Diana and Dodi Statue Unveiled; D&D dolls for sale on eBay (2005)

[Lady Jennifer]

Just had to throw in my .02 cent view

I think the statue is tacky. If he had made the statue for his own home that is fine, do what you want. Its your home & no one but you & family & whoever else you invite in get to see it. But I'm assuming this is going to be seen/is on display at Harrods, right? Will it be next to his 'shrine' w/ the 'engagement ring' & the 'glass' that they drank from on their last night (is it still even on display? I was in London in 2000 & I took pictures of it- the only place in all of Harrods that you can use a camera)? I understand he is still mourning his son & I know if I lost a child it would be so unbearable, but enough is enough. If he wants to keep his sons memory alive & spend a ton of money.....donate some money to a university, a hospital, etc. & and put it to good use in honor of his son (& I'm not saying he hasn't maybe donated money in the past. I really don't know b/c I've never heard abt. him making donations.).

I hope no one has been offended by what I said....like I said its just my .02 cent view on things

 

[runaway princess]

Why is Dodi in the statue?...He really didn't do anything to make someone do a statue of him..well except having a rich father...and oh yeah...dating Diana!....Someone should of told them that the statue isn't going to be a success through anyone's eyes!

 

[Lady Jennifer]

Why is Dodi in the statue?

His father commissioned the statue. I guess it is his way of living in the past....of a time that once was. Overall I just feel sorry for him.

 

[Elspeth]

Anyway, I would not go to Harrods unless you want to see the foodhall, Harvey Nichols is better.

The food hall at Fortnum and Mason is pretty good too. Heh - means you don't have to go to Harrods at all!

 

[Duchess]

I don’t really get why people say it’s bad. The artist made the sculpture as a gift to Dodi’s family, he didn’t just decide to do the sculpture by himself. Also I don’t get why people say it’s “tasteless” because what’s wrong with a sculpture depicting a couple running down the beach and staring lovingly into each other’s eyes?

I like the sculpture and I think it’s sweet and romantic and not tasteless at all. I think that it's a beautiful reminder of the relationship between Dodi and Diana.

we're certainly all entitled to our opinion but I think the problem is that Mr. Al Fayed is trying make more of the relationship than there possibly was. He believes they were engaged while some of Diana's closest friends say that she didn't accept the ring as an engagement ring. We'll never know for sure what the ring was meant for or how it was accepted but the sculpture is going to be there for a very long time.

 

[Humera]

a long time ago I used to think this guy was doing all of this because he was heart broken over his son's death. But whatever memories he had have long turned to delusions. He can make all the outrageous comments and allegations about Diana and Dodi because he knows they're not alive to tell the truth.

 

[Jackswife]

I find it appalling! IMHO, Dodi was a rebound fling from Hasnat Khan for Diana,and despite the gifts Dodi was showering her with, despite the fact that they seemed to be happy to be together at the time of the tragedy I just can't see that she was going to marry him. (I personally think she was still carrying a torch for Kahn but that's another thread). I think Mr Al-Fayed is really delusional. I'm sorry for his grief but this smacks of exploitation.

 

[Noelle9982]

Let's put it this way: the statue is no Rodin. The likenesses of the two don't even really resemble Diana or Dodi much either.

Having said that, though, Al-Fayed's commissioning of this statue is no more exploitation of Diana than the hundreds of mini-series that have been on tv, or the books written about her. And what about the tapes, the secret tapes, that were recently released and show her with her speech coach. Anyone that has any connection has been trying to "cash in" since Diana's death. I'm not saying it's right but you can't be anymore annoyed at Dodi's father than anyone else who's done the same thing.

 

[sara1981]

i would agree with posts!

Prince William would needs to ROYALS WARRANTS for statues of his beloved mother but he not saying to answer YES because he is future King of England! but i think William would let tell Mr.Fayeds to agree to making statues they without permission of Prince William and Prince Harry because William and Harry still grief for 8 years since his mother's death.

Sara Boyce

 

[Ennyllorac]

It is just plain ugly...

 

[EmpressRouge]

Al-Fayed is totally romanticizing Dodi and Diana's relationship. They were together - for what? - a month before they died, and he makes it look like they were life soul mate (they could have been, but who knows). I've known of high school romances that have lasted longer that deserve statues more.
Al-Fayed has always accused the royal family and Prince Philip in particular of being racist and though his accusasions are not completely unfounded, I can see why the royals not wanting to associate w/ him after putting out tacky, tasteless displays like this on top of all the other things he does "in memory" of Diana and Dodi.

 

[tiaraprin]

I wonder if his tributes to Diana have ever resulted in increased revenues to his store. I couldn't imagine that it would have any positive impact.

I think Mr. Al-Fayed is having difficulty moving on from his dreams of what might have been.

You are so right Iowabelle. That man is a real troublemaker!!

 

[BeccaLynn07]

Let's put it this way: the statue is no Rodin. The likenesses of the two don't even really resemble Diana or Dodi much either.

I don't think it looks like either one of at all them either. I think it's just silly because I didn't think they were together long before they died...and I think the fact that they made the statue of Diana in a flimsy dress makes it weird. I'll totally admit, I think it's tacky also. (Just my opinion of the statue, please don't take offense.)

 

[shania0828]

It is just plain ugly...

I definitely agree. It no more looks like Diana than I do and I don't think it was necessary to have her in a skimpy dress and Dodi with his shirt open. I think al Fayed is taking things too far with this one.

 

[Emmily]

I see what you mean Grim Lady. But the way Al-Fayed is trying to forever link Diana's memory with his son is tacky and is exploitation. As one man comment on the daily mail website, 'they were boyfriend and girlfriend, not Romeo and Juliette'. He may be grieving his son but why casting his love story with Di in Bronze and exposing it in a shopping mall? And I sorry, but the arrangement is very distastefully. The skimpy dress, Dodi's bare chess, the silly looking bird, even the name... That's the kind of cheesy thing who would grace a Barbara Cartland book.
BTW, I recommend reading the daily mail readers comments, they are hilarious. There is a man advising Al-Fayed to create a slot coin in the statue which would deliver Enia songs at each donation .

Could you provide a link the the daily mail? I would love to read some the comments. Thanks

 

[Emmily]

Do any of you think there will be such a negative reaction to this statue that it will be taken down?

 

[Lady Jennifer]

Here ya go. It was on the 1st pg of the thread
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=360235&in_page_id=1770&ct=5

Could you provide a link the the daily mail? I would love to read some the comments. Thanks

 

[segolen]

the reason I said is tastles is because Diana and Dodi are not realy an item. The relationship was too short and at the end. It doesn’t not represent Diana’ life, or even Dodi’s life. As the way as I get the message is that the sculptor wanted them to be an item together, but in real they were not. This is the reason I said it was an a cliché...not that I have anything against Dodi's family

 

[Harry's polo shirt]

their faces dont' look human. They look very odd.

Dodi is in it because Dodi's dad, Al-Fayed, claims that they were assasinated because Princess Diana and Dodi were going to get married. So because of her relationship with Dodi, she was killed.

 

[Harmony]

I don't like the statues-not done in good taste.

 

[susan alicia]

true, but I like the tiles on walls (hope he has kept those)

off topic: re F&M, when I was there at the top floor, Terence Stamp had the table next to ours and he is still very handsome

The food hall at Fortnum and Mason is pretty good too. Heh - means you don't have to go to Harrods at all!

 

[tiaraprin]

their faces dont' look human. They look very odd.

Dodi is in it because Dodi's dad, Al-Fayed, claims that they were assasinated because Princess Diana and Dodi were going to get married. So because of her relationship with Dodi, she was killed.

Diana wasn't in love with Dodi. She still loved Hasnat Khan.

 

[Noelle9982]

None of us know who Diana was or wasn't in love with. We can speculate and have our own opinions but as far as I can gather, none of us knew her personally.

 

[segolen]

Sure we do LOL….we’ve done so much gossip about her ,so I might say we know her pretty well LMAO, or at least we try

 

[Incas]

Does anyone know what kind of bird that was? Its wingspan looks unnatural.

 

[iowabelle]

I think it's intended to be a seagull.

Diana's face looks unnatural too.

 

[Noelle9982]

Segolen~
Lord knows there's been enough press about her.

 

[Incas]

Segolen~
Lord knows there's been enough press about her.

That's probably why the whole thing looks so weird. With the tons of photos available on her from every conceivable angle, you'd think the artist would know how to capture a better likeness. Yet all three of the subjects in his piece look "strange" is the best way I can discribe it. Pictures of Dodi from the cruises make him out to be, if not at Diana's height, slightly shorter than her and not in the fittest physique. The statue of him looks much taller and slimmer. There is something off balance the way Diana's stands. I know she practiced ballet, but it would take an acrobat to manage that pose.

 

[Gloriana]

Let me first say that I can totally understand Mr Al-Fayed's grief over losing his child. However, he is living in the past and what he's doing is really not helping the memory of his son or Diana.

And what about Diana's sons? How about asking them what they think of having their mother displayed like this? Judging by their plea, made only a year after their mother's death, that people move on and let their mother rest in peace, I'm guessing that they're not happy about this.

Of course, Mr Al-Fayed has the right to memorize Dodi and Diana, but then how about having the statue displayed in the privacy of his own house? That would certainly be more considerate to Diana's family and friends.

 

[CATS]

If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all! He he he he he, from Bambi.

I will choose to say nothing at all!