Diana: Dead Ten Years And Still A Headliner!

Ten years ago, a car smashed into the side of the Pont d’Alma in Paris. Car crashes are a very common death and are usually just reported by local news, if you’re lucky. This particular one was somewhat different; the car contained Diana, Former Princess of Wales and her boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed. The death sparked a national grief; mainly concentrating in the hearts of those Diana had helped with her winning smile and conspicuous charitable work. Ten, long, arduous years, plagued with human misery and tragedy, (Twin Towers, Iraq, Big Brother) and one particular newspaper in question is still debating her death (as if it were current news) all the time and other papers often follow suit at key moments. These papers are still making a mint from the conspiracy of the Most Photographed Lady goldmine; of which has only been equaled in recent times by trashy-and-thick Jade Goody and the Big Brother Race Row. For a certain newspaper in question, her face usually accompanies their typical headlines compromising of either “immigrants” or “house prices” (and once, both. ‘House prices numbers shoot up as immigrants prices drop’. I made no typing error.) in it’s racially uncomfortable and blatantly sad attempt to appeal to the middle classes and the working classes who wish to appear middle class. For the last week or so, Diana’s face has been adorning newspapers nationwide; her serene smile unaware of the bastardization of her memory and immortal soul within the very pages.

Now, after all that time, after all the media attention, the farces and compromising art, someone (The Bishop at the remembrance service) has finally said the question that has been on everyone’s lips: can we stop it now? Can we as a nation stop dredging her up at every slow news day (or for a certain newspaper, every damn day of the year)? Can we put a line under the event along with a little sign saying “Don’t Cross The Line”?

All I can say is, after only ten years? That’s mad! JFK’s death is still talked about now.

See, that’s the thing, right there. There will always be a Diana conspiracy in the world, even, when the ASBO generation is busy overpopulating the world and wrecking it at the same time, there will still be a website, hysterically screaming in it’s font that it was a conspiracy. Perhaps as the new generations take over, the Diana saga will only survive in history lessons, “Horrible History” books and perhaps a Doctor Who special, featuring the 13th Doctor (Probably played by Daniel Radcliff) in the future. (Hey, that’s an idea! The driver was a Dalek! OF COURSE! Hold on while I run off to the nearest crazy conspiracy site.)

So will the blackhole that the supernova named Diana ever fade away? As far as I can see, there is hope for that. The Royal Family has moved on, like they always do. Ol’ Charlie boy has married his old nosy Parker-Bowles, Wills has his own little love scandal in full swing and Harry is being a typical scallywag with his little school chums, drinking himself to oblivion.

There are a few people who haven’t moved on but there is only one that I can honestly say (from the depth of my twin hearts) I believe is genuinely still upset. Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi’s dad. I thought with all the dough he makes from Harrods, he would have been able to hire a good bereavement counselor. I can understand that it is maybe the hardest thing in the whole wide world to do, to bury your child, but he has to finish the bereavement process or he can never fully recover from it. He could have used a BBC helpline if he was desperate one night, after watching Eastenders or some other junk.

I think that deep down, he knows that no amount of campaigning or complaining will ever bring his son back or give him a sense of justice. He is going to be haunted by this for the rest of his little life and he should know that it doesn’t matter if his son was murdered or died in an accident, he will still feel cheated and cold. He should be left to mourn his son in peace without being given false hope by a certain newspaper. Who is this devious paper?

The Daily Express. (I’m so sued). (This is weird, actually damning a paper that isn’t The Sun. They have more respect (I can’t believe I just said that) and were to busy filling up page three to bother with much else).

There is a way to stop all the Diana stories that constantly picks at old wounds that your Mommy told you to leave alone. Boycott the Daily Express and let them squirm as they try to figure a new story (although Madeleine McCann has had a fair chunk of attention from them recently). The public need to stop this voyeuristic obsession with the late Princess and let them move on instead of always being brought back to square one. Diana was plagued throughout her life by media; she doesn’t really need it post mortem too. Of course, there are those who say she manipulated the press. How many have manipulated the memory of her in order to gain an easy buck. Paul Burrell, for example. He used her to become a Z-List celebrity and to gain money from the obsessive public interest.

Personally, I believe it is time to let the past go, to let Diana rest in peace as every single living thing should be allowed to and to let the journalists at the Daily Express actually use their grey matter.

We forget because we must.