Lady Diana’s Death Anniversary: Queen of Hearts reigns supreme

Diana Spencer, a young girl from the United Kingdom’s Sandringham Estate, fell in love with Prince Charles and thus began the tragic tale of loss, heartbreakand death that shook the Crown to its very core and changed the world forever.

The world is marking 27 years since the Princess of Wales met with her maker in the infamous tunnel crash that sent shockwaves across the world.

Her death and enduring popularity continue to inspire millions and make thousands across the globe teary-eyed and angry with the Crown.

But why do we still care about a princess from a royal, feudal, and arguably problematic family?

What is it that makes the legacy of Princess Di hard to forget and the apparent cruelties of the British Royal Family hard to forgive?

Lovers, loss, and longing

The romance between the Prince of Wales and the now King Charles III is one of the most tragic in the history of the world. The couple met, fell in love, and slowly despised each other so much that they had a divorce, an occurrence that is very rare with the prim and proper UK royals.

Charles’ affair with the now Queen consort Camilla Parker Bowles was no secret, as was the affair of Diana with Egyptian film producer Dodi Fayed.

As noted in many books, movies, and the hit Netflix series, Diana was faced with backlash from the royal family due to her 'modern, upfront, and brash’ ways. This was in sharp contrast with the Crown. This is what endeared her to the world.

Conflict with the Crown

The UK Royal family is now infamous for going against the ‘outsiders’ and strictly maintaining the lines between the inner and outer circles. Everyone served the monarch, and the monarch cannot be seen colluding with the commoners, warts, and all.

This supposed xenophobia was evident when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made public their dislike of the Crown and even its reported disdain towards the skin colour of the latter.

But the real story of prejudice begins with Diana, and her legacy will forever be linked with that of the world.

Shivers from the Thames to the Nile

Princess Di’s death was noted by newspapers across the globe. “Goodbye England's Rose,” noted The Age in a charming reminder of the loss that the UK had suffered.

"Thank God, Dodi...we've escaped the media by a miracle," extolled Egypt’s Al-Ahram’s newspaper, signalling to the brutal media trial that followed Diana and Dodi throughout their relationships.

Controversially, BBC journalist Martin Bashir allegedly used ‘deceit’ to cox Princess Diana to say, “There were three of us in this marriage."

In short, the world was mourning the death of their princess, daughter, friend, and companion, even if vicariously.

Why do Indians care?

Indians, even after being under the yoke of the British Crown for two centuries, mourned the loss of the death of Diana, as much (if not more) than Britishers themselves. “I was at home in London when it happened, and I remember there was a kind of delayed reaction in my head, the way there always is when you hear news that does not make sense”, wrote Sarah Lyall, a London correspondent for The Times at the time.

“I remember the day Princess Di died very clearly. I was living in Bangalore, and my neighbour just rushed in to tell me the news. I was shocked, as if it were a personal loss. She ruled the hearts of millions all over because people could relate to her. She felt like one of us. A human,'' says Anuradha, who was a 26-year-old dental student at the time.

“Princess Diana's legacy of kindness, compassion, and advocacy for marginalised communities, including people with HIV/AIDS, resonates deeply with queer individuals who value inclusivity and empathy. Her vulnerability and defiance of royal norms also make her an enduring symbol of resistance to rigid societal expectations," says Adwitya, a man born six years after that fateful day.

“The kind of energy that Diana brought on to the global public sphere was so positive that the world wanted her to be happy and she could not be happy throughout her life, and that still strikes a chord. As this unconventionally beautiful woman married into the British Royal Family, an institution still seen as tone-deaf to contemporary realities, Diana brought this receptiveness to that institution. This receptiveness still strikes a chord,” says Mukul Sharma, a journalist who has written extensively on global geopolitics.

“There has been nobody like Diana. People may try to emulate her way of being out in public without any PR. As human beings continue to suffer from the halo effect, Diana's case goes completely against this convention. Because where there is resistance, there is current, and that's why the world loves Diana even now,” adds Sharma.

The tragic ruler of hearts

The former Princess of Wales, Diana Frances Spencer, continues to live on in the hearts of billions, with social media erupting every time she is invoked. Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles have grown popular since their earlier years, but Princess Di holds a special place that even the late Queen Elizabeth II couldn’t take.

Her life was tragic, death even more, but the Princess of the Commoners continues to reign supreme.