Diana...Britain's Elvis???

[Duch_Luver_4ever]

Priscilla Presley, 72, says Elvis was 'really alone' | Daily Mail Online

I wasnt a big elvis fan, liked the song well enough, but wasnt a big fan, but found this while scanning the DM and thought it interesting that he died 20 yrs before Diana, and reading the article it made me think of some of the similarities in their lives.

What are your thoughts?

[sandy]

Well for one thing, both anniversaries of their deaths are commemorated. The 40th is a special one for Elvis and the 20th special for Diana. They both died young. Graceland is the spot for commemorations. Kensington Palace has been the place of commemoration for Diana.

[Curryong]

Elvis wasn't really my generation's idol, but he had a magnificent voice, IMO. He and Diana's lives followed similar projecteries in some ways, but of course Elvis achieved world wide celebrity through talent and rose from a poverty stricken background while Diana was a peer's daughter who married into a very old institution, enlivened and refreshed it and herself became iconic largely through media exposure. They were both greatly loved and admired but I do think the last years of their lives shows that the unprecedented level of fame they enjoyed does the individuals at the centre of it no good at all.

[TLLK]

They were both greatly loved and admired but I do think the last years of their lives shows that the unprecedented level of fame they enjoyed does the individuals at the centre of it no good at all.

:goodpost:@Curryong-I think this sums it up for me as well.

[amabel]

I can't see any resemblance at all.. except that in botht cases they did become isolated from reality and to an extent from real frendships.  Elvis more than Diana, who did have  loyal friends whereas I feel that all poor Elvis seemed tot have were hangers on.
But there are plenty of people who are very famous, who are grounded and sensible and don't let it damage their "real lives"....

[sandy]

Elvis was involved with drugs. Diana was not.

[Duch_Luver_4ever]

Now my elvis knowledge pales to my diana knowledge, but i mean things like bursting on the scene like gangbusters, breaking the rules/being a rebel, defining style/fashion, both had a "comeback" Elvis had his comeback special, after bowing out of the limelight, Diana had either the doc special about her year off or panorama, depending on your outlook as hers, both had turbulent personal lives filled with deep seated issues around their early lives and fame, with the end showing a lot of the ill effects of that.

Early deaths, in the same month, 20 yrs apart, then a post death association with a particular place with people making pilgrimages to see it over the years with a lively memorabilia trade.

There are probably more my lack of elvis knowledge has obscured me.

[Curryong]

I think Elvis did have issues with food too, whether it was depression, laziness, worry about his career or just being spoiled, he grew extremely fat in those last years of his life. Because of his background I doubt he had much nutritional knowledge but surely he must have known that ordering platefuls of toasted deep fried bacon and banana buns in the middle of the night wasn't going to do him any good physically!  He was fairly athletic in his younger days but unlike Diana never attended gyms or swam in a pool.

The great love of Elvis's life was his mother, who left him suddenly, dying when she was 42. Like her son she had weight issues, and she drank more than was good for her out of loneliness. There was a profoundly deep bond between Elvis and his mum, and Priscilla Presley called Gladys 'the great love' of Elvis's life. So, for both Elvis and Diana, prior events in their lives seemed to ensure that they were destined never to reach true love and contentment with a happy family life of their own.

[Duch_Luver_4ever]

good point @Curryong  I forgot that one, I do recall Cybill Sheppard in an interview one time when she was seeing Elvis he said all he had left was food, sad really someone at the top of the world at one point only having food to comfort him (especially if you google what CS looked like in the 70s  )

Elvis kind of serves as a dark example of some of what Diana may have had to face in later years if things didnt go well. I dont mean to say shed become overweight, but had she lived, the years of intrusion, made even easier with smartphones, etc. worrying about who was friend or foe, and the relentless way theyd have tried to tear her down when her looks were no longer at her prime would have driven her to dark despair if she hadnt found that happy family life, which was looking less and less likely.

[royalanthropologist]

Diana was going to face a lot of challenges as she grew older.  For a start, she would be held to such a high standard of sexual morality that she was bound to fail anyway. Women who think they can out compete their husbands in sexual exploits are lying to themselves. Society is set up in such a way that a man who has many romantic relationships is perceived very differently from a woman that does.

Then there would be the internet and social media. She would be mercilessly mocked and trolled by thousands of anonymous people. The C&C marriage would also pose significant challenges for her because she would watch in dismay as Camilla systematically took what should have been hers as Prince Charles' wife.

I also think there would be tensions with the children when they found new families. Diana could be quite protective and possessive about "her boys". She used to constantly ask them "who loves you most in the world?". The entrance of the Middleton matriarch might have created a new form of granny competition.

Then there was a risk of another messy divorce or a series of divorces/failed romantic relationships. All the while Charles and his camp would be saying...."I told you so".

In the last few months of her life Diana was trying to forge a new identity and independence but the old ghosts kept coming back to haunt her. She was still traumatized by the divorce and rejection by Charles. That meant she spent far more time thinking about what C&C were doing than they spent thinking about her. The 50th birthday celebration for Camilla just served to show her that the past had not yet been completely exorcised.

[Curryong]

Well, the past certainly hasn't been completely exorcised for Charles and Camilla, as this last few weeks have shown, lol. Diana still haunts them as she did their past and will in their future. The Internet is by no means kind to Charles and certainly not to Cam. There's the 25th anniversary of Diana's death coming up in the next five years so they aren't clear of her yet!

True, the Internet age with its endless gossip sites may well not have been kind. However, blog sites venerate and admire as well as denigrate and make fun. Diana has sites on the Internet still, discussing her fashion, jewellery and life. There are Diana threads around on every major Royal forum.

I don't know why you predict that her life in the 2000s would be an unmitigated disaster. Diana was loved for her charity work and the way she approached things and people would continue to admire that, I have no doubt.

Diana would, I'm absolutely sure, shine as a grandmother, whether she was married or not, and might very well have got on with Kate and with her mother. There relationship needed necessarily have been negative at all. And with two grandmothers and one grandfather adoring the grandchildren Charles might very well find himself more on the outer with them than he does now.

Diana wouldn't adhere to protocol and wait for her son's and their families to come to her as Charles apparently does. It would be as William described, swooping fun filled visits. She would probably thoroughly enjoy it all.

[sandy]

Had she lived, Diana would have been a doting mother and grandmother. Elvis had he lived would have had several grandchildren that he could have doted on.

Diana was no just some divorcee who just lived on the money and did nothing. She was just beginning to carve out a new role for herself in charity work and causes.
Double post auto-merged: August 18, 2017, 11:14:24 AM

Diana was going to face a lot of challenges as she grew older.  For a start, she would be held to such a high standard of sexual morality that she was bound to fail anyway. Women who think they can out compete their husbands in sexual exploits are lying to themselves. Society is set up in such a way that a man who has many romantic relationships is perceived very differently from a woman that does.

Then there would be the internet and social media. She would be mercilessly mocked and trolled by thousands of anonymous people. The C&C marriage would also pose significant challenges for her because she would watch in dismay as Camilla systematically took what should have been hers as Prince Charles' wife.

I also think there would be tensions with the children when they found new families. Diana could be quite protective and possessive about "her boys". She used to constantly ask them "who loves you most in the world?". The entrance of the Middleton matriarch might have created a new form of granny competition.

Then there was a risk of another messy divorce or a series of divorces/failed romantic relationships. All the while Charles and his camp would be saying...."I told you so".

In the last few months of her life Diana was trying to forge a new identity and independence but the old ghosts kept coming back to haunt her. She was still traumatized by the divorce and rejection by Charles. That meant she spent far more time thinking about what C&C were doing than they spent thinking about her. The 50th birthday celebration for Camilla just served to show her that the past had not yet been completely exorcised.

Social media is here and DIana is not 'mocked' and made fun of. There are many sites that discuss her life and her children. She is still the media darling of People Magazine and still makes the covers. Camilla was in a feature article in People that seemed to have gone over like a lead balloon.  There were no letters published about it in the next issue, favorable or unfavorable (and maybe there were just too many unfavorable letters).

I think it would have been great for CHarlotte and George to have another grandparent alive to dote on them and adore them. I don't see any sort of "competition" for them.  To me it would have been a plus for all concerned.

Diana did not act like a "traumatized woman." Charles was and is not "all that." IN the documentaries those who knew her well commented on their seeing her very happy and optimistic. They were there and they would know.

DIana was in a long term marriage to Charles (10 years before separation and another 4 before divorce) I doubt she'd be another Zsa Zsa Gabor going from husband to husband.  She would not rush into a marriage that way. Why is it seen that a woman is only a success if she "has a man."   Diana was not just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring after the divorce, she had her children, her charity work, and causes to work for. She won an award her last year for humanitarianism, won the admiration of Mandela for her work, she donated her iconic gowns to charity and called attention to the anti landmine campaign. Hardly the actions of a woman who only depended on a man for validation.

If Charles and his people said "I told you so" and wished Diana would be a miserable failure, I say he's more tasteless and tacky than I thought him. His life is no utopia and he and his second wife are not universally liked.

[royalanthropologist]

Believe me @sandy and @Curryong; the reception to Diana's confessionals could be quite brutal. People would start to poke holes in her story and she did not have the internal resources to deal with rejection. That was always her weak spot. She had to be loved and be loved completely/unquestioningly in order to feel comfortable in any relationship. Any hint of dislike on the other side would be met with emotional outbursts and even more clingy behavior. Diana would not be able to deal with a fraction of the stuff that C&C have weathered.

I also happen to think that the notion that Diana is haunting C&C is just wishful thinking. They have never rated or considered her feelings ever. Not when she was alive and certainly not when she is dead.  I doubt any of Diana's confessions and revelations affected their relationship in any way or moved them at all.

You only have to listen to Camilla's alleged description of Diana to realize that she really was not that important to them. And of course Camilla was always absolutely certain that there was nothing that Diana could do to take Charles away from her. Even a Church wedding, the anger of a nation and the disapproval of senior members of the royal family was not enough.

During her lifetime,  Diana was always second best to Camilla in his affections and attentions. That trend continued throughout their relationship. It was why Camilla was the third person and why she bothered Diana so much. Now that Diana is dead, that particular rivalry has ended. The hopes that it can be revived with Diana hovering over the second marriage is wishful thinking.

The comments on sites like the DM are good for venting but they do not really touch C&C in any way. They neither listen to them or rate them that highly. As far as Charles is concerned, the media is scum and he no longer even bothers to read papers.

Curryong says something that is very indicative of the kind of mindset that would continue to haunt Diana:

"And with two grandmothers and one grandfather adoring the grandchildren Charles might very well find himself more on the outer with them than he does now."

The Prince of Wales can never be an "outer" to his own children or grand children. Charles is not being starved of company.  If he really wanted to push the matter, the kids would come and see him. The Middletons were said to be horrified at the suggestion that they may be preventing the Prince of Wales from seeing his grand children.  The notion that he is going to be excluded is not going to happen. First because of his position (he actually pays most of the bills for the family) and secondly because Charles has a good relationship with his sons (against all odds, expectations and hopes of those that dislike Charles)

In any case Charles was never in competition about who was a better parent or grand parent. William and Harry a good relationship with their father. Their body language does not lie. It is some people who are desperately hoping that there is some kind of strife or that Charles is going to be punished by being denied access to his grand children. That is not going to happen.  Grand children tend to spend more time with the maternal side than the paternal side. That is what happens in most families and that is what is happening now. Charles has a very formal court that does not really lend itself to young kids.

In any case  as recent revelations have shown; Charles is not starved of company or grand children to interact with. Camilla's grand children visit and according to reports, he is able to interact with them. Charles always has the choice to do as fits him. His sons have no intention of harming, embarrassing or isolating him. Diana may have wished for that to happen as part of her revenge plan but it is not going to happen.

[Curryong]

The idea that Charles and Camilla's adultery is something to be praised is indefensible. And Camilla so sure of Charles's love and return that she sat there like a black widow spider, spinning her web and biding her time, only increasing my complete and utter contempt for her if that's possible. I didn't think it was possible but perhaps it is. Completely amoral, immoral, arrogant about another's rights to their own husband, ruthless and contemptuous. Especially as she called Charles's wife epithets like 'mad cow,' and compared their physiques. Yes, a great model, that one! And yet Diana gets dissected by you for every flaw!

Charles and Camilla's apologist, Penny Junor, doesn't agree with you, by the way. Her line in the new bio is that Camilla really urged Charles to marry Diana and stated that she was going to mend her marriage to Andrew. Hardly fits in with she knew she always came first and all she had to do was wait, the version I believe. (While white-anting the marriage as much as she could from the outside of course.)

You always like to say this couple are so high minded and above it all that they don't care what others say about them. If that was true there wouldn't have been any need for Mark Bolland to attempt to rehabilitate their reputations with the British public through the media that Charles affects to despise so much.

And as for not letting anything affect the two of them, it sure did at the time of Diana's death. Camilla had to keep a low profile for weeks, even months, not able to be seen with Charles because of public and media reaction. (Recalling that was one of my favourite parts of the book, actually.) And Diana's death may very well have delayed their marriage even further than after the QM's death.

Plus, if you don't think that CH doesn't plant or feed stories in the tabloid media about Charles and Camilla with their knowledge and consent, I've got a bridge to sell you. So much for his so-called high mindedness!

We won't know the true extent of the Cambridges' relationship with Charles until William becomes completely financially independent as Prince of Wales. If he sees them a lot there's certainly no evidence of it in the outside world. There have been photos and Twitter and reports of Carole taking William places but not Charles, who didn't even bother to turn up to his first grandchild's birthday parties. You know where he was on George's first birthday? Inspecting a red squirrel sanctuary in another part of England! Yes, a truly devoted grandfather is Charles, lol!

[dianab]

In any case Charles was never in competition about who was a better parent or grand parent. William and Harry a good relationship with their father. Their body language does not lie. It is some people who are desperately hoping that there is some kind of strife or that Charles is going to be punished by being denied access to his grand children. That is not going to happen.  Grand children tend to spend more time with the maternal side than the paternal side. That is what happens in most families and that is what is happening now. Charles has a very formal court that does not really lend itself to young kids.

In any case  as recent revelations have shown; Charles is not starved of company or grand children to interact with. Camilla's grand children visit and according to reports, he is able to interact with them. Charles always has the choice to do as fits him. His sons have no intention of harming, embarrassing or isolating him. Diana may have wished for that to happen as part of her revenge plan but it is not going to happen.

Disagree. I dont think there's any evidence William likes or has a good relationship with his father. IMO tell William has a good relationship with his father or charles could see his grandkids when he likes is pure speculation/wishful thinking. The fact Harry has never mentioned Charles as a source of emotional support in last 20 years says enough.

[sandy]

I agree. I think the boys are polite to Camilla but it was never a  love fest. I also think that the relationship between Charles and his sons is not all that close. William has adopted the Middletons and Harry has his own life.

[TLLK]

"The Elvis Dress"

The Elvis Dress | Walker, Catherine | V&A Search the Collections

[sandy]

Believe me @sandy and @Curryong; the reception to Diana's confessionals could be quite brutal. People would start to poke holes in her story and she did not have the internal resources to deal with rejection. That was always her weak spot. She had to be loved and be loved completely/unquestioningly in order to feel comfortable in any relationship. Any hint of dislike on the other side would be met with emotional outbursts and even more clingy behavior. Diana would not be able to deal with a fraction of the stuff that C&C have weathered.

I also happen to think that the notion that Diana is haunting C&C is just wishful thinking. They have never rated or considered her feelings ever. Not when she was alive and certainly not when she is dead.  I doubt any of Diana's confessions and revelations affected their relationship in any way or moved them at all.

You only have to listen to Camilla's alleged description of Diana to realize that she really was not that important to them. And of course Camilla was always absolutely certain that there was nothing that Diana could do to take Charles away from her. Even a Church wedding, the anger of a nation and the disapproval of senior members of the royal family was not enough.

During her lifetime,  Diana was always second best to Camilla in his affections and attentions. That trend continued throughout their relationship. It was why Camilla was the third person and why she bothered Diana so much. Now that Diana is dead, that particular rivalry has ended. The hopes that it can be revived with Diana hovering over the second marriage is wishful thinking.

The comments on sites like the DM are good for venting but they do not really touch C&C in any way. They neither listen to them or rate them that highly. As far as Charles is concerned, the media is scum and he no longer even bothers to read papers.

Curryong says something that is very indicative of the kind of mindset that would continue to haunt Diana:

"And with two grandmothers and one grandfather adoring the grandchildren Charles might very well find himself more on the outer with them than he does now."

The Prince of Wales can never be an "outer" to his own children or grand children. Charles is not being starved of company.  If he really wanted to push the matter, the kids would come and see him. The Middletons were said to be horrified at the suggestion that they may be preventing the Prince of Wales from seeing his grand children.  The notion that he is going to be excluded is not going to happen. First because of his position (he actually pays most of the bills for the family) and secondly because Charles has a good relationship with his sons (against all odds, expectations and hopes of those that dislike Charles)

In any case Charles was never in competition about who was a better parent or grand parent. William and Harry a good relationship with their father. Their body language does not lie. It is some people who are desperately hoping that there is some kind of strife or that Charles is going to be punished by being denied access to his grand children. That is not going to happen.  Grand children tend to spend more time with the maternal side than the paternal side. That is what happens in most families and that is what is happening now. Charles has a very formal court that does not really lend itself to young kids.

In any case  as recent revelations have shown; Charles is not starved of company or grand children to interact with. Camilla's grand children visit and according to reports, he is able to interact with them. Charles always has the choice to do as fits him. His sons have no intention of harming, embarrassing or isolating him. Diana may have wished for that to happen as part of her revenge plan but it is not going to happen.

Prince Charles confirmed much what Diana said via Dimbleby. In fact, Dimbleby used the Morton book as a reference!

From what I read, Charles does not like having small children around and it was because of this that Camilla uses her Raymill residence to spend time with her children and grandchildren. THey also have a living grandfather in APB and I doubt CHarles would try to "take over" his role.

Diana never said she wanted to "isolate" the children from Charles. Ever.  She and Charles were going on appearances together on occasions involving their sons and they shared custody.  Had she lived, the same arrangements would have taken place.

what have Charles and Camilla exactly "weathered." Charles was always in charge and she in the driver's seat when it came to Diana. Charles was never in any danger of losing his title and Camilla is so nervy I doubt any criticism bothers her. Her solution was to have her story spun by people like Penny Junor, who trashed Diana in the process. Camilla even played "victim" saying she could not leave the house. Camilla wanted the role of mistress to the PRince of Wales so she was no "victim." Not by a longshot. Camilla was married to another man for some of the time she was involved with Charles (beginning in the late seventies). Her husband was amenable to it so she did not even "weather" her husband making scenes over it. Charles named Camilla which benefited her because it was inevitable then that he would "have to do something about her" as her father phrased it.  Camilla is a tough as nails woman and anybody who could undermine another woman for years with no remorse is no victim.

Camilla's behavior is nothing to praise. She was not the wife, she was the mistress  her gloating that Charles cared more for her than his wife is just despicable. IMO
Double post auto-merged: August 18, 2017, 03:30:45 PM

The idea that Charles and Camilla's adultery is something to be praised is indefensible. And Camilla so sure of Charles's love and return that she sat there like a black widow spider, spinning her web and biding her time, only increasing my complete and utter contempt for her if that's possible. I didn't think it was possible but perhaps it is. Completely amoral, immoral, arrogant about another's rights to their own husband, ruthless and contemptuous. Especially as she called Charles's wife epithets like 'mad cow,' and compared their physiques. Yes, a great model, that one! And yet Diana gets dissected by you for every flaw!

Charles and Camilla's apologist, Penny Junor, doesn't agree with you, by the way. Her line in the new bio is that Camilla really urged Charles to marry Diana and stated that she was going to mend her marriage to Andrew. Hardly fits in with she knew she always came first and all she had to do was wait, the version I believe. (While white-anting the marriage as much as she could from the outside of course.)

You always like to say this couple are so high minded and above it all that they don't care what others say about them. If that was true there wouldn't have been any need for Mark Bolland to attempt to rehabilitate their reputations with the British public through the media that Charles affects to despise so much.

And as for not letting anything affect the two of them, it sure did at the time of Diana's death. Camilla had to keep a low profile for weeks, even months, not able to be seen with Charles because of public and media reaction. (Recalling that was one of my favourite parts of the book, actually.) And Diana's death may very well have delayed their marriage even further than after the QM's death.

Plus, if you don't think that CH doesn't plant or feed stories in the tabloid media about Charles and Camilla with their knowledge and consent, I've got a bridge to sell you. So much for his so-called high mindedness!

We won't know the true extent of the Cambridges' relationship with Charles until William becomes completely financially independent as Prince of Wales. If he sees them a lot there's certainly no evidence of it in the outside world. There have been photos and Twitter and reports of Carole taking William places but not Charles, who didn't even bother to turn up to his first grandchild's birthday parties. You know where he was on George's first birthday? Inspecting a red squirrel sanctuary in another part of England! Yes, a truly devoted grandfather is Charles, lol!

I agree if they were so secure and did not care what people thought, Junor would not have been so overpraising of Camilla "the savior of the monarchy" and making up more ugly stories about Diana. And if they did not care, Charles could have started dating Camilla openly within a short time after his late ex was buried.  It took years for the rehabilitation campaign by Bolland.

[Duch_Luver_4ever]

Im kinda sorry i made this thread, I just thought there was some interesting similarities in their life and spacing of the time of death in history, and its going down the old worn out road again, after we made some progress on the board, can we put down the swords for a few weeks  :flower:

[amabel]

what similarities in their lives?  They were completely different people with different lives.  Elvis was a simple minded soul from the South who had an extraordinary talent, but not much brain and he did't have the ability to truly cope with his fame and wealth. He died young because he was leading a lonely unhealthy life, taking pills and oever eating... not feeling able to trust many people.. with few close relationships.

[royalanthropologist]

Don't regret your thread @Duch_Luver_4ever. It raises an interesting prospect.

I think that Diana would have become a a bit jaded like Elvis. Even in death they are united by a thriving conspiracy theory industry. They both had so much but it did not end very well. Of course their legacies would have their glorious moments but people would also talk about the fall from grace as well as the personal weaknesses.

Of course Diana would not turn to binge eating like Elvis but there would be other demons to contend with including constant loneliness and a feeling of emptiness (something that seemed to have traveled with her all her life). The perceptions of Diana would also have evolved into a much more mixed picture than when she was a virginal bride.  Just before her death, the press was beginning to seriously critique the choices that Diana had made in her post-divorce life. Had she not died tragically and so young, those criticisms would continue.

For Diana, I think the responses on this thread demonstrate the problem that she would have faced. Many of her dedicated fans are fighting a battle ( a losing one in my opinion) of keeping her legacy and version of events intact. Social media would soon put paid to that. Opinions about celebrities are more democratized than ever. People have different opinions and are not afraid to share them.

There would be people who would not believe in the tale of an innocent loving wife who was used, abused, betrayed and cast away by her evil husband and his mistress. The anger that some people feel against anyone that challenges that narrative on these threads would be multiplied exponentially in Diana's mind. She who always needed approval and attention would find it difficult to accept that there were members of the public who were either not completely convinced by her story or who found her irritating. The rejection would be a repeat of what Charles did not her...just saying no and refusing to be convinced. 

All the things that Diana could get away with in the 1980s and 1990s would now be subjected to very harsh criticism. Already her wronged woman narrative was beginning to lose its shine and continues to do so. Outside the royal family, she was vulnerable. Her inability to let go of the last embers of her marriage would continue to influence her behavior (and not in a positive way).

She would want to upstage, explain and sabotage Charles for a long period or until she finally realized that hate  takes more from the one that hates than from the one that is hated. Plus the ageing that comes to us all would mean that she would no longer be the most photographed or talked about woman in the world. The causes that she was championing such as the abolishing of land mines would also put her in the cross hairs of some political factions that can be quite ruthless when taking down an opponent.  I think that it would not have been a quiet retirement but one filled with drama and lots of "incidents".

[sandy]

I don't think Diana would be jaded. She had her sons and would have had grandchildren she adored.  I did not see many criticisms of Diana in the last year. She was praised. In fact there was a People Magazine cover "Cash Versus Class", Fergie was "cash" for peddling her book and Diana was "Class" for the landmine campaign. She won praise for selling her gowns for Charity and got an award. Those who could not stand her would always be criticizing her, but for the most part she was praised and there was no 'heavy criticism". Diana did not up and marry Dodi for one thing, they were dating. His father was a friend of her father's it's not as if she called him randomly. I don't see any losing battle. Charles himself confirmed  some Morton book stories via his biographer Dimbleby. Charles admitted that he married Diana preferring Camilla. 

Heart and Commerce

Diana had moved on she was a divorcee and she spent most of her last two years dating Dr. Khan. She was not sitting home pining over Charles.

Charles to this day is friendly with Junor and others who bash Diana.

Everybody ages. Diana took care of herself and did not smoke or drink and exercised and was on a health regimen. Chances are she would be looking fantastic had she been alive today. Being in her fifties would not make her "over the hill."

Those she visited in 1997 re: Landmines had nothing but good things to say about her.

Diana never said she 'hated" Charles. I do think Camilla had nothing but contempt for her.

[royalanthropologist]

I actually think that there is a lot more criticism of Diana today than was there in 1996. Likewise there was a lot more criticism in the 1990s than the early 1980s. Diana may have looked after her body and image, but she would no longer be what she was. For someone who thrived on attention and visibility, the move to the second row of society would have been tough. There would be no celebrities who were younger and perhaps even more beautiful or even more accomplished.

The other thing to consider is the fact that Diana would no longer be a queen in waiting would mean that she would not quite enjoy the grand dame prestige of someone like that QM. Of course her stock would have risen when William ascended the throne, but before that she would have to accept a downgrade in her status from what she was when married to Charles.

The more I read, the more I realize that Diana never actually got over Charles or the divorce at all. Even in the last weeks of her life, she was still trying to send messages to Charles. It was still hurting and irritating how it all had ended.

[sandy]

It all depends who does the writing.  Opening up a Junor book would give tons of Diana bashing. She's been doing this since 1998.

Nobody is on the second row of society. Isn't everybody supposed to be equal? It's not the Middle ages anymore.

Diana was not going to be Queen in Waiting. She would have been the mother of a King had she lived and accorded the same honors as the Queen Mum. Her HRH may very well have been restored by William when he becomes King. Diana was looking forward to her future role and was discussing it with Blair. She already was embarking on new causes. It was symbolic that she sold her iconic gowns (representing her royal life) to charity.

Of course she got over the divorce. If she did not she'd sit in KP like Miss Havisham not leaving it surrounded by photos of her ex. Obviously she did not go that route. I thought she was supposed to be sending messages to Khan. The books never said she still wanted Charles. She was well rid of him. They were cordial and polite and met up for events involving their sons.

[Curryong]

The memorabilia of Diana is still of interest to people, still sells, as this man below says, it's still a thriving market for fans. Just as for Elvis she still lives on in people's hearts. There have been lots of good articles on Diana in the papers this summer, people remembering what they loved and admired about her.

Florida man has some of Princess Di's wedding cake, plus 13,000 other royal items (w/photos) | Tampa Bay Times