Diana, from rebel of the British monarchy to a revered figure in the world

From her engagement to Prince Charles as a teenager to her role as a caring mother and humanitarian activist, Diana’s charm lives on 25 years after her tragic death.

Young, beautiful and funny, she seemed like a breath of fresh air when she married the heir to the British throne in 1981 at the age of 20 after an affair that the palace and the press portrayed as a fairy tale.

But the bitter break in his relationship with Carlosof which the intimate details went beyond, shook the foundations of the monarchy.

Painting Diana What remains in the collective memory is an extraordinary 1995 interview in which she spoke of her feelings about her husband’s affair with Camila Parker Bowles and her own extramarital affair.

The way he revealed the secrets of the bedroom, exposing monarchy his mysticism and questioning the ability to reign Carloshorrified the ruling classes and power.

But in the eyes of many people, she became more popular and loved.

In recent years, the memory that surrounds Diana changed again, propitiated by the strong defense of his children, who did not hesitate to use the alleged press abuse in their own battles against the media.

“Now she is a holy figure, and they have elevated her as such because they have repeatedly talked about how the media has persecuted her to death,” explains monarchy historian Ed Owens.

interest in life Diana regained strength after the recent film “Spencer”The Chilean Pablo Larraín and the Hit Netflix Series”Crown”.

“I suppose that ‘Crown’ will go a long way when he returns to our screens this fall to embellish this idea of ​​a human tragedy, a holy figure,” adds Owens.

Thirteen dates before marriage

Born on July 1, 1961, Diana grew up in an aristocratic family with ties to the monarchy: her father worked for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.

He grew up with three brothers, whose childhood was marked by the separation, also conflict, of their parents.

He left school at the age of 16 without finishing the gymnasium, although he studied for another year at Swissbefore going to work in a nursery in London.

His life changed dramatically when he got involved with Prince Carloswho, at the age of 32, asked for her hand, forced her to marry and ensure the continuation of the dynastic line.

Diana He explained that before the wedding they had met only thirteen times, but he quickly fulfilled his mission and a year after his marriage, he gave birth to his first child. William. Two years later came Enrique.

Princess She proved to be an outgoing and loving mother, far from her mother-in-law’s sobriety, she had style, and she was committed to protecting the marginalized by breaking taboos.

His behavior attracted media attention and sparked a wave of popular enthusiasm for monarchy. But beneath the surface were the first problems, bulimia, doubts, exacerbated by the feeling that her husband did not love her, and the rest of the royal family did not care.

“Fear, Paranoia and Isolation”

Rumors that the marriage was in trouble began in 1992 with a book by Andrew Morton strategically blessed by Diana.

The year ended with a bombshell breakup announcement.

In her 1995 interview on the BBC’s Panorama program, Diana admitted to her affair with officer James Hewitt, and criticized the royal family and Charles’ abilities.

The BBC has since admitted that the interview was fraudulently obtained and vowed not to repeat it in full after William criticized the station’s methods of fueling his mother’s “fear, paranoia and isolation” in his last years.

At that time, the Queen asked the couple to divorce.

On August 28, 1996, the divorce became official, and Diana was stripped of the title of Her Royal Highness. The story is over.

“Queen of Human Hearts”

Still a princess, Diana remained in the public eye.

As a new partner, she found Dodi Fayed, the son of billionaire businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, who died with her on August 31, 1997, when his car crashed in a Paris tunnel while trying to escape from the paparazzi.

The signs of pain were enormous. Millions of flowers were laid in front of his residence and over a million people took to the streets of London for his funeral.

There was room for outrage directed mainly against the royal family, not least because of Elizabeth II’s initial refusal to return to London from her Scottish castle at Balmoral, where she was on holiday. Republicanism has gained momentum.

A quarter of a century later, the monarchy seems to have regained popular support. The image of Carlos was widely rehabilitated, and Isabella II granted Camilla the title of queen consort.

But it will be difficult for her to enjoy the popularity of Diana, who, in her words, intends to be “the queen of people’s hearts.”

AFP