The Death of Princess Diana by Caitlin Mayes

The Death of Princess Diana

Princess Diana was loved by the public, and despised by the royal family. She was fatally injured in a car crash on August 31, 1997, and there are several conspiracies surrounding the accident that ultimately resulted in her death. The vehicle that she was in, alongside her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, was driven by Henri Paul (Princess Diana Remembered: Conspiracy Theories Surrounding Her Death 1). The accident is said to have occurred due to Paul being under the influence of alcohol, but her track record with the powerful royal family, more specifically, Queen Elizabeth the Second, has raised suspicions about the true motive and cause behind her death (1). From the very moment she passed, conspiracy theories surfaced that put everyone around her in question (1).

Princess Diana, who was married into the royal family in 1981, and was immediately deemed an outsider due to her empathy for people who were seemingly beneath her (Princess Diana 1). She was there for the opening of the first AIDS ward in Britain, and remained there to interact with the patients. There was a stigma around the AIDS epidemic, and Princess Diana was one of the first to embrace those with the disease and treat them like normal people. She shook their hands, without gloves; and her brother, Charles, stated that “She wasn’t really a gloves person. She was very real and very about human contact. And what really mattered that day was to get across a very clear message that, I’m going to touch this gentleman 一 and you can all exist in a community with people who are suffering and we must help.” (Perry, Tauber 1). Her active involvement with the aids patients could come from the fact that she was an outsider in the royal family, and those suffering from the AIDS epidemic were caught in a time period full of debates about the morality and existence of the LGBTQ community, while also struggling with a “gays only” disease. (Princess Diana Shakes Hands With an AIDS Patient Without Gloves 1)

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Alongside being an advocate for acceptance and equality, Princess Diana was also an inspiration for women around the world. Every feminine woman looked at her as the mold for the balance of delicacy, while also being a strong minded woman. Her femininity was often displayed in conjunction with connection with the world around her (Holt 1).  Being socially conscious and aware was cardinal for Princess Diana, especially when visiting other nations, such as Pakistan and Japan in the 80s; she wore colors that were associated with whatever state the country was in at the time (1). Aside from using her clothes as a communication device in diplomatic setting, Princess Diana used fashion as a way to express herself on a personal level. Her evening attire is what was most legendary, and inspired women around the world, while also hinting towards transformative events in her life, such as the off-the-shoulder black dress she wore the night that her then-husband, Prince Charles, admitted to committing adultery. When going about her daily life with her kids, or attending polo matches, Princess Diana often dressed down, which gave the everyday woman someone to look up to (1). Ultimately, her relatability resulted in her being regarded as a fashion icon to this day.

Another trait that was beloved by the public was her dedication to her motherhood. Her empathy towards the outside world was nothing compared to her love for being a mother to Prince William and Prince Harry. She made sure that her children were just as empathetic towards those around them, and directly stated in an interview, “I want my boys to have an understanding of people’s emotions, their insecurities, people’s distress and their hopes and dreams.” (8 Wonderful Quotes About Motherhood From Princess Diana 1). She held true on that statement from the boys’ early ages when she brought them along with her to the opening of the AIDS wing in the hospital and encouraged them to interact with the patients. Princess Diana is often regarded as a mysterious, misunderstood person, but she was very open about her struggles when it came to motherhood, such as postpartum depression (1).

Apart from being extremely compassionate and involved in the lives of others, Princess Diana constantly struggled with maintaining a personal identity while being in the public eye. Being a part of the royal family blurred the lines between her persona and her genuine personality. Being that she was extremely empathetic person, she was deeply involved in the issues around her, near and far. The majority of her qualities had not been seen by any member of the royal family, which essentially made her one of the most watched people in royalty history. Being royalty prevented the princess from experiencing or feeling anything privately (Bedell 1). Princess Diana was the pinnacle of humanity, but her concern for others, coupled with the exposure from marrying into the royal family led to her own self destruction. The “wolfpack” media drove her to contemplating suicide multiple times, and her only motivation to live was her sons (1). Aside from that, she was an outsider in her own family, which aided to the air of mystery that the public was so intrigued by.

Throughout Princess Diana’s involvement with the royal family, and even after their ties were broken, she never followed the rules of the traditional princess. Due to her personality being frowned upon by the royal family, as soon as she passed away, they were placed at the center of an extensive list of conspiracies.

Both Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed fell victim to a fatal car crash, at the hands of their driver, Mr. Paul, who was intoxicated at the time of the crash. Throughout the duration of the whole ride, the couple was being followed by a hoard of paparazzi (Princess Diana: What Happened the Night of Her Death). Being followed was nothing new, so the crash is credited to Paul being under the influence of alcohol. Chauffeuring a member of the royal family is a great responsibility, so the likeliness that the driver would carelessly drive drunk is very low. That fact alone raises questions, which leads to conspiracy theories.

The majority of the widely believed theories are centered around the British Crown’s dislike for Princess Diana’s boyfriend, Dodi Fayed. Fayed was a wealthy man from a well respected family, but above all, he was a Muslim man (Christodoulou 1). At the time, the royal family was expected to be very clean cut and heterogeneous, and adding in a Muslim man was deemed unacceptable. Even though Princess Diana was technically no longer a member of the royal family, her popularity and brand would tether her to the throne for the remainder of her life. Due to her being connected to the family, they still wanted her to uphold their ideal image. Princess Diana being with Dodi Fayed would mean that Prince William and Prince Harry would have a Muslim step-father, which is unheard of in the royal family. In addition to not wanting the boys to have a Muslim step-father, it would have also been an issue for Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed to begin a family of their own. It is rumored that the couple was expecting a child at the time of the crash, and that the accident was arranged in order to keep Princess Diana from having she and Fayed’s alleged unborn child (Reporters 1). Dodi Fayed’s father, Mohamed Fayed, strongly believes that the British Crown conspired against his son and Princess Diana (Christodoulou 1). He believes that the couple was about to announce their engagement, and that Prince Philip arranged their murder because he did not want Princess Diana to marry a Muslim man (Christodoulou 1).

The royal family’s dislike for Dodi Fayed isn’t the only thing that leads people to believe that they played a hand in the death of the couple. After Princess Diana’s death, the world was in shock, and it seems like the royal family, mainly the queen, were the least affected by her death. Even once the news of her death traveled globally, Queen Elizabeth was still in Scotland, attending to business. Once she returned to London, she still remained as calculated as ever, and continued to go about her usual routine. The fact that she was so nonchalant raised red flags to ordinary people and especially conspiracy theorists (Reporters 1).

Princess Diana was loved by the public, and despised by the royal family. She was fatally injured in a car crash on August 31, 1997, and there are several conspiracies surrounding the accident that ultimately resulted in her death. The vehicle that she was in, alongside her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, was driven by Henri Paul (Princess Diana Remembered: Conspiracy Theories Surrounding Her Death 1). The accident is said to have occurred due to Paul being under the influence of alcohol, but her track record with the powerful royal family, more specifically, Queen Elizabeth the Second, has raised suspicions about the true motive and cause behind her death (1). Also, her romantic relationship with Dodi Fayed could have been seen as a threat to the homogeneity of the British Crown. From the very moment she passed, conspiracy theories surfaced that put everyone around her in question (1).

Works Cited

8 Wonderful Quotes About Motherhood From Princess Diana, www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/whats-hot/8-wonderful-quotes-about-motherhood-from-princess-diana/ar-AAr3Alu.

Christodoulou, Holly. “Who Was Dodi Al Fayed? Princess Diana's Lover Who Died in Paris Tunnel Crash in 1997.” The Sun, The Sun, 31 Aug. 2017, www.thesun.co.uk/news/4118125/dodi-al-fayed-princess-diana-death-paris-car-crash-1997-anniversary/.

Holt, Bethan. “Why Princess Diana Remains an Enduring Style Icon for All Generations.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 19 Nov. 2016, www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/why-princess-diana-remains-an-enduring-style-icon-for-all-genera/.

“How Princess Diana Changed Attitudes to Aids.” BBC News, BBC, www.bbc.com/news/av/magazine-39490507/how-princess-diana-changed-attitudes-to-aids.

Perry, Simon, and Michelle Tauber. “How Princess Diana Used the Power of Touch to Smash Stigmas: ‘She Wasn’t a Gloves Person.’” PEOPLE.com, Time Inc, 31 Aug. 2017, people.com/royals/how-princess-diana-used-the-power-of-touch-to-smash-stigmas-she-wasnt-a-gloves-person/.

“Princess Diana Remembered: Conspiracy Theories Surrounding Her Death.” Fox News, FOX News Network, www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/08/25/princess-diana-remembered-conspiracy-theories-surrounding-her-death.html.

Rare Historical Photos “Princess Diana Shakes Hands with an AIDS Patient without Gloves, 1991.” Rare Historical Photos, 14 Oct. 2017, rarehistoricalphotos.com/princess-diana-aids-1991/.

Reporters, Telegraph. “Princess Diana: What Happened on the Night of Her Death?” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 21 July 2017, www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/princess-diana-happened-night-death/.

Smith, Sally Bedell. Diana: In Search of Herself. Signet, 2000.

Christodoulou, Holly. “Who Was Dodi Al Fayed? Princess Diana's Lover Who Died in Paris Tunnel Crash in 1997.” The Sun, The Sun, 31 Aug. 2017, www.thesun.co.uk/news/4118125/dodi-al-fayed-princess-diana-death-paris-car-crash-1997-anniversary/.