Lady Diana: why the princess of hearts marked the British
On August 31, 1997, Diana Spencer died in a car accident under the Alma bridge in Paris. Twenty years later, the Princess of Wales is still important to British citizens.
The images went around the world. On August 31, 1997, thousands of citizens of the British crown learned of the death of Diana Spencer, known as Lady Di, in Paris, during a tragic car accident in the tunnel of the Pont de l'Alma. When the news broke, Britons were filmed in the streets, with tears in their eyes, shocked by the death of the one nicknamed "the princess of hearts."
In the documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life, Her Inheritance, Princes William and Harry still remember the surprise they had to see so many citizens sharing their grief, when they had never known their mother personally. Strangers even come to lay wreaths of flowers in front of Kensington Palace in London, where the princess lived.
Twenty years have passed since the tragedy. The fever has subsided, the memory of Diana fades among the younger generations, but the media myth continues. This fatal anniversary is celebrated on television with various documentaries devoted to the former wife of Prince Charles, as a testament to the influence and exceptional popularity of the Princess of Wales. Even today, this royal figure retains a special place in the hearts of the British.
A princess close to the people
Lady Diana's popularity is well established. His big heart and his comely personality have earned him the adoration of the people. Diana Spencer married Prince Charles in 1981, and with him the royal family. Lady Diana's story is the epitome of the fairy tale coming true, at least in the beginning. A young woman certainly aristocratic but discreet marries the one who is destined to become the King of England. In the eyes of the people, she embodies the ideal wife, a loving mother, as well as a princess who is both natural and elegant.
It owes its great popularity to its proximity to the people. Unlike other members of the royal family, who are more rigid on protocol, the Princess of Wales adopts a more informal attitude. During tours abroad, she does not hesitate to kneel down to find herself at the height of children or people in wheelchairs. She then forces the monarchy to come down from its ivory tower to get closer to its people.
She modernized the British crown
When Lady Diana is entrusted with her first missions as Elizabeth II's daughter-in-law, a breath of fresh air blows over Buckingham Palace. The young woman has managed to dust off an aging institution. Interviewed by Le Figaro, the Canadian historian Carolyn Harris returned to the influence of the young woman on the crown: in the 1960s, the label of the crown was much too rigid compared to the wave of flexibility adopted by the British society, "the monarchy is becoming old-fashioned and reluctant to change with the times".
Her more flexible attitude makes her much more popular and breathes new life into the overly corseted protocol. The lesson now seems to have been learned. We are hardly surprised to see Elizabeth II face James Bond for the London 2012 Olympics.
Diana Spencer also took advantage of her position to defend the causes which are dear to her: she leads great fights to help the victims of AIDS but also against the use of anti-personnel mines. In 1987, she was the first personality photographed touching a person with HIV. With Lady Diana, the monarchy is no longer just a symbol, it becomes useful.
A veil of mystery still surrounds Lady Diana
Twenty years after her death, Diana however remains a very mysterious personality. Her tumultuous relationship with Prince Charles and her divorce caused a real tidal wave that hit the headlines as well as a wave of sympathy for the princess. But her tragic fate sets her up, even today, to the rank of the sacrificed princess and the accursed icon, just like Marilyn Monroe or Grace Kelly, true icons who have disappeared in circumstances that still raise questions.
The craziest theories continue to fuel the mystery surrounding his death, the dark side of which several people have sought to unveil. If the specialists agree to validate the thesis of the accident, not everyone is satisfied with this explanation, maintaining the mystery around this death which upset the whole world.
Today, Lady Diana's legacy lives on through her two sons, who have taken up the torch and are continuing their various humanitarian commitments. The new generation has transferred its love for the Princess of Wales to her daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, who seems to have won the hearts of the British.
