Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The Transfiguration of Diana
Steyn Online ^ | 30 Aug 2017 | Mark Steyn

Posted on 09/01/2017 2:51:13 PM PDT by Rummyfan

Two decades ago today - Saturday August 30th 1997 - the ex-wife of the heir to the throne flew in to Paris with her new Egyptian boyfriend after a Mediterranean holiday on his yacht. They dined at his dad's showpiece, the Ritz, and shortly after midnight left via the rear entrance and got into a Mercedes driven by the hotel's deputy head of security. He was drunk, and in the underpass at the Place d'Alma he lost control of the car. Diana, Princess of Wales was pronounced dead at 4am on Sunday August 31st. She was 36.

The clip below shows a CNN anchorman introducing the BBC's formal announcement. The contrast in styles is noticeable: To the CNN guy, this is a bigtime A-list celebrity death; to a visibly shaken Martyn Lewis at the Beeb, the bald factual recitation is not an ending - the termination of a life - but a beginning ... of something strange and unknown. The week that followed was one of the most bizarre in modern British history:

(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: anniversary; diana; royals; slut; steyn; whore
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-70 next last

1 posted on 09/01/2017 2:51:13 PM PDT by Rummyfan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Rummyfan

My wife is British and where we live (Spain) is loaded with British expats. Very few I have met or spoken with could give a rat’s behind about Diana or any of the other royals.


2 posted on 09/01/2017 2:54:48 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rummyfan
... in July, the Princess had been seen comforting a weeping Elton John and his lover at the grisly memorial service for Gianni Versace; in August, in between Mediterranean cruises, she had returned to Britain for what she hoped would be a quiet consultation with her favorite psychic — for which, in order to avoid drawing attention to herself, she landed by helicopter in the middle of her clairvoyant's small Derbyshire village accompanied by her millionaire playboy Arab lover...
3 posted on 09/01/2017 2:54:50 PM PDT by Rummyfan (In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rummyfan
I've never been convinced Henri Paul was drunk that night. I'm haven't gone so far as to believe it was a conspiracy but there are a lot of anomalies concerning the accident, especially the photographer in the white car who was found burned to death in the south of France some time later.

It seems like in any great tragedy there are always missing pieces or anomalies.

4 posted on 09/01/2017 2:57:04 PM PDT by Aliska
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Aliska

Next you’ll be saying someone other than the bodyguard (i.e., the survivor) was wearing a seat belt after all.


5 posted on 09/01/2017 2:58:16 PM PDT by Tax-chick ("Defensive weapons are not 'provocative' unless you're an aggressor." ~Gen. Mattis)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Rummyfan
A pretty woman for sure.Very possibly a nice woman.But worthy of one-one trillionth of the adoration she's received? No way,Jose!!!
6 posted on 09/01/2017 2:59:57 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (ObamaCare Works For Those Who Don't.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oshkalaboomboom
I was really very saddened about Diana...rushed out and bought all the mags and the Elton John cd...

but somebody posted on the Internet a comparison between Diana and Mother Theresa...

I then realized how ridiculous this adulation was.....

one who gave everything, vs one who spent $200,000 a year on personal "maintenance"...

7 posted on 09/01/2017 3:02:00 PM PDT by cherry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Tax-chick
No I won't. From reports only the bodyguard was wearing his seatbelt. And i have to take the investigators' word for all of it really.

And Paul was driving too fast and recklessly. But if he wasn't drunk and is being smeared, he isn't here to defend himself.

8 posted on 09/01/2017 3:05:45 PM PDT by Aliska
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Rummyfan
She was long knockin' boots with DODI, major Arab playboy.

She was carrying his baby, fer crying out loud..!

She wasn't just ANYONE, right? That'd be a huge scandal.

The night of the crash she had an ex-SAS bodyguard, right?

Years later when he was going through a divorce his wife started screaming about how he had told her that the Brits had KILLED Diana:

That they HAD to, as she was due to bear the child of this notorious Muzzie baddie.

9 posted on 09/01/2017 3:08:19 PM PDT by gaijin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oshkalaboomboom
My wife is British and where we live (Spain) is loaded with British expats. Very few I have met or spoken with could give a rat’s behind about Diana or any of the other royals.
All of them referred to as the 'Dims"
10 posted on 09/01/2017 3:08:26 PM PDT by IWontSubmit (2)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: cherry

Diana’s beautiful presence was able to bring in millions for charity, something I doubt mother Theresa’s appearance could do. If Diana showed up to some of those charity appearances in Wal-mart jeans and t-shirts, do you think people would have been so free with their wallets? I wonder if those same jeans would have brought in the millions for charity that the dresses she auctioned off did?

They were both able to do great things for the unfortunate people they worked with, but in different ways.


11 posted on 09/01/2017 3:08:59 PM PDT by tuffydoodle ("Never underestimate the total depravity of the average human being.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: gaijin
His eye is stil a bit screwed-up, right?

His wife sang like a bird, "The leadership considered it a HUGE scandal and they put a stop to it".

Rich dad, Mohammed El-Fayed, "Rich honky Brits couldn't stand my son 'the sand-**gger' 'doing' Diana so they had them KNOCKED OFF, James Bond-style..!"

He was super pissed about it.

He owned Harrod's, was a big-shot.

12 posted on 09/01/2017 3:14:07 PM PDT by gaijin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: cherry

Not a big fan of hers, but I don’t like seeing anyone die like that.

The adulation and mourning for her was way over the top.

Women seemed to go ape “stuff” over her and the coverage, couldn’t get enough of it.

That rubbed me the wrong way.

As you touched on, what had she done compared to others to deserve that?

Time has seemed to focus things about right.

It was unfortunate, but life is like that and there are far more important things than that.


13 posted on 09/01/2017 3:15:39 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (Exempting Trump and his team, our media and government have adopted the Zoolander management style.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: gaijin
You see..?

The surviving dad stayed super pissed about it, obviously.

14 posted on 09/01/2017 3:17:49 PM PDT by gaijin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: gaijin

There is also the rumor that Harry’s dad was actually Diana’s riding instructor:

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/princess-dianas-former-lover-denies-hes-prince-harrys-dad-w471711

1. vague resemblance

2. similar personalities

I have NO IDEA, obviously.


15 posted on 09/01/2017 3:23:37 PM PDT by gaijin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Aliska

“From reports,” the driver was drunk, too.


16 posted on 09/01/2017 3:25:05 PM PDT by Tax-chick ("Defensive weapons are not 'provocative' unless you're an aggressor." ~Gen. Mattis)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: cherry

I see a comparison not with Diana and Mother Theresa, but with Diana and Elvis.

Every year on Elvis’ birthday and the date of his death, do we silly Americans not commemorate “The King”?

For most of us, we have a greater affinity for Elvis than we ever had For Princess Di.


17 posted on 09/01/2017 3:25:45 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Gay State Conservative

Although a princess by marriage she was no princess in her life. It was all a facade. Her husband Charles was and is far worse than she. She was but 19 when she married and was really a victim.

Her sons became brave warriors in the service of their great nation. They acquitted themselves with honor in battle. I would far rather William on the throne than his father.

An amusing aside about Prince Charles: He was being interviewed by the BBC and was asked if he got any special privileges on board ship as he was in the Royal Navy. He paused a few seconds and said, “I get to have a picture of my Mum on the wall in the galley.”

I do not particularly like Charles but he does have a keen sense of humor and wit.


18 posted on 09/01/2017 3:30:13 PM PDT by cpdiii (Deckhand, Roughneck, Mud-man, Geologist, Pilot, Pharmacist, CONSTITUTION WORTH DYING FOR!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: cpdiii

There is a RUMOR that Charles is secretly Muslim.

“And head of the Church of England..?!?!!!?!?”

Yes.


19 posted on 09/01/2017 3:32:09 PM PDT by gaijin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Oshkalaboomboom

I interviewed a US Navy submariner who sailed in and out of the US base in Spain. He said Spain was his choice for a place to live if Hell broke lose in the US...


20 posted on 09/01/2017 3:33:37 PM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (Baseball players, gangsters and musicians are remembered. But journalists are forgotten.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-70 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson