When did your opinion of Diana change and why?

[sirhon11234]

I remember there was this one scene where the Queen gets a phone call from her sister and Margo said something around the lines of "Diana managing to be even more annoying dead than alive." I can't imagine Princess Margaret saying something as cruel and callous as that.
The Queen was an entertaining movie but one has to take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Mermaid1962]

It's rumoured that the Queen Mother was supposed to have said something like that, too.

 

[sirhon11234]

Well I've never been fond of her..

 

[Grace Angel]

I can't believe Princess Margaret would ever have said anything like that. The Queen Mother whether she ever said anything like that or not, didn't view Diana very highly, from what I've read. Of course that isn't surprising, given they were from different generations.

 

[princess gertrude]

I think that my opinion of Diana changed with the interview and again when it was said that she was dating Dodi Al Fayed. These two things really made me think about who she really was. I have never disliked her, but I can see why the Royal Family did distrust her. I think that there were many things that she used to her advantage over the years and some of it was a little shady and distrustful.

 

[linmarylou]

I just saw this thread. I have to say I've pretty much always felt the same about Diana. I was 17 when she got engaged and married and I always thought it was so romantic. I too, like Diana, read a lot of romance novels and had a very romantic view of life. I think she came along at a time when the world needed someone like her. At the time the world scene was very depressing and in a bad state and she brought some sunshine into it. I have always thought in regards to her and Charles that it takes two people to make a relationship and two people to break it. I think they were both very immature (regardless of their ages) emotionally and really had a skewed view of what a relationship would be like. I think they did care about each other but didn't know how to show it in an adult way. I don't know if I am saying this right but I don't think no matter what, that they could have made it. She was too young and he was always too old for his age. I think they made two beautiful boys together and that is what counts. They both made mistakes and I think if they could have gotten their acts together they would have made a terrific team but they didn't. I think she brought the royal family into the limelight that I don't think they would have had otherwise. Hopefully her boys and the rest of the family can continue it now.

 

[Westminster]

I do not think she brought the royal family into limelight as I don't think they needed more attention as they had. I like Diana but to be honest the whole Diana-Charles-Camilla-misery made a soap opera out of the british royal family. The Panorama-Interview did not anything good to that.

 

[sirhon11234]

IMO the ROF was beginning to become a soap opera during the breakdown of the Snowdown marriage.

 

[Skydragon]

I think she brought the royal family into the limelight that I don't think they would have had otherwise. Hopefully her boys and the rest of the family can continue it now.

The Royal Family always enjoyed the headlines here in the UK and until Diana and her 'snippets' to the press/author/panorama, it was normally good reports. IMO, she lowered the value of the Royal Family.

 

[sirhon11234]

Only her alone Skydragon honestly? Margaret and her affairs and divorce. Anne her affairs and divorce. Charles' affair and interview along with Diana's. And also Fergie's many indiscretions.

Diana caused embarrassment for the family but she was not the only one. Its not fair to put everything on her shoulders.

 

[Skydragon]

Annes' affairs?

Margaret and Charles did not co write a book full of half truths and imaginations, nor was the press full of Margarets outpourings of 'poor little me', so yes, she lowered the good opinion people had of the Royal Family.

 

[Grace Angel]

Well, it can't be said that the the RF had a good reputation in the days of George III's sons either, so in some ways it's very true that the more things change ( the RF's reputation), the more they stay the same, although those were the days when the press wasn't like today when everything becomes public.It was Queen Victoria who started the family image of the RF which has continued on down to the present day with Queen Elizabeth.However, Queen Victoria's son Edward VII was involved in stuff like the Tranby Croft case about gambling, and I thought was also implicated in some woman's divorce, although I can't remember the details. It appears the next generation of the RF will keep more of the family image than did Charles's generation of the RF. Diana certainly put the spotlight on the RF and it wasn't always in a good way, to be sure, but members of the RF in the past have done the same.

 

[sirhon11234]

Annes' affairs?

Margaret and Charles did not co write a book full of half truths and imaginations, nor was the press full of Margarets outpourings of 'poor little me', so yes, she lowered the good opinion people had of the Royal Family.

Affair, my mistake. Regardless of whether or not Margaret or Charles cowrote a book and what not, their indiscretions caused embarrassment for the family. And not everyone in Britain had a high opinion of TRF before Diana came into the picture. There are those who love and are devouted to the monarchy; and then there are others who are the complete opposite. And the rest couldn't care less.

Diana may have helped in the decrease of people's good opinion of the royal family but imo she was not the soul cause of that.

 

[Westminster]

Well, it can't be said that the the RF had a good reputation in the days of George III's sons either...

Sorry, but in my opinion you can't compare the situation with Diana with the old times like George III. or Edward VII. There was not much media at those times, no TV and they weren't much involved. Of course there were always scandals but in my opinion no other royal used the media that much like Diana did. As for the Panorama Intervew she surely didn't put the spotlight in a good way on the RF. It was selfish and childish, but thats just my opinion.

 

[Skydragon]

It was Queen Victoria who started the family image of the RF which has continued on down to the present day with Queen Elizabeth.However, Queen Victoria's son Edward VII was involved in stuff like the Tranby Croft case about gambling, and I thought was also implicated in some woman's divorce, although I can't remember the details.------------and it wasn't always in a good way, to be sure, but members of the RF in the past have done the same.

Generations of royals worked hard to keep the royal family above scandal. The Baccarat scandal at Tranby Croft, involved the dishonesty of Gordon-Cumming, although the game was illegal, there was never any suggestion that the Prince of Wales was involved in the dishonesty. He had been called as a witness at Harriets divorce trial, where he denied anything improper had yaken place. Viscount Cole was the father of her child and the person cited in the divorce.

So on each occasion the Prince was dragged into the case, unlike Diana who, from the start actively courted the media and sought to influence the general public.

 

[Carminha Stalker]

Skydragon, just your avatar tells everybody whose side you´re on.
To blame Diana for all the scandals in the BRF is utterly affair. Like Sirhon, I also say there were many scandals before her. Nobody is blameless there, I´ve just seen a documentary called Royal Scandals in Discovery Channel and the bit shown yesterday showed how Princess Margaret carried on in Moustique Island. She certainly was no saint, just to name one.
I think that Diana was a human being so she had her good parts and bad parts. I still love her very much.

 

[Skydragon]

To blame Diana for all the scandals in the BRF is utterly affair.

Could you highlight exactly where I have said that? I thought this thread was about when/why peoples opinions about Diana changed, therefore it tends to be Diana and some of the reasons I did not like her that I discuss.

 

[rmay286]

So on each occasion the Prince was dragged into the case, unlike Diana who, from the start actively courted the media and sought to influence the general public.

This I have to agree with. There were many people in the royal family who behaved inappropriately in the 80s and 90s, but I don't think one single member of the royal family courted the media as much as Diana. So many things that converged when Diana and Charles married. Society had changed and even people from noble families such as Diana's didn't seem to have an idea of how the royal family "worked" as an institution; the media was more intrusive than ever before and more fixated on the idea of "celebrity"; and Diana happened to be very beautiful and charismatic and the first Princess of Wales in nearly a century. The media loved Diana and she loved the media. I don't really think there is another comparable situation in the BRF and yes, I do think Diana damaged the monarchy by trying to glorify herself and drag down the royal family through carefully orchestrated appearances in the media.

 

[Dierna23]

Well put, I quite agree with everything you said.

 

[Mermaid1962]

It was the Panorama that changed my opinion of Diana. Some of the dark sides of her personality came through in that interview, particularly in the second half. Then that last summer, she vacationed with the Fayeds; and I had the feeling that she had learned nothing and was digging herself deeper in people's opinions. Her death was a shock in one way; but in another, I felt that she might have a tragic end someday because she was so reckless.

As for the Panorama Intervew she surely didn't put the spotlight in a good way on the RF. It was selfish and childish, but thats just my opinion.

 

[Lighthouse]

When the Wales' extra-marital affairs came to light it conflicted with my own values, that marriage is sacred. I wondered what she wanted with that other bloke. Then there were rumours of other blokes too.

 

[Dierna23]

Well, to me it was mainly the Panorama-Interview that changed my opinion, but not at that time of course because I was a bit too young I think, to understand all that. But in retrospect indeed. I was twelve years old when Diana died, of course I knew her, some of the banner headlines about the marriage, the whole "triangle" between her and Charles and Camilla and I watched those silly TV-movies about Fergie & her, but I never really had an opinion about Diana, she didn't fascinated me nor did I disliked her (I had a soft spot for the Queen and the Queen Mother especially, when I was a child). Then Diana died and I was as many of us overwhelmed by the collective mourning. I didn't cry when I watched the funeral on TV, but I remember quite well how concerned I was and I mainly had sympathy for Harry and William. Especially because my own father died a year earlier and I thought to know how they felt. I still remember all that hype after her dead quite well, the stylization to an icon of an selfless woman and a betrayed by the royal family.

Maybe I have to add that I somehow always felt sympathy for Camilla and found it very unfair to blame her for the damaged marriage of Charles and Diana. So in the last years I read books, watched documentaries and and and... As I never was a fan of Diana, my opinion never changed really, but I do think she made some fatal mistakes and one of them was the Panorama Interview. As it is mentioned at the beginning of this thread I always felt that it was an directly slap in the face to the monarchy, especially to Charles and HM. I really think she shouldn't have done that, as well as I think she used the media and she should have known it better.

Of course she was a human being and did mistakes as everyone does. As well as I know that she did good things and I appreciate her for that. But yes, I do see that she injured the british monarchy more than she helped it. But thats just my own opinion and it does mean no offence to anyone here, not even to Diana. To me she never was a saint, but it's although quite said that she died so young...

 

[sirhon11234]

She wasn't a saint to me either Dierna.

 

[Dierna23]

I tend to say that to me it isn't Diana's fault that some people - not me and you of course - still think she was a saint (I choose this word only in a striking sense). To me it's the fault of the mass media which always like to portray a person onesided. For that we had "Princess Pushy", "the Rottweiler" (though this was a creation of Diana, the press used it of course with pleasure), "Randy Andy" and all this ridiculous stereotyping. I prefer to make my own thougts...

 

[rmay286]

Then Diana died and I was as many of us overwhelmed by the collective mourning. I didn't cry when I watched the funeral on TV, but I remember quite well how concerned I was and I mainly had sympathy for Harry and William. Especially because my own father died a year earlier and I thought to know how they felt.

Yes, I think I had the same experience watching the coverage of Diana's death. I was about the same age as you, in other words just a little younger than Harry, and my first thought was to feel sorry for William and Harry. Just the other day I saw a video clip of them walking behind her coffin and it struck me again, how hard it must have been for them to lose their mother at such a young age. Thankfully I haven't lost my father and I'm sorry you did, but...I could still imagine how the princes felt. Especially with the card "Mummy"--that was so sad. It's funny because maybe an adult watching the coverage of Diana's death would have paid attention to the feuding between the Spencers and the royal family, or the reaction of the Queen and Prince Philip, and I did, but I remember feeling the most sympathy for William and Harry. Whatever Diana did, she was still their mother.

 

[sirhon11234]

I was 7 when the Princess died and remember seeing the boys walking behind her casket. And I remember thinking here are 2 of the most unluckiest boys because they lost their mommy.

 

[COUNTESS]

No human's are saints. Diana, certainly, was not one. She went into a marriage with foolish ideas, for her set. She expected a marriage, with a loving husband. She got someone who had another love. Actually, it was sad for them, too. In the end, the children lost a mother who adored them She lost her life. And the monarchy, could forever, say she damaged them, without rebuttal. The truth is they damaged, themselves. Their actions speak for themselves. No one can damage you, you do it to yourself.

 

[Skydragon]

No human's are saints. Diana, certainly, was not one. She went into a marriage with foolish ideas, for her set. She expected a marriage, with a loving husband. She got someone who had another love. Actually, it was sad for them, too. In the end, the children lost a mother who adored them She lost her life. And the monarchy, could forever, say she damaged them, without rebuttal. The truth is they damaged, themselves. Their actions speak for themselves. No one can damage you, you do it to yourself.

Not that old chestnut again.... Diana came to the marriage with a belief that her husband could drop all of his official engagements on her whim and when he didn't, we have little episodes such as throwing herself down a couple of steps. When someone sets out to damage an institution or family, as Diana did, it is a little rich to blame the people she damaged. I don't believe the Royal family have ever said she damaged them, that tends to be the British public/media who came to that conclusion.

 

[susan alicia]

My opinion changed when I realized how many lovers she had in her life.

But I will always admire her work against cluster bombs, I think those things are monstrous and should have been banned long ago.

 

[TheTruth]

Posts about the eternal Charles vs. Diana debate have been deleted… I feel like we've been repeating this for ages and still some don't get it. Don't worry, we know on which side you are so no point going through this every time there's a discussion. I hope this makes it clear.