Diana's in her own words. Children 4

kwest it is entirely possible to have opinions on those in public life without avoiding anything in our own lives.

Well, if one side-steps the fact that everyone is entitled to a private life (and passing judgements on those we really do not know is a tricky business!), there do seem to be some real issues for our country here! The fact that many people are prepared to tell lies is a sad reality BUT someone who is prepared to make solemn public vows to a God he says he believes in knowing that he is lying would rather seem to rule him out as a future monarch and head of that Church? It does seem that this family got itself into a pickle by denying love; Philip apparently gave his son 'permission' to cheat on his bride presumably with Elizabeth's agreement thereby doing everyone a disservice.
However, should we decide that our constitutional monarchy is ' a good thing' for our country then the obvious solution is for Charles & Camilla to retreat into a private life and for the 'crown' to skip a generation subject of course to one of the princes actually being willing to shoulder the role/burden? It would be good if these issues were the ones being pored over surely?

Er teetime, Diana was the absolute opposite of a sociopath. She had a tremendous facility for communicating with people. The ones lacking in understanding of a naive young woman was the Royal family and the men in grey supporting them!

Perhaps it would be wise to heed the advice
"Get over it!"
What are we avoiding in our own lives if we give so much emotional energy to this subject?

We haven't watched it yet, but I've often thought how well brought up the boys seem to be. So both Diana and Charles must have shown them an awful lot of love, whatever else they were up to!

For me they were an extremely ill matched couple both self centred and one of them, Diana, a mentally unbalanced sociopath. Yes I still want the monarchy and its looking like the Cambridges will do it well when their turn comes.

Not a monarchist or Diana fan, but think the way she was inveigled into the appalling marriage and used as a brood mare was shameful. She was so young, little more than a child.

Feeling annoyed with myself for wasting an hour and a half watching .......

I think most young women in her position would race around singing "I'm going to be the Princess of Wales".

Nothing wrong with that Anniebach I can imagine she was very excited at the prospect and even if she had deep down realised that the man she was about to marry was still having it away with his "friend" maybe she naively thought that once they were married she could win him back.

You say she was "mentally imbalanced" maybe she was. But marrying into "that" family would be enough to push anyone over the edge. Any man, mother in law etc. would be proud that their new wife, DiL was immensely popular and very beautiful but the twisted royals were jealous of her. Good job she did come along though. I wonder how popular queenie, charlie and the rest would be today,had she not have. Thank goodness for Tony Blair (blimey there's a sentence I never thought I'd say) who managed to talk sense into the queen when he persuaded her to leave Balmoral after Diana's death.

The film is so grainy and I couldn't hear it I wondered if Diana knew she was being filmed at all and for what purpose.

I've got to agree with you Skweek1, I've been waiting for someone to express my opinions of the girl and its just what you posted.

Was she pregnant with that Egyptians baby? I think she was, which was why she had to die.

Look forward to hearing other GNetters views.

I agree Tilly whizz, those early photos show nothing more than a child. I have never heard that she ran around the grounds of Clarence House singing 'I'm going to be the Princess of Wales'. More evidence that she was hardly grown up when delivered, the virgin bride, to Charles. The tales about the Windsors that have been emerging over the last few years show a dysfunctional lot from George VI onwards and probably back to Victoria. Diana was a lamb to the slaughter but I think William and Harry are a credit to her and show beyond all the sniping just how genuine she was.

Totally agree Anniebach so many people dragging up stories from the past about a couple who were so unsuited to each other. I have concerns also about a so called therapist who makes money from such a sad situation many years later. Time to let the past go.

She was badly treated and Charles obviously married her because he was being pressured into producing an heir. Yes she did use the media but that proved she was not prepared to stay the naive little woman staying in the background. Are not Charles and Camilla doing the same now with the continuous drip feed of all the "work" Camilla does. Charles was jealous of her popularity and easy way with people - something he doesn't have to worry about with Camilla. Perhaps Camilla should remember the saying "when a mistress marries her lover she creates a job vacancy"

Merlot you are so right about how these programme makers edit. Just read Alison Pearson in today's Daily Telegraph

At the time, I never thought that it was a fairytale wedding. I wasn't ever a Diana fan. But watching this, I was struck by how young she had been, falling into a bowl of cold fish.

Why no italics? nothing makes sense.

I think Diana was the sacrificial virgin bride, expected to produce an heir and a spare and then fade into the background while C got on with his mistresses. The only reason I am not anti-monarchist is the thought of some washed up politician becoming President (President Blair anyone?)

I like Charles, who is serious, passionate and who expected his wife to know her position in life

Her "position in life"?? Skweek1 Surely her position was as charles' wife. The future queen. Charles obviously couldn't stand the fact that she had become more popular than him and his mother. Horrible man. and if as you say he is more suited to camilla then why the hell didn't he marry her in the first place? Oh yes not a good broodmare.

Before wishing for a republic I ould urge everyone to take a look at Venezuela! I know there are goodexamples but with President Corbyn we could go the same way. Or worse still President Anjem Choudhary. No thanks - a hands off monarch is by far the best way.

I don't Gilly, she was brought up with the windsors, she knew them all. Her claims that Charles continued the affair with camilla , didn't her sister tell her? She had a relationship with Charles.

I really believe she lied and she did use people. I don't understand why only Diana told the truth and everyone else was dishonest , cruel, abusive .

Her claim that she chose bulimia not any other self harming because she didn't want to hurt anyone else, rubbish, people who self harm do not sit and ponder which form of self harming to turn to and which will affect others the least.

I think the blame lies with her father and maternal grandmother who must have known she was mentally unbalanced .

If everyone in the palace are believed then so should the staff at Clarance House be believed when they said she raced around the grounds singing - I am going to be The Princess of Wales.

It made me wish very sincerely that Charles would never be king.

How it must rankle with Charles, Camilla and every single one of those people who treated Diana so badly, that even now, 20 years after her death, her love and popularity still shine through. A dark cloud hanging over them all, the public will never allow them to forget what they did to her. Her sons are amazing, and shine just as she still does. She wasn't perfect, who amongst us is, but all she wanted was to be loved, and thankfully she was, and still is.

Am I alone in feeling that she was nothing more than a stupid naive manipulative girl who expected to live happy ever after as a fairy princess? I like Charles, who is serious, passionate and who expected his wife to know her position in life. Camilla is much better suited to him and will in time make a superb queen, just as he will make a really good king.

It really was a fairytale. Grim.
The lack of support for a 19 year old girl speaks volumes.