Lest we forget

Note that although I'm using a stock photo of Diana without permission, this is not a profile of her. I just want to make that perfectly clear before you read any further. The purpose of the royal profiles is to highlight minor, misunderstood, and ignored royals, not someone who has had so much coverage that we're innundated to the point of numbness. Of course, by writing this article, I briefly questioned my integrity as a Blogger; what Blogger wouldn't? However, to be honest, her life makes such good material, how can I not write about her yet again?

Back to the point of this article. To recap - today is the eighth anniversary of Diana's death. Now that I've reminded you of this, you probably fall into one of these categories:

• You're completely indifferent
• You believe her death was a tragic accident
• You believe that her death was a conspiracy of impressive, strategic proportions - a mission that switched gears effortlessly upon the whim of it's targets - and you won't rest until the truth is revealed.
• You're undecided, weighing the pros and cons of the investigation, not jumping to any conclusions until all of the evidence has been reviewed.

According to Mohammed Al Fayed's website: http://www.alfayed.com/details.asp?aid=148 94% of Daily Express Readers believe that she was murdered, so there is some peer pressure to withstand. Everyone else who reads the Daily Express has made up their minds, why haven't you? You would have to be totally cold-blooded, or a well-adjusted individual who doesn't bend to peer pressure, to just say no.

Regardless of how you feel, it's okay to admit it. Beneath the layer of fashionable denial, you know the truth. Personally my feelings vacillate on any given anniversary of her death. Here is my progression:

• On the 1st anniversary I was disappointed there wasn't more coverage
• On the 2nd, I was further disappointed but realized that yes, life does go on
• on the 3rd, I almost forgot but then I looked at the calendar
• on the 4th, and 5th I don't remember what I did
• On the 6th, I made my pilgrimage to Althorp to visit her grave, buy souvenirs, and to say I'd done it
• On the 7th, I don't remember what I did
• On the 8th, I'm writing this article

So you see, we all deal with grief in our own way. At the moment I have no plans for the 9th but that could change. Maybe once August 31, 2007 rolls around I will finally have decided once and for all. Until that point I await the official commemorative books, china, dolls, stamps and newspaper articles to add to my collection.

© Marilyn Braun 2005