How Diana Captured The Hearts Of The Nation | Queen Of Hearts | Real Royalty

on a day like thousands of others princess diana came out of her palace to see and be seen it was a ritual a formula an unchanging routine what was so special was her sense of style and fashion her warmth and kindness which made her one of the world's most glamorous celebrities this was her role her work the reason for her inimitable performance in the course of the overwhelming media retention that claimed her as its own if ever she doubted the sense of it all she found her answer in the happiness she gave the sick and afflicted she was above all the queen of people's hearts at balmoral in august 1997 just prior to their mother's tragic death the differences between the two boys personalities were emerging william already a cautious man harry was more impulsive now they face a lifetime of duty and their mother's legacy dana's legacy and her work with her charities it lives on through her children because they've scooped up those causes and continuing her good work it all began on that warm july day in 1981 700 million people watched as she arrived at saint paul's cathedral and prepared to take her vows the small white figure at the center of a world spectacular a nursery school teacher hardly out of her teens lady diana francis spencer had little experience of the world and none of the royal life she was about to enter on the arm of her proud father earl spencer a private wedding ceremony transformed into a worldwide media event it was a taste of things to come as the new princess of wales stepped out to face the crowds her private life became a part of the public domain and would now be a constant source of speculation the most eligible bachelor in the world had found his wife in a girl 12 years his junior who'd once lived next door on the sandringham estate it was the romance of the 21st century and a story that would run and run two aristocratic families were now joined in a couple representing the future of the british monarchy a lot rested on the youthful shoulders of this new princess showered with the love of a public ego to celebrate they waited a long time for their future king to make his choice and as the newlyweds progressed towards buckingham palace they flocked in their thousands to catch a glimpse the arrival of a young and beautiful royal consort was a valuable boost for a monarchy more renowned for its dedication to duty and a rather stayed traditional image she brought a sudden breath of fresh air the promise of a new era of glamour and style born a commoner she represented a vital link with the world outside the palace wolves and like the queen mother before her it would be she who one day would set the tone of her husband's reign but first it was a case of learning the ropes prince charles wanted to bring his new bride to meet the welsh people as soon as possible and crowds filled the streets for the chance of seeing their first princess of wales for over 70 years a three-day tour of continual walkabouts functions and speeches it was a daunting ordeal for any royal newcomer but the warmth of the reception and her own enthusiasm soon took over and she launched into her new role with increasing confidence her youth and charm made her an instant success with all age groups but children still got special attention she seemed unnatural at the complex technique of the walkabout a chat here a touch there she showed an intuitive feel for what was required but wales in october meant for the inevitable downpour and by the third day the royal party was having to take cover there were even thoughts of going home but many in the crowd had been waiting for over three hours and she seemed determined not to let them down this was no fair weather princess rain or not the people had come to meet her and she obviously felt the least she could do was stay and say hello she was a fast learner and soon working the crowd like an expert already she was stealing charles's limelight this unexpected removal from center stage became something he would never be able to cope with many wondered why he ever married such a dazzling bride in the first place i think he had a lot of doubts and he was persuaded to marry her by us by the british public and by the media especially because we all wrote endlessly about how perfect she was for the job i remember the very first time she was named in a newspaper with the prince of wales when she was spotted on a riverbank at balmoral fishing with him the sun newspaper the very next day revealed who she was and said she has all the perfect qualities to be queen the very first story written about her with the prince she was the ideal english rose she was perfect for the for the role she was just not perfect for the prince of wales that's the problem two years later they were back in australia but she no longer needed any prompting from her husband poised and mature she was ready for anything even a walkabout amongst the crowd of construction workers behind a camera amused by the unusual use of a t-shirt it was immediately hands in pockets for an in-depth discussion on the best headgear for protection against the sun with a unique balance of dignity and relaxed charm a public figure of true professionalism had come of age but it was on the other side of the world amongst the surf and sand that the wales were most relaxed both enjoyed the informality of australian life the chance to loosen up in a culture dominated by the great outdoors on a beach near sydney the lifeguards battled the waves during the carnival and it fell on diana to present the winning trophy no formal dress was required just the usual headgear and protective sunscreen it certainly made a change from inspecting the royal guard at home and when there was a request for a royal stand-in diana was happy to oblige becoming part of such a distinctive lineup was too good a chance to miss a macho photo opportunity only australia could dream up suddenly the princess was just one of the boys although shoes did give her the advantage of height america had not seen anything like this since charles and diana visited the white house in 1985 in her victor edelstein off the shoulder gown she outshone the other guests as the president later recalled very prominent and well-known people involved and including some of our performers theater performers and hollywood celebrities but then she came and of course she was the new star and she carried herself very well i'd had an opportunity at dinner to hear of what she thought about some of particularly the performing stars that were there and so the dancing began but yet she was the center of attention the the rest of the people were pretty much of an audience so i managed to get word to john travolta she had mentioned approvingly during the during dinner to ask her to dance to break the ice because most of our people were a little hesitant about that and he did and they danced beautifully together and it was it was a kind of high spot that i do remember in that entire evening diana royal ambassador at large flew the flag for britain around the world she was welcomed by princes and presidents her movie star status opened doors wherever she went i think she was under pressure from the establishment the royal family who didn't particularly like what she was doing they thought that she milked opportunities milked publicity used the press and broadcasters she would argue and and i knew her quite well and and suddenly the things she and i taught about was this is what she did it came naturally to her she was trying to be ordinary with them ordinary with all with members of the public she was trying to show this is how she is and she couldn't be any different and if people wanted to interpret it like that then that was entirely up to them however she did realize that this was a powerful weapon for her in her battles with prince charles and with the royals over the whole grizzly separation issue diana was now out on her own officially independent of charles determined to maintain her international status she visited zimbabwe and used her high profile to focus media attention onto their hidden problems of one of africa's smaller countries when diana took on the charities that she took on it was a breach of royal protocol she went to the queen at buckingham palace and said i want to work with children in africa with aids and that of course was the whole thing about diana she wanted to put the limelight on those difficult subjects those slightly gritty charities and causes that other members of the royal family didn't want to draw attention to the campaign for a better understanding of aids also found a sympathetic support set very early on diana was not afraid of controversial issues public concern and confusion about the facts had been growing but pictures like this did more than a thousand reassuring words from doctors she embraced that whole concept of touching and reaching out and holding people it was entirely new territory for a member of the royal family and it had an enormous impact on the public i mean they adored her for that um it showed to their minds that she she really was genuinely interested in people in their illnesses in their situations and she took a close personal interest i mean going to a hospital where there are lots of sick children she would routinely put a child on a knee and she'd be caressing another one i mean that just sort of thing just wasn't done and i think it made her even more popular as a figure and as a patron for all the charities she was involved with she was a campaigner with the mission to help the problems of the third world such as aids and leprosy cupping the face of of sick children indeed elderly people too cradling babies getting down on one knee and looking at children directing the eyes the royals hadn't done that before donna didn't wear gloves the royals always wore gloves i mean she really was a mold breaker and of course that most famous image of all if you want to talk about her charity work was meeting those aids patients at the time in the mid 1980s when people thought you could literally catch aids it was some sort of transferable disease just by touch and she showed that it wasn't and she did an enormous amount of good in that respect this was the international charity platform where she could use her public position for benefit of the world sick and needy she spoke about her commitment in a more of their speech in the field so i'm grateful to all three charities and to the government of zimbabwe for giving me the opportunity to meet those involved face to face rather than so gaining my knowledge through the media much of the world still sees aids as nearly a distant threat yet to the people of africa it is now a deadly daily reality thankfully the government the red cross and help age are leading the way in their care and concern to those who suffer from this terrible disease her host president robert mugabe was completely won over and told the press he welcomed us with open arms and he he was just such full of praise he was like all the men that she's met all the heads of state he was totally smitten and he told us how thrilled he was that she visited his country because he said that that meant that the world's press came along too and that was wonderful for zimbabwe because we saw for ourselves the problems they have with leprosy especially with aids and we publicize this around the world and he was grateful he said this wouldn't have happened if the princess hadn't been here it was a remarkable feat for a young woman to graduate from unqualified nursery teacher to a unique player on the world stage like many women of her time she discovered her career gave her the confidence to act more decisively in her private life fifteen years after her marriage to prince charles diana confessed on television that at 19 you always think you're prepared for everything and you think you have knowledge of what is coming ahead when she married prince charles she was young and innocent to believe like everyone else that her marriage was made in heaven on a visit to a charity event in london's east end she revealed her knack of making everyone she meets feel important she projected great charm and had an intuitive feel for each occasion's mood and an immediate rapport with people from all walks of life she worked the crowd with ease and was a natural successor to the queen mother in the people's affections if anyone was going to blow away the rather stuffy cobwebs of what royalty had become during the the 1960s and 1970s it was it was diana diana really was the original breath of fresh air um but after a while they began to get a little uncomfortable because the spotlight is not meant to shine on one individual member of the royal family apart from the queen and it clearly did it's shown on on diana constantly certainly to the exclusion of prince charles over many years her patronage of help the aged brought her to twinby hall in london's east end as with the very young diana's relationship with the elderly was particularly relaxed and open as help the ages first royal patron the princess of wales focused on the problems of the elderly worldwide the issues remained serious but it was her warmth and sense of fun which most contributed to her success even when it came to learning bingo can you cheat can you cheat on this no we don't if i believe she voiced her belief in the importance of the elderly in our society in a radio interview i enjoy enormously being a patron of this particular organisation because it teaches me how to communicate with the elderly and have their problems i certainly feel that since i've come into a public life i perhaps need a little more guidance and i know that my grandmother has got all the answers purely because she's been through some of the experiences herself and it's so important to listen to someone older because in a in a way they do know better just love them because that's what they need through her involvement with over 35 charities diana established a very distinctive role in public life she learnt the ropes very quickly from prince charles on her own she built up her personal interests and priorities she wanted to be more than a figurehead she learnt sign language as a patron of the british deaf association and researched each cause carefully so that she could give as much help as possible talking to people on a one-to-one basis helping to raise money and raise public interest her charity work was never a soft option and diana also supported initiatives on distressing social problems like drug abuse we have a battle on our hands it has to be waged on two major fronts prevention and cure as far as prevention is concerned parents and teachers are in the front line as a parent myself i'm only too aware of the responsibility this implies in terms of the kind of upbringing best suited to encourage the child to say no on home ground diana enjoyed taking the wheel of her jaguar xjs wherever she could she was a good driver with plenty of confidence but during a visit to a police training college she was keen to find out exactly what to do in a traffic emergency a senior officer volunteered to demonstrate the right technique if she had strong nerves no problem in true police style she was driven onto the practice track and taken for a quick spin laughing and unfazed she joked she might try it out on her next drive down the motorway but something she did take seriously was her great love of dance childhood lessons fostered the dream of becoming a dancer herself but as she pointed out i overshot the height by a long way despite this disappointment she practiced dance as part of an exercise routine for many years and during her engagement even asked her usual teacher and pianist to come to buckingham palace and continue lessons swimming replaced this as her regular exercise that she maintained the figure and stature of a dancer and watching rehearsals was her favorite way of spending an afternoon she channeled her enthusiasm into supporting professional ballet companies and was patron of the london city ballet the london festival ballet and the english ballet it was a perfect match of personal interest and public role on the home front she began the enjoyable task of decorating highgrove a nine-bedroomed mansion in gloucestershire charles had bought it the previous year for eight hundred thousand pounds and they set about creating a comfortable home environment away from the public eye with the help of designer dudley poplak diana concentrated on the interior while charles planned a beautiful garden on a grand scale it was an elegant country retreat in the true english tradition but for real relaxation diana was happiest on a beach the caribbean island of necca owned by millionaire businessman richard branson made an ideal holiday spot it was an island paradise where she could spend a few days away from it all with her mother mrs chand kidd and her sisters lady jane fellows and ladies sarah mccorkindale no husbands just the women folk and their children but diana's early career as a nursery school teacher was invaluable and helped expand her natural aptitude for motherhood being there with a helping hand for her two sons was an absolute priority for her they and her husband came first and all official duties had to be planned around their activities this was a rare glimpse of a royal family at play to try and create a normal as possible upbringing for their children diana and charles kept photo calls to a minimum the princes had a lifetime of public duties ahead of them and the aim was to delay the entry of the full glare of publicity until they were absolutely ready here were their two boys enjoying a spanish holiday with their parents the only difference was that half the world's press had turned up and the filming was not for a home video what she wanted was for william and harry to have a different kind of upbringing different experiences from that of his father his father had a very remote upbringing we know from charles's own words that he had an unhappy childhood that his father was tough with him that his mother was distant because she was the queen she was traveling she wasn't there he was brought up largely by his grandmother the queen mother and a succession of nannies and governances diana did not want that for william and harry and nor did nordic charles and between them they ensured those boys were given the best possible start as royal princes in life diana made headlines wherever she went her natural flair for style and fashion made her stand out on the international stage a natural performer her mere presence embodied the mystical image of royalty so essential in a modern world sadly these qualities were not enough to hold her marriage together with prince charles on many official visits she appeared in the role as the princess alone for self-assurance diana used her good looks her sense of style and fashion she matured into a strong woman capable of raising uncomfortable questions about old established institutions desperate to escape the nightmare of her unhappy marriage diana became an icon for women around the world she was in short glamorous beautiful stunning to look at she photographed magnificently and the camera loved her she couldn't really fail in front in front of the lenses and that was the principal reason that's initially the reason why she was such a huge star but then we we found out so much about her and and the public warm to her back story she seemed on the one hand um a royal princess but on the other terribly ordinary and and it sort of people identified with that hers was a magic but dangerous quality that set her apart from most other royal performers but she was also different because her vulnerability made her easy for the emotionally wounded to identify with like every other celebrity diana fed and lived on her public's emotions she wore their affection like a suit of armor she used it to defend herself against charles's uncaring attitude towards her and to win the hearts of people everywhere in the early years of family life diana felt at home in the country when her marriage broke up she lost the country home highgrove and the family life that had been her childhood ambition like their mother william and harry had become products of a broken home diana compensated by taking a dominant role in her children's lives she was concerned about the role of monarchy about the paparazzi and how that might disturb her boys and she was also very concerned that they weren't going to grow up spoiled or sort of too much within that tradition and she used to love taking them to see you know the homeless and wear the jeans and just you know go down to brass tacks i mean she was terribly concerned that they should see that side of life and she drummed into them the most amazing good manners which she herself had absolutely impeccable which is just such an asset and something i think she found rather lacking within the royal family diana had never acted shy of the press during a family holiday with friends on nevis an island in the caribbean she was aware that the media were watching but didn't let that spoil her fun she didn't exchange her bikini for a more covering swimsuit and she continued to relax with her sons despite the audience the paparazzi section of the media were a constant pressure these pushy freelance photographers knew that exclusive shots of her private family life would command high prices when they got too close however and threatened to upset her children she would immediately move to protect them there was a case in austria when they were on a skiing holiday earlier this year and the boys were suddenly found that they were crossing a street with their mother and swarms of italian paparazzi photographers suddenly leapt out of nowhere and began blazing away less than a foot away from the end of their noses and naturally the police took exception to this and began to try and beat them back and one photographer ended up on the street with an english policeman on top of him and i thought the boys handled it quite well but um they didn't show too much of a reaction although they're a bit shocked but afterwards apparently william was very very upset it took several hours for him to recover now we've noticed that william doesn't handle these the public um you know and the the media as well as harry does harry is absolutely born to be royal because nothing phases him he's got the cheeriest personality he's a great little joker and he sails through everything wonderfully well but william doesn't he's like his father he's very sensitive very thoughtful boy and he takes this all very much to heart prince william had other things on his mind like running the gauntlet of press photographers when he arrived at school at the beginning of term a short drive from kensington gets in the car and his mother said right william when we're here at the school they're going to be lots of photographers and he said in the sort of just william voice i don't like photographers right well diana said you know well you you better get used to it because this is going to be with you for the rest of your life know how true a statement was that in 1991 charles and diana took william and harry to church in toronto during a tour of canada diana taught them by her example she was much better with with people you know the common folk if you like you know she related to people on the street the man on the street she related to them she had this dialogue you know her communication was such that she'd identify she'd pick up something of somebody it might be a woman's coat or a man's pair of shoes and she would say well i like those shoes or i love that where'd you get that jacket from was it you know was it from john lewis and because we people would sort of think well yeah and off they go they start talking at the school sports day she was again there to support her sons it's an important fixture in any child's calendar a day not to be missed wetherbee's 120 boys ranged from four and a half to nine years old and were mainly from local affluent families amongst the excited crowd of parents diana was for once just another mum free of the responsibility of having to give a performance herself a day off from public duties all her thoughts were focused on harry encouraging his first competition and the race was on a natural sports woman herself diana's enthusiasm was infectious and harry ran a true course straight into his mother's waiting arms though not amongst the winners he was still carried off in triumph by his proud mum there was a strong sporting tradition on both sides of the family the windsors excelled in horsemanship the spencers in swimming and tennis prince william's race was on next and exuberant as ever the heir to the throne was on the start line raring to go william found it difficult to keep still even for a moment and there was just time for a quick dance routine to get wound up for the race but soon it was diana's turn to face some competition barefoot and jostling for position there was no royal preference it was just mother against mother but her efforts paid off a wide smile and it was a photo finish it's the first time in my life i've ever won anything like this she said free from the constraints of royal family life diana relied on an inner circle of trustworthy friends to organize her social activities during a private visit to rome in 1996 the italian press swooped on their guest following her eldest sister sarah diana ran the gauntlet friends had seen the brawl was part of these visits somehow diana kept her dignity and remained unruffled she certainly wore her royal image as a personal protection mechanism it sort of it kept off uh the attacks that she suffered uh the the slings and arrows of misfortune of her position if you like and it gave her an enhanced position in her battles with the royals despite her separation from charles princess diana continued to capture people's hearts wherever she went a polished performer and a modern-day icon for beauty and glamour she became the centerpiece for british royalty her well-groomed exterior the smiles and her frothy good humor made her arguably the most photographed woman in the world she created a mystique so powerful that her public are still unwilling to hear any criticism of her the world's media has helped sustain her exceptionally high profile she had built up an understanding relationship with the more sympathetic members of the popular press diana's stubbornness led her to ignore the warning signs of her own obsession with bodily perfection she identified with ballet dancers and actively supported the london city ballet diana suffered from the eating disorder bulimia nervosa but kept her condition a secret well when she went to see susie orback the psychotherapist who specializes in eating disorders she really began to get to grips with the psychological mechanism behind the bulimia and i think that's when she really got the insights into her early family life her childhood about her mother leaving about how that created a hunger inside her how that sort of became translated into a food addiction almost and and also her desire for control eating disorders are very much about control and diana was very self-disciplined and wanted to be in control of what was happening so her body was the first thing that she wanted to be in charge of diana had speech coaching which increased her confidence at one stage she even joked about press reports of her eating disorders patron here today i'm supposed to have my head down the loo for most of the day i'm supposed to be dragged off in a minute with men in white coats so so if it's all right with you i thought i might postpone my nervous breakdown to a more appropriate moment the number of official engagements she took increased every year underlying her growing commitment to charity work she was now involved with over 35 different covers as princess of wales she wasn't obliged to take on as much as she did but it was her genuine interest and concern that drove her increasing workload she was concerned that she was being asked to do too much and that she was facing a lot of criticism as well from the press who had taken strong views on on on her and on the marriage and she felt that if she did fewer royal engagements and concentrated on fewer charities she could better use her time but she had no wish just to be a figurehead her style was to get right down to ground level and give as much help as possible and charity work is by no means a soft option her determination to combat such problems as drug abuse aids and alcoholism had shown she was not afraid to work at the sharp end of social problems the issues were serious but she kept a sense of perspective it was her warmth and sense of fun that people remembered most from her visits diana was always welcome in america where her hosts valued her presence to help raise funds for their pet charities she appreciated recognition for her achievements and her charity work and in 1995 she was presented with a humanitarian of the year award by statesman henry kissinger she was tremendously fond of people like kissinger adored sitting next to him at dinner they got on like a house on fire you see this is the thing that diana appreciated somebody who could not be so withdrawn with her or shy of her but somebody who could sort of just connect with her for those such as the homeless at the west london mission life would certainly have been much greater if diana had decided not to return ladies and gentlemen it is a great pleasure to be here with you sharing in your successes of the past year when i started my public life 12 years ago i understood the media might be interested in what i did i realized then their attention would inevitably focus on both our private and public lives but i was not aware of how overwhelming that attention would become nor the extent to which it would affect both my public duties and my personal life in a manner that's been hard to bear at the end of this year when i've completed my diary of official engagements i will be reducing the extent of the public life i've led so far obviously i attach great importance to my charity work and i intend to focus on a smaller range of areas in the future over the next few months i will be seeking a more suitable way of combining a meaningful public role with hopefully a more private life my first priority will continue to be our children william and harry who deserve as much love and care and attention as i am able to give as well as an appreciation of the tradition into which they were born i would like to add that this decision has been reached with a full understanding of the queen and the duke of edinburgh who have always shown me kindness and support i hope you can find it in your hearts to understand and to give me the time and space that has been lacking in recent years i couldn't stand here today and make this sort of statement without acknowledging the heartfelt support i've been given by the public in general your kindness and affection has carried me through some of the most difficult periods and always your love and care has eased that journey and for that i thank you from the bottom of my heart i think she sought outlets where she could find fulfillment and she found fulfillment in in helping the most impoverished of people in a way she targeted these charities which were deliberately not popular with other members of the royal family illnesses which other royals steered away from we think of her in aids we think of her and leprosy and of course we think of her with the landmines campaign by visiting the killing fields of angola diana was able to draw the world's attention to the millions of unexploded landmines still taking their toll on the young and the innocent in a country trying to pick itself up from a long and bloody civil war going to angola getting involved in a campaign to clear land mines well not only was it incredibly dangerous it was also very political it did put diana on the political map in a way that really worried um the royal family and courtiers but diana didn't care she knew that we needed to get rid of land mines and actually 20 years on um her campaign the campaign that she started has been hugely successful and very interestingly i think it's very poignant that prince harry has continued diana's legacy to ridge the world of landmines he's just launched a campaign to rid the world of landmines by 2025. well that's the sort of thing that diana would have done and he is doing that so diana's legacy and her work with her charities it lives on through her children because they've scooped up those causes and continuing her good work despite criticism from politicians at home diana continued her efforts and ignored suggestions she'd become a loose cannon within the treatment do you cope with the psychological side of it as well barring she wanted to show the world the reality of landmines i think she was trying to make a big contrast from the days of the royal state tours when she would be dressed up with the hats and the outfits and the ladies and waiting and i think she just reveled in the fact that we're coming into the sort of into the 90s and this feeling of dressing down of being simple and really getting on with the job but she was still incredibly chic yeah i'm only trying to highlight a problem that's going on all around the world that's all it had a huge impact that campaign she only made two visits one to to angola and one to bosnia shortly before her death and she would have done more she was going to go to vietnam for example later in that year 97 and for a long time afterwards uh the campaign stalled and without her forceful publicity and her sheer personality behind it campaigners found they had a really a tough road to hold in north london chicken shed is a performing arts charity with access to young people of all abilities it was set up in 1974 when princess diana became its royal patron its fundraising rose substantially at the time no other member of the royal family could have had such an impact on the charity's fundraising activities her decision to focus on fewer causes during her lifetime meant some smaller less well-known charities were inevitably left with a large fundraising hole tactile and spontaneous diana brought her unique charm and tenderness to support an environment created to fit those taking part rather than the other way chicken shed was one of her favorite charities in her absence chicken sheds fundraising events and galas still have a celebrity status and provide a window for young talent musicians and songwriters but there's no denying that diana's support for chicken shed is sadly missed chicken shed is probably one of the charities that really does miss diana's patronage because they don't have a royal affiliation anymore if you look at center point for example that was the first charity that william took on as a patron after his mother died chicken shed was hugely important to diana it was helping children in need it was getting them on the stage to dance to perform to bring some happiness into their lives it really really resonated with her but i think of all the charities it's probably the one that misses a royal patron the most in august 1982 diana attended the wedding of her good friend and former flatmate carolyn pride to william bartholomew she kept strong links with old friends who knew her as lady diana spencer in the days before her extraordinary and troubled life as the princess of wales these friends knew a side of diana that the public did not see she felt wanted to go and visit some of the down and outs under the arches at charing cross and it wasn't picked up by the press because it was the sort of thing that she didn't want publicity for she didn't think that they would want her there if they knew she was coming and she felt very much she wanted to put herself over in her own right and that's why she went and as far as i know the press never picked it up how would diana's friends and former flatmates remember her firstly as a friend and then i remember her as a princess as we all will i will also remember her as a very loyal mature steadfast strong person one of diana's closest friends was rosa moncton in december 1993 rosa asked diana to turn on the christmas lights in london's bond street where she ran the famous jewelry shop tiffany she recalls the extent of diana's loyal friendship where she supplied endless efforts of comfort and support as a friend she was a complete stalwart she stood by me through some very difficult times and it's in compassion not not just for her friends but but for other people and it was a compassion that not a compassion that politicians have that has switched on and off it was a genuine compassion that welled up from her heart diana was godmother to rosa's daughter dominica born with down syndrome rosa remembers diana's kindness she was absolutely extraordinary she was again just stood by me supported me let me rant and rave and he let me go through all the things i needed to do about not being able to cope and she said listen i'm going to be there for her for you forever and of course she's not she had the most incredible level of compassion and she was not afraid of illness or sickness or death and the other thing was about diana was that she felt particularly with a terminally ill that it was very honest and that there was nothing left to lose and so people lost their shyness so she could really talk to them and she was quite remarkable and it was her intuition that guided her on every front i mean one might say the only time she actually lost her intuition was getting in that car on that fateful night with with dodie their lives ended in tragedy for diana the bright day was done she left behind a lifetime of memories knight had fallen forever on the world's most adored princess an unforgettable chapter of british history had tragically come to an end what would diana have made of the unforgettable scenes at her funeral i think she would have been so touched i'm sure that those would have been the words she would use um completely overwhelmed by the level because she never believed that people loved her she i mean she was you know the queen of hearts and yet uh love was something that she was in search of she never really realized the extent to which people loved her i think the only way to sum up darling's legacy is to say bring on william and harry i mean they are clearly her legacy um they are everything that was good about diana is shining out from those two boys and i think the monarchy is in very good hands going forward with those two around i mean on a wider note i'd say that diana's legacy was to change the way the monarchy have approached the people in the last 20 years it has become much less formal the queen is doing things she wouldn't have dreamt of doing um 20 years before diana's death it is much less conventional there's much less flummery about it and it's more approachable and i think probably that is in tune with the times that we live in in the knowledge that her work with her charities lives on through her children princess diana rests in peace they've scooped up those causes and continue to do their mother's good work you

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Length: 50min 19sec (3019 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 22 2020