As the curtain came down on ‘The
Crown’, a television series based on the Queen and her family by the BBC I
tried to understand why the British royal family attracted so much attraction,
curiosity and extreme stalking by media. Of course, they once ruled the world
and is known to be the richest monarchy in the world, following traditional
pomp and ceremony even in this millennium. There is insatiable hunger for the
various scandals, political drama and the emotional balance of the Queen amidst
world turbulence. The dialogue in the documentary is sparse but sharp and
moving. No family member is spared. Beginning from the Queen’s childhood, the
Coronation, her children, the film ends at her passing. Media clips from
newspapers and television as inserts add to the honesty of the script.
On my 10th birthday, I
was allowed to buy my first doll. Blonde and blue-eyed, I named her Diana. She
was with me even after my marriage till someone stole her.
We had a lending library guy
bring us magazines from UK and US. They had lovely photographs and news about
the royal household and Buckingham Palace. I lapped up the coverage as many
girls, boys and even adults did in the sixties. After Diana married into the
family, it became an obsession. I regularly followed the goings on and on the
first day on my visit to London, I stood staring at the gates of Buckingham
palace with stars in my eyes.
Coming back to the series, I
impatiently awaited the part when Diana will appear and eventually die in the
car crash in 1997.
I saw with dismay how a naïve
19-year-old Diana was cheated into the marriage after having to publicly
declare herself a virgin with no relationships. Is this really happening in a
British family?
Diana is shown as isolated inside
the place before the big day. No one to chat with or initiate her into training
in the complex rules of royalty. Instead, the vicious women -the Queen Mother,
the Queen, Anne, Margaret, and ladies-in-waiting make fun of her when she is
confused about whom to bow to first and in what order. Anne of course, looks
down on her in disdain while others are insecure in the radiance and beauty
that Diana exudes.
Diana was from an aristocratic
family known to the palace. She was a teacher in a playschool, living with a
group of friends, and cleaning her sister’s rooms for pocket money. She was a
trained ballet dancer and expert pianist. She fell in love with Charles and may
be dreamed of a fairy tale wedding. But till the night before the wedding, she
had misgivings but no one to share her fears with. Charles was all polo,
sports, women, and parties. In fact, his beloved uncle Mountbatten encouraged
him to ‘sow his wild oats’ but marry an innocent virgin ‘English Rose’.
There was tabloid news about
Charles’s affair with Camilla and Phillip’s secret liaisons,
Maragaret who bemoaned her
‘number two’ position was jealous of her sister. The queen applied protocol
when it came to her marriage. She fought back by behaving outrageously in
public, drinking, dancing, smoking, and cracking unseemly jokes at parties. She
had a few affairs, married, had children, divorced, and continued with her
disgraceful behaviour. She continued to be HRH. She was never accused of
playing the media and making headlines for the wrong reasons.
Charles and Camilla carried on
their adulterous affair without a care. He was HRH till the end.
Anne who at first cared and
supported Diana, soon preferred to support Charles, and poisoned the family
against Diana.
The Queen Mother who was greatly
annoyed that her status was cut short by her husband’s untimely death, was not
too kind to Elizabeth or Diana.
George of course made headlines
on international news after his unsavoury alliances came to light. Phillip
himself was sidelined and insulted by the Queen Mother for his ambiguous
lineage.
The Family was not perturbed by
the open declaration of Charles’s passionate love for Camilla. She was a
divorced woman with children and a year older than him. Their common interest
for equestrian sports was one reason for their close bonding. She was no
competition for Diana in the beauty, grace, and popularity department. But more
mature, aware of world matters and an intellectual match for Charles who was
much older than Diana.
The queen refused to listen to
his pleas about his lack of interest in Diana and obsessive love for Camilla.
Diana was considered more suitable to be a mother to the future king.
From their first appearance in
public, Diana became wildly popular. The media ‘s attention to her every move,
cameras flashing, loud calls of ‘Diana, Diana’ would make any one nervous. It
was this popularity that irked other members of the family, including Charles.
He was overshadowed during their overseas trips and people clamoured only for
Diana. Flowers were for Diana. Newspaper headlines screamed Diana. Her shy
smile, her beauty and sense of style were the main topics of discussion. The
Family suspected her of enjoying the limelight and wooing the media. How was Diana
responsible if she received the adulation.
Diana was used to ease diplomatic
relations and as a pawn to build good relations for the government, but still
accused for her time in the sun.
The queen refused to hear or
respond to Diana’s pleas and tears when she desperately ran into her arms for
solace. Charles was forgiven for everything as he was heir apparent.
Phillips is shown as considerate
towards Diana and explained that her role as mother to a future king is more
important. He advised fortitude and patience. At least he showed some kindness.
Diana showered her sons with profound love and encouraged them to understand
the world outside royalty.
The Family agreed to the couple’s
separation and the subsequent divorce and even blessed Charles and Camilla’s
wedding.
But Diana, who was stripped of
many privileges and the title of HRH by Charles and was blamed for moving on
and finding love in Dodi. She now had to curtsey to her young sons and everyone
else.
Both Edward and Andrew had their
own problems. Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s wife brought more disgrace to the family
and therefore divorced. Sophie, Edward’s wife had ‘an easy ride’ compared to
Diana and was embraced with love by the queen. Sophie taunted Diana by
imitating her fashion style and used the same designers to annoy her.
So though Diana became a
‘people’s princess’ with her charity work and helped cause the abolition of
landmines, the palace never thanked her for her service. If she embraced a kid from
a hospital in Angola, it was merely for show.
Her television interview with BBC
was after Charles gave a similar interview, but he was not blamed for it.
Instead, when he married Camilla, the media blushed and sighed at the victory
of love.
The merciless and cruel paparazzi
hurled insults and ridiculed her even as they pried into the most intimate
moments. When she died at the age of 36, in a tragic car accident, the world
missed a heartbeat and mourned for the loss of a dear princess. I remember
those three days in August 1997 when I sat rivetted to the television screen
showing the millions of flowers outside Buckingham Palace and people weeping at
her funeral.
Dodi, Diana's companion at that time, died in the crash. His father openly accused the
royals of a plot to murder her. Diana had publicly stated that she faced many
attempts on her life, including a brake failure in her car.. Charles could not marry
a second time if his first wife Diana is alive.
Diana, the martyr, who had
everything but nothing. Diana was the only target, others in the family were
celebrated, condoned, and forgiven. The two actors who portrayed Diana were cast
well. Three actors played Queen at different ages.
“Princess Diana was an
unforgettable icon. She was loved by millions, and she still is, even decades
after her death. Her funeral was heartbreaking, with millions of people out to mourn
the exit of their favourite princess”.BBC
Key words: #Diana #People’s Princess #Charles&Diana #BuckinghamPalace #BBC #PrincessofWales #TunnelCarCrash #William&Harry #HRMElizabeth
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