The Late Diana, Princess of Wales News & Questions Thread 8: June 2008- 2020

[Queen Claude]

Interesting article on that famous picture, recently watched a documentary where the BP press secretary bragged that he set that picture up, that two people can only do so much and he thought it would be better to spread them around to cover more places during the tour. He tried to argue the Princes' speech could lead to millions of pounds in exports for Britain...who can say for sure.

Had he known his job of press and public relations better,he'd have foreseen what a PR nightmare the solo visit at the Taj Mahal would be. Although maybe he was sly like a fox and a closet Diana supporter, he did say in his recent book that "everyone wanted to rip her knickers off" around the time of the wedding. IMO a distastful comment about such a lovely lady, but understandable. (Also the irony of him slagging Diana for her book is laughable now that Dickie has spilled the beans as well )

It constantly amazes me how BP and the royals had access to the best PR advice money can by, but little 'ol Diana was able to always beat them at the press game. Had she not been a Princess, she'd have been a cracking PR adviser

Diana should be given credit for her PR savvy but she was not an honest broker and IMO it is likely that her dishonesty would have eventually caught up with her like her conveniently leaving out that she had lovers, including ones who were married, or making hundreds of nuisance phone calls to one of her married lovers and saying a young boy made the calls.

 

[Duch_Luver_4ever]

Diana should be given credit for her PR savvy but she was not an honest broker and IMO it is likely that her dishonesty would have eventually caught up with her like her conveniently leaving out that she had lovers, including ones who were married, or making hundreds of nuisance phone calls to one of her married lovers and saying a young boy made the calls.

True, she wasnt always honest, then again, the Palace told some whoppers for years, CPB told the press for years rumors of her and Charles were rubbish, etc. She did own up to Hewitt on Panorama, I think the reason she left them out of the Morton book, was that she was looking for a way out of her life and that part would have to be told later once she was on better footing, one could argue it was an opening salvo, not the total story.

I agree, her choice in suitors was not the best by far, whats the saying, love the person, not their choices, that's my view on her. She didn't do herself any favors with ones like the Carling affair for sure. I think Hewitt's comment about her was true, that she was a loving, caring person, but years of open conflict had changed her, in ways that weren't always good.

 

[Dman]

I think Diana would of gotten along well with Kate...they would have some things in common besides William and grandchildren....and Diana would want to see William in this type of relationship....just as I am sure Charles is happy to see it.


LaRae

She would've adored her daughter in law and would've gone crazy over those kids. I'm sure she's looking after them from a much higher place.

 

[Duch_Luver_4ever]

She would've adored her daughter in law and would've gone crazy over those kids. I'm sure she's looking after them from a much higher place.

Agreed on both kate, a happy marriage for her son, and the kids

 

[Lady Nimue]

Royal chef Darren McGrady recalls cooking for Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William

Something about the story doesn't feel 'real' to me, though it may certainly be so, of course. Do people really eat supper 'on trays' in front of the television? It's the last place my husband and I want to be with our children when we sit down to eat. It always puzzles me why this is the claim, even for the Queen.

 

[Lee-Z]

Something about the story doesn't feel 'real' to me, though it may certainly be so, of course. Do people really eat supper 'on trays' in front of the television?

Without going into too much detail, I do (plate on tray, tray on lap) so I assume there are more people who do this

 

[Lady Nimue]

Without going into too much detail, I do (plate on tray, tray on lap) so I assume there are more people who do this

I certainly do something like that when I am on my own. But with children and the family meal, I would never think to do it. Even when my husband and I are 'solo' for an evening (children off with the grandparents or whoever), for our meal we sit at the table. The most we will do is dessert as we watch a film or news, but that's rare as it's hard to be eating and entwined at the same time.

BTW I just saw something about Ronald and Nancy Reagan and the same thing was stated, that they would sit at the television with supper on trays.

 

[Denville]

lots of people eat off trays or tables in front of the TV... no big deal

 

[Mermaid1962]

My husband and I eat on the sofa with plates in our laps watching videos on YouTube or movies. Of course, if we have company, we eat at a properly set table.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Something about the story doesn't feel 'real' to me, though it may certainly be so, of course. Do people really eat supper 'on trays' in front of the television? It's the last place my husband and I want to be with our children when we sit down to eat. It always puzzles me why this is the claim, even for the Queen.

Yes people do, they are called TV trays and my family had them when we were young. I think my parents still use some.

 

[Mermaid1962]

And remember, the first pre-packaged meals were called "TV Dinners".

 

[Osipi]

Having a very small, tiny little cabin, we don't even own a table. I have an island in the kitchen and we mostly eat our meals in the living room in comfortable chairs near the TV and computer.

I've read it several places that HM likes to dine informally at times on a tray in front of the TV and I'm sure I read where Diana would also do the same with the boys.

 

[roseroyal]

Royal chef Darren McGrady recalls cooking for Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William

Banana ice cream? Eww, gross! Like that Diana spoiled her kids, and most of the food!

 

[Curryong]

We have Banana ice cream in Australia and it's delicious.

 

[Lady Nimue]

Understood. I stand corrected, though I do own that I do it when solo. I just find it odd to do when one is dealing with family, young children and all. I don't find the description of Diana's eating habits with her children endearing. Quite the reverse. Yet another example of her unusual attitudes imo. If true and accurate. Can we trust the chef?

I have to admit that I flashed that the claim is made to make the royal appear more 'normal'. Alls it does for me is make it seem strange, because sitting eating in front of the television with your children is not being with one's children imo. Lost time, lost opportunity for conversation and catching-up.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Well many of us have memories of tv dinners and eating in front of the TV with our parents. The best times for me were when my parents watched the Superbowl together; I was bored so just listened to them talk.

 

[royal rob]

Goodness are really discussing if Diana and the boys did or didn't eat dinner on a tray sometimes ? Time for me to check out for a while


Sent from my iPhone using The Royals Community

 

[Curryong]

Diana spent lots of quality time with her boys, taking them places, to friends, having fun with them. If she and they wanted to sometimes sit and watch TV and have supper together, so what!

 

[Denville]

Agree. I eat and watch TV with my partner all the time and we talk during the programme..

 

[Lady Nimue]

Hey! I made an off-the-wall observation that's really not important. Did not intend to offend anyone, truly.

I really have done too much reading on Diana and the constant litany of how 'normal' she wanted to be, and all that, gets wearing. She married into the peak of her social world and proceeded to complain about and denigrate the whole thing. I just had a conversation with one of my British friends and she gave me some context for it all.

Okay. I'm done. Carry on!

 

[Jacknch]

It seems a casual TV dinner is very popular. Time to move on now I think!

 

[Denville]

To be fair to Diana, she knew little of the world when she married Charles. She had been brought up by a "backwoods peer" who mostly lived in Norfolk on his estate and she had hardly been out of England, even. THen she lived a year or so in London again in a narrow upper class world. How coudl she know what else there was? She married into the world of the upper classes- without having much contact wtih any othter class. But her world was alos a good deal less formal than the social and family rituals of the RF.. She and the other Spencer girls didn't always eat at a formal table or dress for dinner, as teenagers, I think that Di often had a snack in the kitchen and wasn't into a fancy or formal social life, even when she left home. She liked to cook and clean in her flat, and Im sure she and her girlfriends ate casually, watching TV or on the run. So I dont think that she's to blame for finding the RF TOO formal and fussy and complaining about it to soem extent. WIll & Harry also live more casually than their father or older royals, shopping in the supermarket, preparing some of their own meals, going for a burger etc. Diana did take them places like that, and she made them wait in line, etc and NOT use their royal status to delay "ordinary people." I dotn think that Di's to be blamed for wanting a certain amount of "ordinariness" in her life and for her boys.. Somone like the Queen is never going to change but the next generation HAS changed..

 

[Osipi]

No matter if you're a prince or a pauper, there isn't a kid between the ages of 8 and 80 that doesn't love the Magic Kingdom. As we were talking about how Diana wanted the boys to do things that a lot of other ordinary children get to do brought this trip to mind. Both parents had leaning towards being on stage and its no wonder that William would follow in their footsteps sooner or later.

This is quite a long video but its very entertaining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVJXbestw8E

 

[Denville]

Diana spent lots of quality time with her boys, taking them places, to friends, having fun with them. If she and they wanted to sometimes sit and watch TV and have supper together, so what!

I agree, the most cursory look at her life shows her spending a lot of time with the boys, taking them out places, being involved in sports iwth them.spending as much time with them as she possibly could. Some freinds did even say to her that she went to Eton too much to see William, that it was embarrassing for a boy to have his mum popping in so much, but I think she really adored her boys and wished that she could spend more time with them.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

I agree, the most cursory look at her life shows her spending a lot of time with the boys, taking them out places, being involved in sports iwth them.spending as much time with them as she possibly could. Some freinds did even say to her that she went to Eton too much to see William, that it was embarrassing for a boy to have his mum popping in so much, but I think she really adored her boys and wished that she could spend more time with them.

With all her best intentions Diana could easily have caused friction with her sons at later age, for being a too omnipresent and pushy mom, not giving them room to breathe and to explore their own life without mummy (or mummy's spies) watching. My mother always says to me: "With the best intentions one can cause World War III".

 

[Osipi]

I like the way you put that Duc. Perhaps that is why with raising my three I adopted the motto "the job of a parent is to become unnecessary to the child". Came from having an overprotective and doting mother which I miss dearly every day.

I'm thinking that perhaps Diana's closeness with her children during the bad years leading up to the divorce could possibly just be an affirmation to herself and to her boys that they still needed each other and loved each other. No child ever really escapes unscathed from their parents separating and divorcing and each couple handles it in their own ways.

BTW: I can relate to this experience as my ex and I went through separation and divorce while my three were teenagers. There's no easy answers.

 

[Denville]

She may have been doting but I would hardly say she wa over protective, just sensible. I dont believe she would have stopped the boys from doing what they wanted to do.. she just loved them and wanted to spend time wth them.. and Im sure she would rather that they had been able to go to a day school and not be away form her so much. I can't see anything wrong with that. So to say that she didn't spend quality time with them is just not the case

 

[Dman]

Diana was just a loving and protective mother. She loved her kids and her kids loved her. That's pretty much it.

 

[Curryong]

These are beautiful photos of Diana with her sons. Very sweet, especially when it's remembered that Diana wasn't even 21 when William was born.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Hearing about how Diana was too dependent on William especially, I often think she would be a very difficult mother in law, similar to Marie Barone from Everybody Loves Raymond.