To Jonathan,
Just hours after Princess Diana's death, mourners outside Buckingham Palace and her Kensington Palace home declared they would never forget her.
The cards laid alongside the flowers paid tribute to her warmth, her beauty and her love for suffering people throughout the world. Some called her the jewel in the crown, others enthusiastically dubbed her a saint.
Several mourners doubted whether the Royal Family would survive without Diana - who, although forced on to the fringes, remained the most popular member of the clan.
And many of the stunned and shocked figures who flocked to pay their respects to the Princess said they would miss her terribly, but that her memory would live on in their minds.
Like Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Eva Peron, Diana's untimely death will ensure that her life is quickly promoted to legend status.
The Princess's legacy has many facets, but primarily she will be remembered for the taboos she broke within the Royal Family, her commitment to her charities, her almost flawless style, and her campaigning spirit.
ROYAL FAMILY
If Prince Charles hoped for a docile and conforming wife when he selected Diana as his bride, he was to be disappointed.
Whilst Diana did an enormous amount to enhance the popularity of Royal Family throughout the world, she achieved it by rebelling against the traditions and the very fabric of the institution.
And royal commentators remain divided over whether her presence served ultimately to strengthen or weaken the monarchy.
Aside from the constitutional impact of the emotional traumas and famous infidelities tied up with her marriage to Britain's heir, Diana's association with the Windsors irrevocably changed the nature of British royalty.
Her willingness to embrace the people of Britain - quite literally - made her an instant success. Abandoning the absurdly reserved approach to the public favoured by her royal peers, she often swapped formal handshake routines for informal chats and jokes, spontaneous visits to homes and hospitals, and hugs, cuddles and kisses for children and adults alike.
"It is important not to under-estimate the value of simple things - hugs for example," she once said.
Importantly, Diana managed to retain an air of dignity throughout - unlike her unfortunate sister-in-law the Duchess of York, whose informality often ended up offending rather than endearing.
Diana's openness also contrasted sharply with the tight-lipped behaviour of many other royals. She shocked her new family with revelations about her emotional misery which were passed on to the press. Later she was quite willing to discuss the collapse of her marriage on prime-time television.
MOTHERHOOD
Diana broke the mould as a royal mother and her determination that her sons' childhoods would be as normal as possible will also form part of her legacy.
She disliked the stuffier side of the royal upbringing that Charles favoured - the archaic hunting, shooting and fishing style of the Windsors' Balmoral retreat.
Instead she favoured a modern approach to motherhood, dispensing with decorum in all relations with her sons.
She made sure they changed out of their formal royal uniforms when they were out with her, dressing them in the most fashionable jeans and baseball caps and indulged them with trips to theme parks and cinemas, unheard of in the Windsor tradition.
At her insistence, her boys, even when young, were not educated in the confines of a palace but at school with other boys of their age.
Most importantly, she felt she had an important duty to fulfil in guiding them in their future roles. Not afraid of controversy, she surprised the Establishment by introducing them at an early age to hostels for the homeless and AIDS sufferers.
STYLE
Spurning the country bumpkin dress-code of frumpier royal rivals, Diana used her good looks and natural sense of style to captivate all who met her.
She avoided the safe matching suits and hats worn on official engagements by fellow royals. From an early stage she focused on creating a strong impression with her wardrobe.
Increasingly reluctant to be seen as a clothes horse, Diana demonstrated her boredom for the incessant analysis of her image when she sold 79 of her dresses earlier this year. But she knew the value of her allure - the attention it attracted made her powerful and helped her to promote her campaigns and charities.
Perfectly turned out on all her official engagements, Diana - unlike so many royals - managed to couple the correctness of her attire with stunning glamour.
Just as the Jackie Onassis look remains unforgotten, Diana's various styles will endure - from the famous Lady Di hairdo of the early 1980s to the more sophisticated simple suits and understated evening dresses that epitomised her recent tastes.
CHARITIES
Diana took royal charity work into a new dimension. Rather than confining herself to cutting ribbons and launching ships, she put her heart into her charity work.
Her patronage was a vital asset for all the charities she represented. She combined a high profile, guaranteeing press attention, with apparent warmth and sincerity. Her ability to relate, on a personal scale, to the suffering was unprecedented for a royal patron.
At the peak of her activity she was associated with about 150 charities in all, and was patron or president of 69 charities in this country and 12 overseas.
She retained close links with six charities after severing ties with the others last year during her divorce proceedings.
Those charities which benefited from her support have expressed despondency at her death, but hope that they will continue to reap the benefits of her support and that the legacy of her work will endure.
CAMPAIGNS
As well as a high-profile charity figurehead, Diana was also a committed campaigner and her influence in these spheres also promises to live on.
Her personal involvement in campaigns for Aids patients to be treated more humanely was extremely successful, won her much love in the worldwide gay community and marked the forging of a new more serious public role.
Later her revelations about bulimia and self-harming illnesses brought these neglected issues to the forefront of public consciousness and shattered another taboo.
Homelessness was another issue she worked hard to address.
Most recently her support for a worldwide ban of anti-personnel landmines gave the cause a much-needed boost. Her death looks set to provide fresh impetus to the campaign.
More than 400 delegates from 100 countries have now begun talks in Oslo on a treaty to ban the mines that kill or maim 25,000 people a year.
A senior French politician suggested any agreement should be called the Princess Diana Treaty. Her campaigning legacy lives on.
HARLEY.
PS.A very sad story. |
