief'
(I noticed the same sympathy wasnt extended to me when Kidderminster were pipped to the conference title by Macclesfield Town, oh no)
7. Grown men in pubs crying, and then shouting at me for laughing at a private joke.

I have never heard or seen such claptrap in my entire life. I was ashamed to be English that day. Thank God I had like minded friends who shared in my stoic reaction to it all. Lets just say blockbuster video benefitted over the next couple of weeks.

Very well said indeed, Artisan.

And while there are still so many unanswered questions about Diana's death, the case cannot possibly be closed. It would be a travesty of justice to do so - whatever else, the full truth about the goings-on that night in Paris have not come out.

StarSparkle

no disrespect intended here.
but if they were investigate again, and say she was killed by some secret agent. would that shut the public up?

the womans dead -the only people who deserve to know what happened are her family.
every one else is just a nosey bystander.

What I can never understand is that the ones who feign indifference are always the most vociferous.

meaning....?

My sister got married on the day of Dianas funeral and a couple of people accused her of being heartless for doing so, which is pretty stupid realy.
We had a great day.

Whoa, whoa, whoa there - are you saying Buster Bloodvessel is dead?

He was on Never Mind The Buzzcocks a couple of weeks ago, thought it could have been a realy old edition.

That day goes down as the most annoying and nonsensical day in recent British History.

1. They cancelled Liverpool v Newcastle
2. Ally McCoist coming out and saying "if they make me pay for Rangers today I will retire from football"
3. Idiot Aussie tourist on BBC1 saying "anyone who doesnt feel heartbroken today is a monster"
4. Staff being briefed at Tesco that "we werent allowed to smile" because it might give customers the impression we didnt care.
5. Me getting an official repremand for smiling
6. Checkout girls being sent home (on full pay) because they 'couldnt handle the grief'
(I noticed the same sympathy wasnt extended to me when Kidderminster were pipped to the conference title by Macclesfield Town, oh no)
7. Grown men in pubs crying, and then shouting at me for laughing at a private joke.

I have never heard or seen such claptrap in my entire life. I was ashamed to be English that day. Thank God I had like minded friends who shared in my stoic reaction to it all. Lets just say blockbuster video benefitted over the next couple of weeks.

This is the way that I felt too. My dad woke me up at about 11am that morning and said something had happened which would be on every channel all day.

"The queen mother has died?" I suggested.

"Close" he said "but not quite. Princess Di has died in a car crash"

I shrugged and rolled over, then sat up out of bed quickly when I realised that Liverpool vs Newcastle would probably be cancelled that afternoon. I then spent two hours listening to Radio 5 for one mention of whether or not the football was cancelled. Eventually they mentioned it in passing with

"and of course the Princess was a great sports fan, so all of today's sporting fixtures will be cancelled as a tribute".

I had a few choice words for her at that moment. When the game was rearranged later on in the season we (Liverpool) won 2-1 though, so I didn't hold it against her. :D

I can also clearly remember what I was doing on the day of her funeral too - I was asleep. I'd been out all night before (Friday) and worked my usual Saturday morning on a milk round. Our usual routine was to get baguettes from a deli at around 9am, but when we got there that morning it was closed due to the funeral. I had a few more choice words for Di at that point too. I went to bed when I got back home at 10am and then woke up about 4:30pm to find my mum watching it on the TV.

the only people who deserve to know what happened are her family.
every one else is just a nosey bystander.
Thats what i thought when the funeral took place.

I was in Bridlinton on a day trip on 31/8/97 and it didn't spoil my day. Afterall, I didn't even know her. Famous people die all the time and people don't go overboard like this time. It wasn't as if she had ever really done that much in public life anyway. She just married prince Charles and later divorced him. She never had any real power to change anything. I'm sure she was a nice enough person though.

I was in Bridlinton on a day trip on 31/8/97 and it didn't spoil my day. Afterall, I didn't even know her. Famous people die all the time and people don't go overboard like this time. It wasn't as if she had ever really done that much in public life anyway. She just married prince Charles and later divorced him. She never had any real power to change anything. I'm sure she was a nice enough person though.


actually sid i was on my way to bridlington that very day. it din't stop me enjoyin my day by the sea side either.

meaning....?
Meaning that the ones who purport to not be interested ,are the ones who never tire of telling everyone how little they are interested.
If you werent interested why do you talk so much about it?
I find it is only the monarchist faction who are the ones to slag the woman off.

I find it is only the monarchist faction who are the ones to slag the woman off.

Now maybe, but right up to the moment she died the world and its mother and the cat as well were quite happily chucking the brown stuff at her.

It was all the false emotion that made me feel nauseous.

Whoa, whoa, whoa there - are you saying Buster Bloodvessel is dead?


Nothing about it here...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buster_Bloodvessel

Meaning that the ones who purport to not be interested ,are the ones who never tire of telling everyone how little they are interested.
If you werent interested why do you talk so much about it?
I find it is only the monarchist faction who are the ones to slag the woman off.

I am not sure If I fall into the "you" catergory you refer to. I am simply adding my opinion to a public debate. I have no perverse interest in the subject per se.

What annoyed me at the time was being treated like a pariah because I couldnt care less about the woman dying. The false outpouring of Mediterranean grief was a joke.

I am not sure If I fall into the "you" catergory you refer to. I am simply adding my opinion to a public debate. I have no perverse interest in the subject per se.

What annoyed me at the time was being treated like a pariah because I couldnt care less about the woman dying. The false outpouring of Mediterranean grief was a joke.
This is the point I mean, this was not a false out pouring, many people truly liked this woman, myself among them.
The days of the English stoicism are going fast.
You only need to look at our attitude to war for instance, all this wailing and gnashing of teeth, because some people you have never heard of are killed.
At the Somme we lost 20000 killed in one day, sent into battle by aristocratic officers, all of them related to the royal families on one side or the other. It was not considered out of the ordinary, It was expected of people.
You cannot have it both ways.
Much is made of 'showing the feminine side' of society.
This is what you now have.
A nation that breaks down in tears at the slightest thing.
Their are people who post on here who are defending our sworn enemies, this is a pacifist idea that originates from the same root.
We need to show more grit and determination, but while ever women are calling the shots, we will never regain that position.
It is a womans nature to defend the cave.

Diana's life, summed up:

low level aristo, not very bright, fairly easy on the eye, gets picked to be the convenient gene donor for the 'ponce of wales' who, lets face it was never really going to attract anyone with more than half a brain, and come on, camilla giving her mush to the future king? not on your nelly mate.
so she ( airhead sloane) squeezes out the requisite two male puppies, just in case the first one turns out to be a muppet, and is then sent off to do her thang with the household cavalry, rugby squad, and film directing son of that right pain in the rear, moharrods on fire.
meanwhile old big ears gets bord of talking to the plants and decides its time for some rumpo again so drags camilla out of the woodwork, making airhead more than a bit uppity, she starts getting gobby, MI5 sorts it out with convenient 'accident' and the whole nation is expected to wail and gnash its teeth at the loss of our 'queen of hearts', well, not this big dark poet boys n girls, she was only a great loss to her sons, who I feel sympathy for at losing their mum, but thats tempered by the fact that they are part of that whole bloodsucking, waste of DNA called the royal family, come the glorious day they'll be ousted from buck house and be forced to clean the lavs at charing cross station!
POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!

I think that the hysteria grew because folk thought everyone else is hysterically upset, so, "that's what we are supposed to do, too"
it grew into what almost became a pee-ing competition...

"Look, I'm showing everyone that I'm more grief-stricken than you!" *beats chest meaningfully*

I had an argument with a woman in a shoppng centre locally about it, at the time.

I grumbled, "Oh, God! not [i]another[i/] shop closed because of diana!"

the snotty woman shopkeeper went maad! she said "I think it's only right!!!!"

I said, "OK, Say, erm, you died in a car crash....

would she shut up shop, for the day, for your funeral?"

It was sad, sure, and particularly leaving two young (ish) kids behind...
however, plenty of folk die, leaving young families:- My sister was only six when our mother died. did we have national chest beating contests? no.

the week diana died, there was a little five year old boy, Dylan, in Manchester, who was shot dead... shot through the head by drug dealers.

who mourned him?

The same week. a young mother, with learning difficulties was found murdered, in Sheffield, hidden, under a mattress, in a wood,

She left a seven year old son. Nine years on, the police are still looking for her murderer.

Precisely who is covering kensington gardens with a carpet of flowers in HER memory?

I lived abroad at the time and my non-British friends all called me to ask if I was 'ok'....errrr....yeah, I'm fine!! :)

Because of the hysteria back home on the TV they all thought I would be distraught.

Whoa, whoa, whoa there - are you saying Buster Bloodvessel is dead?

No, don't worry. He's still alive and supporting the crane industry. Apparently he suffered a massive heart attack on the day Diana died and my friend who adores Bad Manners was furious that it wasn't the main headline on News At Ten. He's recovered now and is still touring with Bad Manners... who could ever forget their classics "Can Can", "Agadoo" "Do the Conga", "Teddybears Picnic" etc etc ;)

No, don't worry. He's still alive and supporting the crane industry. Apparently he suffered a massive heart attack on the day Diana died and my friend who adores Bad Manners was furious that it wasn't the main headline on News At Ten. He's recovered now and is still touring with Bad Manners... who could ever forget their classics "Can Can", "Agadoo" "Do the Conga", "Teddybears Picnic" etc etc ;)

Phew, thank the lord for that.

So that means I'm not too late to pitch my TV programme idea to him...

You see, I want to cash in on the current fad for Z-list celebs and property dross by getting him to front a show where he helps couples relocate to another house..

I was thinking of calling it "Buster Move".

You see, I want to cash in on the current fad for Z-list celebs.

You never know... maybe he will be the winner of the next celebrity BIG brother! :)

I think that the hysteria grew because folk thought everyone else is hysterically upset, so, "that's what we are supposed to do, too"
it grew into what almost became a pee-ing competition...

Now normally PT, I agree with you, but I really do think it was a guilt driven media which caused all the 'grief'.

Had it been a disaster for the public on that sort of scale, I'm pretty sure the memorials to her wouldn't be as deserted as they are, and indeed have been for quite some time.

It was a classic 'It was in the Sun so it must be right.' sort of reaction.

Of course there was hysteria.

It happened when a new Government was in power, there was a general feel-good factor back then and with the new party in power came a sense that the government would be going back to their roots and would be anti-sleaze, anti-corruption after Major's lot mainly partook in affairs.

Diana dying was a part of that - a backlash against the Royalists ensued and was part of the general anti-Tory, anti-Royalist mood of the time also.

Not that the former sentiment of being anti-Royal lasted the century out with the majority of the nation.

It can be looked back on as a freak affair and entirely not a British thing to do.

Di didn't have that many good attributes to her name.

No, don't worry. He's still alive and supporting the crane industry. Apparently he suffered a massive heart attack on the day Diana died and my friend who adores Bad Manners was furious that it wasn't the main headline on News At Ten. He's recovered now and is still touring with Bad Manners... who could ever forget their classics "Can Can", "Agadoo" "Do the Conga", "Teddybears Picnic" etc etc ;)

He's playing Corp at Christmas.

My thoughts on Diana? I just cant be bothered to put the effort in:roll:

the thing with diana was that she really cared about people. it was especially evident in the way she interacted with children and AIDS victims. People felt they knew her and that she would have been interested in them. that's why they wept.

That day goes down as the most annoying and nonsensical day in recent British History.

1. They cancelled Liverpool v Newcastle

Yup, and I couldn't make the re-arranged game, so I missed out.

Gutted.

the thing with diana was that she really cared about people. it was especially evident in the way she interacted with children and AIDS victims. People felt they knew her and that she would have been interested in them. that's why they wept.

No, thats why some people wept.

Im willing to bet that most people went throught the,ahem, grief process because its what every one else was doing, and they were manipulated by a scheming/guilt ridden media into doing so.

I think Plaintalker summed it up best when she talked about people feeling the need to beat their chests and scream 'well, im more upset than you are'

This ' compassion one-upmanship' is becoming all too evident in our society - you only have to look at the reaction to Steve Irwins death for proof of this....

No, thats why some people wept.

Im willing to bet that most people went throught the,ahem, grief process because its what every one else was doing, and they were manipulated by a scheming/guilt ridden media into doing so.

I think Plaintalker summed it up best when she talked about people feeling the need to beat their chests and scream 'well, im more upset than you are'

This ' compassion one-upmanship' is becoming all too evident in our society - you only have to look at the reaction to Steve Irwins death for proof of this....

It was a wierd experience. People who didn't grieve or show any reaction were made to feel as if they were somehow wrong.

Damn media at it again!

Whatever happened to the once renouned "stiff upper lip" ?

No, thats why some people wept.

Im willing to bet that most people went throught the,ahem, grief process because its what every one else was doing, and they were manipulated by a scheming/guilt ridden media into doing so.



I don't think it's possible to make sweeping statements like that. From what I saw many poeple WERE upset in reality. They weren't putting it on. People I work with brought in pictures of her the next day and were genuinely upset.

Of course the media whipped it up into something massive it didn't warrant but I really believe that people grieved. It was as though for once they were given permission to cry in an english society that normally tries not to and prefers a stiff upper lip.

I remember getting upset myself at the funeral, mainly because of the simple fact that it was a funeral and I also remember feeling for her sons' loss. (I lost my mother when I was quite young so it was easy for me to empathise). I think it's normal human behviour to feel for someone in distress.

I also firmly believe that people's reactions were partly to do with the fact that they were reminded of the deaths of loved ones or even of their own mortality in a way that they couldn't avoid due to blanket coverage.

I was in Edinburgh at the time and driving back down the A1 on that day was so bizarre. People were driving slowly almost in shock or out of respect!! (V strange) and everyone looked sad!

Hysteria maybe but also genuine grief.

the thing with diana was that she really cared about people. it was especially evident in the way she interacted with children and AIDS victims. People felt they knew her and that she would have been interested in them. that's why they wept.

I totally agree with you, Solomon1.

There's a lot of people on here being very mean and petty with regard to Diana. Over the last 10 years, there's been a great deal of re-writing history where Diana's concerned, and I'm really quite angered by it.

Diana was a good woman who tried her best to use her priviledged position to help others, and people truly loved her for it. For example, she hugged and shook hands with AIDS victims at a time when they were being shunned as 'unclean' by the majority of people, and so helped to break down a lot of the stigma surrounding AIDS. She didn't HAVE to do that - but she wanted to do her bit.

Of course, there was some 'copycat' grief - but I would honestly say that the VAST majority of grief displayed was genuinely felt. In my memory, there was been nothing either before or since to begin to rival the huge amount of public emotion displayed between the car crash and the Funeral. I was in London the day before the Funeral to pay my respects, and I can tell you, the atmosphere was 'something else'.

Stop doing the woman down - give her the credit that she earned in life.

StarSparkle

Funniest thing about Diana's death was the tabloids. The week before they'd been calling her some sleazy arab-sh*gging slapper, then when she died she miraculously became transformed into The People's Princess.

Even more baffling is that the Daily Express somehow still manages to get 2 front page headlines out of her every week even though the only people who still care how she died are "madder-than-a-bag-of-cats" menopausal housewives and weirdo conspiracy theorists......

I totally agree with you, Solomon1.

There's a lot of people on here being very mean and petty with regard to Diana. Over the last 10 years, there's been a great deal of re-writing history where Diana's concerned, and I'm really quite angered by it.

Diana was a good woman who tried her best to use her priviledged position to help others, and people truly loved her for it. For example, she hugged and shook hands with AIDS victims at a time when they were being shunned as 'unclean' by the majority of people, and so helped to break down a lot of the stigma surrounding AIDS. She didn't HAVE to do that - but she wanted to do her bit.

Of course, there was some 'copycat' grief - but I would honestly say that the VAST majority of grief displayed was genuinely felt.

Stop doing the woman down - give her the credit that she earned in life.

StarSparkle

I dont think anyone is doing Diana down.Most of the comments on here have been regarding the hysterical grief of the public at the time, not the relative merits of the 'Queen of hearts'.

My own personal view is that I could care less about Diana's death, if im honest.

Yes it was a tragedy for the immediate family(especially her two sons), but as the woman had no impact of my life what so ever, I find(and found at the time) it hard to garner any emotional reaction.

Good people die everyday.Thats life.People really should be over it by now.

This is the point I mean, this was not a false out pouring, many people truly liked this woman, myself among them.


I thought at the time, and I still believe now, that it was completely disproportionate.

People seemed to take some sort of bizarre pleasure in displaying their 'grief' in public, with everyone trying to be more grief striken than the next person.

It was all a load of nonesense. People deal with loss that matters far more to them throughout their lives without going out crying in the streets.

My personal reaction was a kind of vague 'oh, okay' when told about it.
I'm not interested in the doings of the monarchy, never have been and probably never will be, why should I (or anyone else not related to her) have been more affected than just a passing interest in her death I can't understand.

I don't think it's possible to make sweeping statements like that. From what I saw many poeple WERE upset in reality. They weren't putting it on. People I work with brought in pictures of her the next day and were genuinely upset.

Of course the media whipped it up into something massive it didn't warrant but I really believe that people grieved. It was as though for once they were given permission to cry in an english society that normally tries not to and prefers a stiff upper lip.

I remember getting upset myself at the funeral, mainly because of the simple fact that it was a funeral and I also remember feeling for her sons' loss. (I lost my mother when I was quite young so it was easy for me to empathise). I think it's normal human behviour to feel for someone in distress.

I also firmly believe that people's reactions were partly to do with the fact that they were reminded of the deaths of loved ones or even of their own mortality in a way that they couldn't avoid due to blanket coverage.

I was in Edinburgh at the time and driving back down the A1 on that day was so bizarre. People were driving slowly almost in shock or out of respect!! (V strange) and everyone looked sad!

Hysteria maybe but also genuine grief.

Yes, but WHY was their so much "genuine" grief.

I didnt see anyone crying over Mother Theresa who died at the same time. And as other people have commented, thousands of other people around the globe died that day, many under tragic cicumstances, but nobody seemed to give a 2 bob bit about that.

I mean, to 99.9% of us, who was she? A vaguely attractive bird who appeared in the papers a lot and did her bit for charidy. Thats it.

So on that rational, will the country come to a stand still when Jordan dies?

PS. You can bet you bottom dollar the "hysteria" would have been a lot less if Diana had a face like a smacked arse.

I didnt see anyone crying over Mother Theresa who died at the same time.

Indeed. Elton John released a tribute single to Mother Theresa called "Sandal In The Wind" but it never meven made the charts....

I dont think anyone is doing Diana down.

Sorry, but I disagree.

If you are downplaying the genuine grief and emotion that was displayed by the bucketload in this country when she died, you are trivialising the real feeling people had for her, and trivialising the genuine effect she had on people's lives.

StarSparkle

Sorry, but I disagree.

If you are downplaying the genuine grief and emotion that was displayed by the bucketload in this country when she died, you are trivialising the real feeling people had for her, and trivialising the genuine effect she had on people's lives.

StarSparkle

Cobblers. There was no genuine grief in the vast number of people that were duped by the guilt ridden media circus. Compare Basil's first (and in my opinion, accurate) paragraph earlier with what you just put.

How many of these 'told-to-be-grieving' people had spent fortunes on the very publications which brought about her death? How many were describing Diana in such a derogatory way right up to when she was killed? A pretty bloody large percentage I'd say. It was blown out of all proportion.

The only reason peole are still going on about this is becuase of the very suspiscious circumstances surrounding her death, and because of the garbage that has been given as the reasons for it.
High speed, drunk chauffeur, no seat belts etc.
This is all tommyrot, and until a proper inquiry is held, people will be suspiscious.
As regards some people overtly grieving, they obviously felt they needed to, not my way of doing things, but let them.
They were not doing me any harm, in fact they did the country a lot of good.
By their actions they dealt a blow to the Royal family from which it has never recovered.
Before that, some people had some respect for them, now they are just treat as gossip column fodder and buffoons.
It is one step closer to being rid of them forever. :thumbsup:

Sorry, but I disagree.

If you are downplaying the genuine grief and emotion that was displayed by the bucketload in this country when she died, you are trivialising the real feeling people had for her, and trivialising the genuine effect she had on people's lives.

StarSparkle

No we aren't, we're (well I am anyway) fainly amused and slightly appalled that so many people would pretend to care. It's obvious that they didn't, certainly not the extent they'd have us believe, so why all the wailing and gnashing off teeth. It's just a vulgar display of false emotion.

Cobblers. There was no genuine grief in the vast number of people that were duped by the guilt ridden media circus. Compare Basil's first (and in my opinion, accurate) paragraph earlier with what you just put.

How many of these 'told-to-be-grieving' people had spent fortunes on the very publications which brought about her death? How many were describing Diana in such a derogatory way right up to when she was killed? A pretty bloody large percentage I'd say. It was blown out of all proportion.

Don't be so bloody rude :rant:

You obviously don't know what the hell you're talking about. You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but it bears no relation to reality.

StarSparkle

Don't be so bloody rude :rant:

You obviously don't know what the hell you're talking about. You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but it bears no relation to reality.

StarSparkle

I'm sorry??? In every pub, club, office, wherever you want in the country, people were quite happily joining in with doing her down. Then overnight they're all crying over her. It made absolutely no sense at all.

Had they thought that much of her, the the gutter rags and glossies who, allegedly (suppose I have to put that), brought about her untimely and cruel end would have been long out of business, or at least would have pretty much left her alone. And if anyone thinks that her death was such a cathartic moment as to bring about all the nonsense which happened, then you're in Cloud Cuckoo Land.

I'm sorry??? In every pub, club, office, wherever you want in the country, people were quite happily joining in with doing her down. Then overnight they're all crying over her. It made absolutely no sense at all.

Had they thought that much of her, the the gutter rags and glossies who, allegedly (suppose I have to put that), brought about her untimely and cruel end would have been long out of business, or at least would have pretty much left her alone. And if anyone thinks that her death was such a cathartic moment as to bring about all the nonsense which happened, then you're in Cloud Cuckoo Land.

I was living in the UK at the time - where were you?

StarSparkle

I was living in the UK at the time - where were you?

StarSparkle

The UK too .........

All this hatred of Diana that been boiling away in these people for nine years, all vented via one of slimsids postings. You have opened a can of worms sid:thumbsup:

The UK too .........

Are you certain about that? It doesn't seem likely.... :suspect:

StarSparkle

Are you certain about that? It doesn't seem likely.... :suspect:

StarSparkle

Very certain ......

All this hatred of Diana that been boiling away in these people for nine years, all vented via one of slimsids postings. You have opened a can of worms sid:thumbsup:

Charlie Boy and his family have done their 'brown envelope job' well, unfortunately, it seems..... :(

StarSparkle

I'm sorry??? In every pub, club, office, wherever you want in the country, people were quite happily joining in with doing her down. Then overnight they're all crying over her. It made absolutely no sense at all.

Had they thought that much of her, the the gutter rags and glossies who, allegedly (suppose I have to put that), brought about her untimely and cruel end would have been long out of business, or at least would have pretty much left her alone. And if anyone thinks that her death was such a cathartic moment as to bring about all the nonsense which happened, then you're in Cloud Cuckoo Land.

Good point.

As a practical (and somewhat tragic) example of this point, look at sales of the Sun in Liverpool after their disgraceful piece about Liverpools fans robbing the dead at Hillsboro.

Almost non-existent.

could anyone tell me anything she did before she became an adultress and lost the respect of her husband & family.
when she first married Charles and had her children - she did nothing at all for any causes.
she then embarked on a serious of inconsequential jaunts to gain favour with the tabloid readers.
i agree she brought attention to valid areas, AID's, landmines etc. But these were later on in her marraige when her actual Royal standing was only slightly better than Fergie.
She was a media personality at that point - no different to Jordan etc.

could anyone tell me anything she did before she became an adultress and lost the respect of her husband & family.
when she first married Charles and had her children - she did nothing at all for any causes.
she then embarked on a serious of inconsequential jaunts to gain favour with the tabloid readers.
i agree she brought attention to valid areas, AID's, landmines etc. But these were later on in her marraige when her actual Royal standing was only slightly better than Fergie.
She was a media personality at that point - no different to Jordan etc.

Pretty much bugger all as I recall, but to be fair, she wasn't meant to. She was brought in to be a baby carrier and nothing else. She was treated unbelievably shabbily by the Germans-in-Charge, and the media alike.

could anyone tell me anything she did before she became an adultress and lost the respect of her husband & family.
when she first married Charles and had her children - she did nothing at all for any causes.
she then embarked on a serious of inconsequential jaunts to gain favour with the tabloid readers.
i agree she brought attention to valid areas, AID's, landmines etc. But these were later on in her marraige when her actual Royal standing was only slightly better than Fergie.
She was a media personality at that point - no different to Jordan etc.

For the record, Willman, that is a complete load of toss. It flies in the face of the facts. Is your memory really that defective?

Right from the beginning of the marriage, even when she was throwing up at events because she was pregnant, she was sent out on official engagements.

She undertook her own charity work from early on in her marriage - it wasn't confined to the later years. And her work in publicising AIDS was certainly not in the latter stages of her life. Yes, the Landmines issue was undertaken in the later years, but she had done YEARS of valuable charity work before then.

Dislike the woman if you like, but it's very low to undermine her charity work like that.

StarSparkle

All this hatred of Diana that been boiling away in these people for nine years, all vented via one of slimsids postings. You have opened a can of worms sid:thumbsup:

I suppose I would fall into your 'these people' category, given what I've posted on here.

If so, I would respectfully ask you to re-read my second post.Ive already stated, I don't now, nor have I ever, cared one jot for Diana.To hate someone you have to

a/know them

b/care less about them

and I can lay claim to neither.

As for siding with the royal family, as a Republican, I can tell you I find that accusation offensive.

For the record, Willman, that is a complete load of toss. It flies in the face of the facts. Is your memory really that defective?

Right from the beginning of the marriage, even when she was throwing up at events because she was pregnant, she was sent out on official engagements.

She undertook her own charity work from early on in her marriage - it wasn't confined to the later years. And her work in publicising AIDS was certainly not in the latter stages of her life. Yes, the Landmines issue was undertaken in the later years, but she had done YEARS of valuable charity work before then.

Dislike the woman if you like, but it's very low to undermine her charity work like that.

StarSparkle

Think you're in the minority here. Whenever Diana was in the papers it wasn't for her apparent 'work' re AIDS and landmines it was for wearing pretty dresses and attending social events. Had she really cared about these charities she wouldn't have chosen to live such a privileged lifestyle and made personal donations to them.
Furthermore, her support of charities seemed to consist of little more than shaking hands and having her picture taken. Hardly the most onerous of duties.

For the record, Willman, that is a complete load of toss. It flies in the face of the facts. Is your memory really that defective?

Right from the beginning of the marriage, even when she was throwing up at events because she was pregnant, she was sent out on official engagements.

She undertook her own charity work from early on in her marriage - it wasn't confined to the later years. And her work in publicising AIDS was certainly not in the latter stages of her life. Yes, the Landmines issue was undertaken in the later years, but she had done YEARS of valuable charity work before then.

Dislike the woman if you like, but it's very low to undermine her charity work like that.

StarSparkle

she was patron of loads of charitites,as are all the royals - every single one of them.they are patrons because they are royals.
official engagements aren't charity work they are a part of her duties as a princess.
both aids & landmines were high profile issues which she supported, could i speculate she supported them because they were high profile,would that be too much of a step to take,
i dont dislike diana i just dont care for her and i think she is no better than the victor meldrews screen wife for supporting greyhound trusts.

as a final point how much of her own money did Diana leave to her beloved charities in her will??
absolutely none.

No we aren't, we're (well I am anyway) fainly amused and slightly appalled that so many people would pretend to care. It's obvious that they didn't, certainly not the extent they'd have us believe, so why all the wailing and gnashing off teeth. It's just a vulgar display of false emotion.

How do you know? Did you do a survey or something?

I tell you something - there are a lot of superb actors out there just waiting to act sad next time they're called on.

The reasons for it may be obscure but the grief was mostly genuine in my opinion.

She was brought in to be a baby carrier and nothing else.

Spot on :thumbsup:

How do you know? Did you do a survey or something?

I tell you something - there are a lot of superb actors out there just waiting to act sad next time they're called on.

The reasons for it may be obscure but the grief was mostly genuine in my opinion.

Yes, I surveyed all my friends and family by talking to them. None of them cared.
So unless my entire circle of aquaintenances are sociopaths who feel no emotion, given the level of pubic 'grief' displayed, some of them should have cared.

No one had any reason to care except her friends and family. Millions of people weren't her friends, they just liked reading about her in the newspapers. It's not natural to feel extreme grief for the death of someone you've never met and have no emotional involvement with at all.

How do you know? Did you do a survey or something?

I tell you something - there are a lot of superb actors out there just waiting to act sad next time they're called on.

The reasons for it may be obscure but the grief was mostly genuine in my opinion.


I would bet you every penny I had (you wouldnt be a rich man if you won to be fair) that the media could take ANYONE at this point in time and turn them into a figure who, 5 years from now, could be the cause of mass hysteria should they die.

I would bet you every penny I had (you wouldnt be a rich man if you won to be fair) that the media could take ANYONE at this point in time and turn them into a figure who, 5 years from now, could be the cause of mass hysteria should they die.

Surley not Adam ricket.

Yes, I surveyed all my friends and family by talking to them. None of them cared.
So unless my entire circle of aquaintenances are sociopaths who feel no emotion, given the level of pubic 'grief' displayed, some of them should have cared.

No one had any reason to care except her friends and family. Millions of people weren't her friends, they just liked reading about her in the newspapers. It's not natural to feel extreme grief for the death of someone you've never met and have no emotional involvement with at all.

I agree. It was bizarre - none of my friends cared either, although some people at work seemed to. I really don't know for sure why. All I'm saying is that lots of people were upset and they weren't putting it on.

How do you know? Did you do a survey or something?

I tell you something - there are a lot of superb actors out there just waiting to act sad next time they're called on.

The reasons for it may be obscure but the grief was mostly genuine in my opinion.

I guess we'll never really know all the reasons for the unprecedented emotional reaction to the death of Diana. I'm sure there are many complex factors involved. In many ways Diana became an Icon at that time, more than just a normal person who had died tragically. The Jungians would no doubt say she represented an archetype by then, and perhaps much of the grief shown was being expressed by people at a very primitive level - maybe people didn't even quite know why they were so sad - it was almost like mass societal emotional cleansing process, that was focused on Diana, but was not only about her death.

They were certainly strange days.

But that is not to underestimate the genuine, heart-felt grief of huge numbers of people at Diana's untimely and tragic death. Her death was downright Wrong, and I think partly people were angry and dismayed that such a thing had happened to such a good person, who spent a great deal of her life trying to help others. And in that, she went above and beyond the duties required of her as a princess. Apparently she often followed people up in her own spare time, whose problems she had got to know about through her official charity duties. She wasn't just a name on her charity's writing paper unlike so many patrons of charities - she took an active and personal interest in those charities, far, far more than protocol required her to.

People recognised that in her, that she genuinely cared about people and wanted to help, that she wasn't just doing charity work out of duty. That was what people loved about her - and people DID genuinely love her, that should notbe swept under the carpet because it is an embarrassing and inconvenient fact for some people.

StarSparkle

It wasn't real grief at all. People just went back to work on the Monday and forgot about it.

I guess we'll never really know all the reasons for the unprecedented emotional reaction to the death of Diana. I'm sure there are many complex factors involved. In many ways Diana became an Icon at that time, more than just a normal person who had died tragically. The Jungians would no doubt say she represented an archetype by then, and perhaps much of the grief shown was being expressed by people at a very primitive level - maybe people didn't even quite know why they were so sad - it was almost like mass societal emotional cleansing process, that was focused on Diana, but was not only about her death.

They were certainly strange days.

But that is not to underestimate the genuine, heart-felt grief of huge numbers of people at Diana's untimely and tragic death. Her death was downright Wrong, and I think partly people were angry and dismayed that such a thing had happened to such a good person, who spent a great deal of her life trying to help others. And in that, she went above and beyond the duties required of her as a princess. Apparently she often followed people up in her own spare time, whose problems she had got to know about through her official charity duties. She wasn't just a name on her charity's writing paper unlike so many patrons of charities - she took an active and personal interest in those charities, far, far more than protocol required her to.

People recognised that in her, that she genuinely cared about people and wanted to help, that she wasn't just doing charity work out of duty. That was what people loved about her - and people DID genuinely love her, that should notbe swept under the carpet because it is an embarrassing and inconvenient fact for some people.

StarSparkle

People 'loved' the image the media created of her.

Its like people who fall in love with an idea of a person, rather than the person themselves.

Diana has now been replaced with David Beckham it would seem.

It wasn't real grief at all. People just went back to work on the Monday and forgot about it.

And how would you know? What do you think possessed people to wait in a queue for up to 12 hours, often in the pouring rain, simply so that they could sign one of the Condolences books for the princess?

I queued outside St James Palace to sign the day before her Funeral for about 10 hours - much of that in the pouring rain, as I say. There was a several months pregnant lady queuing behind me - she wanted to pay her respects. I myself suffered badly from agoraphobia at that time, but I forced myself to go to London for that day, because I felt that Diana had earned my respect, and it was something I owed to her for posterity.

Laugh if you like, I don't care - that was how I genuinely felt, and how all the people I met and talked to in the queue, and heard talking in the queue, felt.

Part of it was a need to stand up and be counted and to say to the royal family - you may have taken her away, but we are NOT going to let her passing go by quietly. Her death WILL be a historical event that will never be forgotten - you will not be able to erase her from the pages of history so easily.

Make of that what you will. I sensed nothing but genuine grief that day.

StarSparkle

And how would you know? What do you think possessed people to wait in a queue for up to 12 hours, often in the pouring rain, simply so that they could sign one of the Condolences books for the princess?

I queued outside St James Palace to sign the day before her Funeral for about 10 hours - much of that in the pouring rain, as I say. There was a several months pregnant lady queuing behind me - she wanted to pay her respects. I myself suffered badly from agoraphobia at that time, but I forced myself to go to London for that day, because I felt that Diana had earned my respect, and it was something I owed to her for posterity.

Laugh if you like, I don't care - that was how I genuinely felt, and how all the people I met and talked to in the queue, and heard talking in the queue, felt.

Part of it was a need to stand up and be counted and to say to the royal family - you may have taken her away, but we are NOT going to let her passing go by quietly. Her death WILL be a historical event that will never be forgotten - you will not be able to erase her from the pages of history so easily.

Make of that what you will. I sensed nothing but genuine grief that day.

StarSparkle

Starsparkle. You seem very passionate on this subject and I respect your opinion as much as those (like me) who thought the whole thing was a sham.

My question is this.

WHY was their so much public out puring of grief for this particular woman?

Why not for mother Theresa, or the Queen Mother or countless other well know public faces?

WHY?

And how would you know? What do you think possessed people to wait in a queue for up to 12 hours, often in the pouring rain, simply so that they could sign one of the Condolences books for the princess?

I queued outside St James Palace to sign the day before her Funeral for about 10 hours - much of that in the pouring rain, as I say. There was a several months pregnant lady queuing behind me - she wanted to pay her respects. I myself suffered badly from agoraphobia at that time, but I forced myself to go to London for that day, because I felt that Diana had earned my respect, and it was something I owed to her for posterity.

Laugh if you like, I don't care - that was how I genuinely felt, and how all the people I met and talked to in the queue, and heard talking in the queue, felt.

Part of it was a need to stand up and be counted and to say to the royal family - you may have taken her away, but we are NOT going to let her passing go by quietly. Her death WILL be a historical event that will never be forgotten - you will not be able to erase her from the pages of history so easily.

Make of that what you will. I sensed nothing but genuine grief that day.

StarSparkle

as much as we seem to disagree with one another, i wouldnt laugh at you.
but the people in the queues were bound to feel the same way as you, much like asking the Kop @ Hillsborough who the best team in Sheffield really is.

i was there for the wedding parade,accompanied by my Gran who was a devout Royalist and a Diana fan.(but i'd prefer to keep that our little secret)

Starsparkle. You seem very passionate on this subject and I respect your opinion as much as those (like me) who thought the whole thing was a sham.

My question is this.

WHY was their so much public out puring of grief for this particular woman?

Why not for mother Theresa, or the Queen Mother or countless other well know public faces?

WHY?

Honestly, who really knows?

I'm convinced myself there was something very 'primitive' going on that people were responding to - it was literally one of those events in history.

As I said, I'm certain there must have been something 'Archetypal' going on that people recognised and responded to at a very deep level, but beyond that....

Partly, maybe, at some level, it was a response of the People to their Rulers -saying "There is only so far you can push us. We are not happy about this, and we are determined you are going to know we're not happy. Diana's care and concern for ordinary people was appreciated hugely, and by disrespecting her, by taking away her HRH for example, you disrespected the ordinary people of this country. Remember - you only hold your priviledged position because of the tacit acceptance of the ordinary people - with your treatment of Diana, you have placed that tacit acceptance under extreme threat."

That's what I genuinely believe was going on, even if people who were grieving didn't entirely understand that at a conscious level.

StarSparkle

I think that the people in that queue probably just had nothing better to do with their lives and are easily manipulated by the media into feeling things.

Mother Teresa died on the same day, arguably a far better person than Diana. It was barely noticed by most people.

I think that the people in that queue probably just had nothing better to do with their lives and are easily manipulated by the media into feeling things.

Mother Teresa died on the same day, arguably a far better person than Diana. It was barely noticed by most people.

Well, I can tell you, Cyclone, news of Mother Teresa's death spread like wildfire through the queue that afternoon, and as far as I could see, everyone was very shocked about it, and upset too. I know I personally felt dismayed by the news, and remember thinking along the lines of "Oh no, the world can't afford to lose another good person right now". It made a dark day even darker, believe me.

You really hold very little but contempt for your fellow man, don't you, Cyclone? I feel sorry for you really, having nothing beyond yourself to believe in.

StarSparkle

Mother Teresa died on the same day, arguably a far better person than Diana.
'Arguably' being the operative word - she was to say the least a controversial figure.

I'm not talking about her family here who were obviously and quite rightly in grief. I mean the general public who never met the woman and probably gave her very little thought while she was alive.

It's now just over nine years ago and I'm thinking of writing a satire about the reaction to her death in which Diana is represented by a persian cat and the Queen by a suburbian woman called Mrs Winsor.

Who ever you are - I could not agree more,

How can people grief over somebody they have never met?

If this was the case people would be in tears everytime they looked at the news