Thursday 5 September 2013

The Beautiful Boy.

 
 
Throughout her childhood, Diana felt a certain closeness with her  brother. Since her parents split up, and the wicked step mother came, Diana bonded closely with her younger brother. The Princess took up some tomboy attributes, ranging from her fashion sense, all the way to her hairstyle. Diana and her brother had a benevolent relationship in the early years, and especially during her marriage to Prince Charles.
However, after the death of princess of Diana, her family's true feelings began to show. According to the former royal butler, Paul Burrell, once her marriage collapsed, her brother rebuffed her request for a country retreat on the family estate. 

Tuesday 3 September 2013

The Hollywood Queen

 
Since marrying the Prince, Diana was thrown into the limelight. She was widely known for her public appearances, may do. However, it was known that the Princess would throw reckless temper tantrums, acting like a Drama Queen. She was repeatedly criticised for being spoiled, reckless and was known for her inability to listen to the advice of her surrounding friends and family. She was known to be the last of the silent stars.
 She never had a way with words but her outlet was mainly through photographs and other media. She subtly hinted her emotions behind the mask she wore in the eye of the public.
Her masked face was usually fashioned a smile, that many would believe to be heart warming, as she was known to bring the warmth into the room, but it was increasingly difficult to analyse the underlining meaning behind the Princess' sincere appearance.
When the tabloid repeatedly reported about her, instead of placing a shield to block out the insults, she got involved and enticed into the world of media and became increasingly fascinated, yet terrified, of that aspect.
"Fairest Diana, Princess of Dreams,
Born be loved, yet distant and lone,
Why did you linger- so solemn, so lovely,
An orchid ablaze, in a crevice of stone." -Michael R. Burch.

The Pagan Goddess

Throughout the years, the Princess was repeatedly compared to the infamous Pagan Goddess, Diana. In Roman Mythology, Diana was the Goddess of the woodlands, of wild animals, and of hunting. She also acted as a fertility goddess, who helped woman conceive and give birth to children.
As goddess of childbirth, nursing and healing; Diana held an honoured place amongst women. The goddess Diana, was considered to be pure and virginal, yet she could be arrogant and vengeful. Also as the goddess is linked to the moon, the goddess had a changeable and unpredictable nature.
This clearly reflects into Diana, as she was known for her kind nurturing side, however with surprising mood swings, she had another side to her.
In the tabloids, she was constantly framed as being manipulative and unstable, even by Charles himself. This was all unearthed, with the release of Andrew Morton's book Diana: The True Story, which really gave the insight into Diana herself and her failure-of-a-marriage.
However, despite Charles' effort to show her less the innocent side, it soon backfired as the tabloid and public only saw her empathetic and warmth, to which she openly expressed. It was clear to people surrounding the couple, that Charles clearly didn't love her.
Was this apparent to the Princess? Possibly yes. However, how does one know how someone feels about them? I think it was apparent to Diana that Charles was disinterested in her, and possibly lacked love. Much like the Pagan Goddess, Diana was unforgiving and openly publishing everything about her marriage in Mortons book, exploiting the truth about Charles.


Are these coincidences between the infamous goddess Diana and the Princess of Wales, or has fait intervened?

The Mater Dolorosa.

With her sons, William and Harry, Diana's image was given great importance. She was widely noted for her tenderness towards them. After such anguish from her husband, she was soon seen as the 'Sorrowing Mother' after the American People's Magazine posted a cover photos of Diana herself in what can depicted as being in a distraught state. The magazine even then added artificial tears! Despite her tenderness towards her sons, Diana had a darker side that was of a wounded trapped animal.
She had sharp mood swings, the inability to sustain relationships and the fear of rejection and abandonment, which consequently didn't help her marriage.
As in the picture above, although she is smiling she is the sombre black and white pictures hints that she is mourning for her dead, non-existent marriage.


Although Diana was seen smiling, it is difficult to really see what lied behind those bright blue eyes and that wavering smile. Was it one of happiness, or was it one of sorrow and loneliness?

The Princess in the Tower.

 
The Princess of Wales, was repeatedly known to have been abandoned and orphaned, as she was emotionally cut off from her husband. "I don't go by a rule book, I lead with the heart, not the head." she once famously said, however did she realise that by leading with her heart, she would be flung into a loveless, to which her husband had a secretive life, with his mistress Camilla, then she may have thought more with her head. 
Like the very famous Lady of Shalott, the Princess of Wales was isolated as she grew weaker in her plush solitude, as her old friends repeatedly criticised POW (Princess of Wales) to stand for Prisoner of War.
Diana was both imprisoned in the lap of royal luxury, however exposed simultaneously as Biography's were constantly done about the new Princess, as they delved into her private life, a life she consistently pleaded to be kept out of the public eye. In the solitude of her apartment ant Kensington Palace, the usually engaging and public Diana, plunged into a negative loneliness, as she would descend into tears and vengeful schemes.
In the public eye, Diana deceived those around, keeping her emotional turmoil under wraps, thanks to her stiff upper lip, and ability to disguise her anguish.


 
Diana had many fine traits, as these could clearly be seen in both public and private; warm, sweet, affectionate, feminine, natural, graceful. She was sensitive, thoughtful, generous, kind, witty, courteous, energetic and courageous.  


 

The Betrayed Wife

After her husband ran into the arms of his then mistress, Camilla Parker-Bowles, she was thrown into isolation as her disloyal husband conspired against her.
Prince Charles had previously been linked to Lady Diana's elder sister, Sarah, and by his early-twenties, he was pressured to marry.
After Prince Charles was introduced to Diana in November 1977, it was only in 1980 when he saw her as a potential bride. Throughout the following year, their relationship developed and on the 6th February 1981, Charles proposed to which Diana accepted.
For the duration of their engagement, Charles hardly spent a moment alone with Diana. However, Diana gave up her Nursery job, and went to live at Clarence House. However, she soon became aware that she was selected with clinical detachment, only to carry on the Windsor line, as she was tricked and manoeuvred. It was also revealed that Camilla herself had approved of Diana, as Camilla thought that she was the least threatening rival.


However, Diana herself made it clear how she felt about Camilla, as she cattily called her 'Rottweiler' and is merciless and scheming.
However, evidence was found to prove this disloyalty. Photographs of Camilla was found in Charles' Diary, Charles sporting new cufflinks on their honeymoon with two C's intertwined. Even Charles professing his love to Camilla, on the portable phone, whilst in the bathtub! All of this makes us sympathise for the self-doubting, young, vulnerable Diana.

Monday 2 September 2013

Cinderella


For many years, Princess Diana was referred to as being the unique Walt Disney fairy-tale princess, Cinderella.
Maybe she wasn't obligated to clean up after wicked step sisters, or slip her petite feet into a fragile glass slipper, but when the public first saw Diana, we immediately saw a shy, blushing teenager, who had just snapped up the world's most eligible bachelor.
 Despite Diana's privileged background, she's had various jobs, including being a charlady, where she was known 'vacuuming, dusting, ironing and washing' on her hands and knees.
The Cinderella metaphor continues even more, as she was frequently known for how her real and step relations, consistently pushed her around and undermined her.
 Her bossy fast-track sister Sarah. 
Many believed their relationship was strained, as rumours spread that Lady Sarah McCorquodale, was jealous that the young prince chose Diana as his bride-to-be, not her. However, according to Andrew Morton's book, Sarah was one of the very few people, Diana herself could trust. 
Her ruthless, showy stepmother Raine. 
Whilst Princess Diana was cast as the fairy-tale princess, her stepmother was equally determined to be the wicked step mother. Whilst having the stereotypical pale powdery complexion and candy-floss spun hair, she could be classed as a creation of the Brother Grimms. During the early years of her and Diana's relationship, her invitation into their life was less then lukewarm, as she began to modernize the Spencers' ancestral home, installing central heating. However, after realising how genuine she was, after nursing Diana's father after he suffered from a brain haemorrhage, her and Diana's relationship grew. 

A stiff and censorious Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother and Princess Diana had a rather complex relationship at first. Initially, the two enjoyed good relations. The old Queen took the young princess under her wing, as she herself could sympathize for her situation, as the Queen Mother was once in that position, an outsider in the Royal Family. 
However, when Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorced, the friendship between the two dramatically cooled, as she was particularly close to her grandson, Prince Charles.