Diana, 7 days and the walk behind the coffin

niggly do you not feel that your comment "unless you actually live with a situation on a daily basis you cannot possibly know all the details, and certainly can't make an informed opinion" is at odds with your earlier comment "There was nothing sincere
or honourable about Earl Spencer and there still isn't." - how do you know that?

Yes, I do!

Yet Charles is judged as a cruel husband , a philanderer, heartless, calculating .

Surely that's the same as people judging Diana?!

Diana did behave very foolishly particularly that last summer and made no secret of it. Apart from the interview with J. Dimbleby, the P of W pretty well kept his own council. The cards were so stacked against him in the eyes of the public that any defence on his part would have been futile. Now as then, he's maintained a dignified silence and lets hope that this is the last time this poor man has to endure (in silence) public condemnation for his failed first marriage, ( which ended,be it all tragically, twenty years ago,) courtesy of his own sons.

Perhaps we should be judging ourselves & our obsession with a family who which actually know nothing about in terms of their personal feelings, strengths & weaknesses. After all that is just what they are a family like the rest of us, who make mistakes, & at times wish we had done things differently etc etc, Unfortunately for them by accident of birth they have to play out their lives to a very exacting audience, I don't think wealth & privalage ( as some seem to think ) cushions them from the same emotions we all share. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all always made the right decisions & had no regrets. Surley it's obvious that they did what they thought was best at the time , and that is all any of us can do no matter what our circumstances.. or position is in life .

anniebach You say: "Yet Charles is judged as a cruel husband , a philanderer, heartless, calculating."

The vast majority of comments on this thread have been critical of Diana and the "fuss" surrounding her, and complimentary about the royal family and Charles.

Diana has been described on this thread as "foolish, attention-seeking, manipulative, obsessed with the media, a game player, indiscreet, vengeful, etc. etc., and it has been implied that she was a selfish mother who cared little for the effect of her impliedly outrageous behaviour on her sons. (I personally don't think Charles's behaviour was particularly mature or praiseworthy either).

Charles didn't "keep his Counsel". He allowed his pal Jonathan Dimbleby to trail him for over a year and then write a sycophantic biography. This was followed by a very flattering TV documentary showing him doing "good works", rather than, as the New York Times commented wryly "relaxing, playing polo or lounging in the lap of luxury ... Instead, he is depicted as earnest, hard-working and thoughtful .."

No doubt some of those weeping and wailing people watching the funeral procession in London were people more interested in the pomp and ceremony of the occasion and enjoyed the opportunity to indulge in a bit of dramatics. They may well now be equally as keen to turn up at other royal events waving their flags and cheering. However, there were many people who sat at home watching the TV who felt a genuine sense of sadness at what had happened.

I think everyone one was sincere in their grief Eloethan, I'm not a particular fan of Prince Charles, but he does do tremendous work in getting young people into work through the Duchy of Cornwall schemes & training programs , but the media isn't really interested in publicising this because it doesn't have a 'wow' factor or sell their papers

It was one of the first times that a public figure had died and had left me with a personal feeling of loss [the first time was probably John Peel].That feeling surprised me, and surprised me even more when I realised that I was far from alone. I actually felt that I needed to work through some kind of grief process to come to terms with it.

Yes Tegan I think she touched many people's lives , & the younger & (dare I say ) the more attractive & vivacious a person is the more we feel affected & saddened by their tragic death.
Just as a side note Princess Anne has done so much for charities but rarely if ever gets recognition for it.

That's true; isn't she the most hard working Royal of the lot? I do like Zara, too [who refers to them as 'my dodgy family' sometimes, and then laughs]. Princess Anne has done a good job with her children.

Yes I think they all do their bit Tegan, but the press aren't so interested in the them , presumably because there isn't so much money to be made out of them

That's the key thing norose, that a photograph of Diana on the front page guaranteed sales. She was pursued from age 19 and it can't be surprising if she tried to gain some control.

Many of his girlfriends were hounded by the press, difference being this one didn't break off from the relationship . Anne use to drive into Buck house with Mark Phillips in the boot of her car and she led the press on by making out there was something between her and Richard Meade

I don't envy the royal family the scrutiny they face in this day and age, a time when lives of the famous and wannabe famous are played out in newspapers and magazines. However - what is Charles doing this week? Are William and Catherine feeling any pressure at all? Is the Queen feeling worn out? Nope. Chances they are all on their private estates having every whim tended to by their servants. If not in the public eye they are living an extremely privileged and pampered lifestyle. They could be basking on a private island somewhere. It's hard to feel much sympathy. Like us, the royal family has to endure heartache and pain but they also have the cushion of wealth, privilege, seclusion and an army of staff to see them through it.

Diana-gate highlighted many of their inadequacies, short comings and privileges and I think the ' reformed' monarchy is better for it.

I am glad we re-lived that week in 1997 again, via the media. It made me think about the anachronism that is the monarchy. I feel the Diana years cast a different light on the Windsors and they've had to do a PR job on the public ever since.

Diana now ought to be properly laid to rest. I liked her very much but her time is over. I'd like to see a pared down monarchy go forward, knowing they will forever more have to be aware of public feeling if they are to maintain their privileges.

I think William and Harry have thankfully realised that already Day6. The problem is we will have to get through Charles' reign first and, as he won't let go of the old style monarchy, things could go backwards a step or two. He isn't at all personable, and in a weirdly arrogant way he might want to be as removed as he can be from the way in which Diana took the institution forward.

Lillie you are not entirely right about Charles , he has run his Princes trust for years & years giving young disadvantaged people a start in life in training for their chosen careers , also managing the Ducy of Cornwall which provides jobs , homes , etc . His disadvantage is that he doesn't come across well to the public,& he sounds pompous . Doesn't make him a bad person, father etc . I think the public are a bit pathetic how they fawn over a person because of their looks or style Princess Anne also has done much for charities but likewise won't play to the press who then criticise her because she won't play ball & earn them lots of money by peddling their intrusive photos etc .

Anne and Charles have always worked for charities , they are not obsessed with getting the attention of cameras , seem to have much respect for their parents . Spend the summer at balmoral out of sight of cameras , thankfully.

Many years ago Anne said - the public wanted a princess but they got me.

No way does William and Harry have the sense of duty older Windsors have. Harry lives a life which is one long holiday.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the hardworking royals with a sense of duty - Princess Anne actually handed me my degree in The Royal Albert Hall!
What I meant was, in this day and age, where charm and attractiveness do count, Charles might find it doubly difficult to exhibit those qualities he did not extol in his first wife even though these are what the public really wants to see. I did not suggest he was a bad person or a bad father, just a bit behind the times.

We have become obsessed with charm and attractiveness ,
Charles is not thirty, but when aged thirty he was doing more work in a month than his sons do in a year Still is.

There is a media blackout in this house today. It is absolutely ridiculous.

I don't think Charles comes across as pompous at all and he's not completely 'old school' monarchy.

Remember, he fought hard to get the Princes Trust scheme off the ground when palace advisers thought it might be seen as something to steal the Queen's thunder.

He has made himself accessible to the public via interviews and documentaries which always show his warmth and humour. He cares passionately about his causes and Highgrove is his pride and joy.

He and Camilla are happy. His first marriage was a disaster and we should all move on from it as he has tried to do.

^An exclusive poll for by ICM reveals 51 per cent of Brits want William to be the next King — skipping the Queen’s eldest son.
Just 22 per cent back Charles — with the bulk of his support coming from the over-75s.

Camilla’s biographer Penny Junor said last night: “Gosh that’s got to hurt — after all the preparation he’s put into this. I think Charles will be devastated.”^

Hmm. It seems GNs probably would back Charles because we have been on the journey with him. The next generations, however, are being persuaded against him by these current broadcasts about his behaviour towards Diana and also by his sons' openness and humility in their interviews.

Just the obsession with everyone must be young. tv presenters , more so female presenters.

What humility did they show Lillie? They spoke about their mother who died when they were children, memories of children are so different to memories of adults.

No matter what any poll shows, the next king will be Charles unless he stands down or dies before his mother.

sack them all,total waste of space,those"boys" are behaving in exactly the same way their mother did manipulating the emotions of the public and using the media for their own gain...enough.Let them get REAL jobs and keep their own families instead of squirreling away the cash provided by the taxpayers..AND BEFORE anyone says it again The Crown Estates DONT belong to the crown so any money the royals get from them is legally the taxpayers