THE woman who ‘rocked the royals’

Twenty-two years after her passing, the British princess who captivated the world with her beauty and goodness is still as fresh in our memory as the day she wed Prince Charles at the age of 20.

Bringing her story to wider (and younger) audiences is an upcoming Broadway musical that had a successful run at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego last year.

According to reports, Diana will make its debut at the Longacre Theatre on 2 March 2020. Led by Tony Award-winning director Christopher Ashley, the production stars Jeanna de Waal as Princess Diana, Roe Hartrampf as Prince Charles, Erin Davie as Camilla Parker Bowles and Judy Kaye as Queen Elizabeth II. Opening night is slated for 31 March 2020.

The musical starts off in 1981, a few months after Lady Diana married Prince Charles in July at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. It will also chronicle her tempestuous relationship with the Prince of Wales, his shocking affair with Camilla and her immense global fame before her untimely death in 1997, the musical’s synopsis says.

In a 1995 tell-all interview with BBC journalist Martin Bashir, Princess Diana quipped that she would like to be “a queen of people’s hearts.”

She still is, even 22 years later after her tragic death.

Diana Frances Spencer, also known as the Princess of Wales, is remembered by many to have worked closely with charities, causes and organizations during her time. This was first evident in 1987, when Diana broke royal protocol by shaking hands with an HIV patient in London.

(LEFT) PRINCESS Diana and Prince Charles wedding in 29 July 1981. On the right is Prince William’s and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 29 April 2011.

Princess Diana was dubbed as a fashion trendsetter and, most often, a rule-breaker. She did things out of the usual from a royal, which completely shocked and left the British monarchy in a frenzy. She would publicly talk about her mental health, hug as many children at charities as possible and was a hands-on and affectionate mother to her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

Descended from an aristocratic British family, Lady Diana Spencer was born on 1 July 1961. She was the youngest of Earl Spencer’s three daughters. At 16, she met Prince Charles who was then dating her older sister Lady Sarah. They were engaged in February 1981.

After 15 years, Diana and Prince Charles divorced. A year later, a car carrying Diana and her boyfriend, Egyptian socialite Dodi Fayed, crashed in a tunnel in Paris after being chased by paparazzis. But further investigation deemed it as an accident, as the driver named Henri Paul was intoxicated. She was laid to rest on 6 September 1997 in London.

Her funeral was watched by millions around the world. Songs and tributes were made in her honor, including a reworked song by Bernie Taupin and Sir Elton John. “Candle in the Wind” originally written for Marilyn Monroe.

When it was re-recorded in 1997, the original lyrics that mentioned Norma Jean, which was Monroe’s birth name, was changed to England’s rose, pertaining to Diana. Most of the lyrics were altered to suit the beloved princess’ life and circumstance.

The Guiness Book of Records declared “Candle in the Wind 1997” as the second highest selling single of all time, after Bing Crosby’s 1942 beloved jingle, “White Christmas.”

SHE was a hands-on and affectionate mother to her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

More than two decades later, the world remembers Princess Diana on her death anniversary.

Take That star Gary Barlow recalls the Princess of Wales as an “amazing woman” and that they were “lucky enough to have the pleasure of spending some time with this amazing woman. She will always be missed.”

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis shared on her Instagram account that moment she missed meeting Diana when the royal visited Pinewood Studios. She explained that she had written to her the next day and received a handwritten reply from Kensington Palace.

Hereabouts, many also still remember the People’s Princess. Though she, like a fabled princess in a tower, lived so far away and out of reach, many Filipinos admired and even loved her.

file photo taken 19 February 1992 shows Mother Teresa chatting with Princess Diana during a visit to a convent in Rome. AFP

I liked Princess Di. When I heard she had died in a car crash, I couldn’t at first believe until after I saw images on CNN. It was early morning here in Manila when the car crash happened in Paris. When I switched on the TV and went to CNN, I saw the coverage of the accident and the announcement of Princess Di and her companion’s death. I felt a surge of sadness in my heart. She was one of the few women I admired for her courage, her empathy for people of all colors, and gender She rose above the petty rumors that yellow journalists had been spreading to discredit her. Princess Di was the epitome of the modern woman thrown onto the whirling arena of intrigues and controversies but bravely hurdled those with grace. She was really the people’s princess. More than being part of royalty, she was a compassionate human being.

It had an impact then. My mom and I looked up to her as a role model and losing her like made me appreciate my mom more, I think. She was the epitome of grace and individuality in the sense that she didn’t care much about the public’s opinion of her, she just wanted to use her fame to help others. Yes I think the lessons of the life she lived are still relevant today although I don’t really associate it with 31st August anymore. I think her memories are more important than the date of her death.

Kim Sancha, beauty pageant enthusiast and writer

I was only 17 and in high school. I was quite intrigued why she was all over the news.

It was the first time that I heard about the British monarchy and it was because of her that I learned about the royals. I learned that she was the Princess of Wales, Queen of Hearts, Fashion Queen. She used her position to help and extend support all over the world. She’s a royal with class, poise, grace and sense in beauty and fashion. She’s simple yet elegant that’s why she’s a winner for me.

She’s the only royal who received an outpouring of support from people all over the world and from different walks of life. Hers and Evita Peron’s funerals were the most-watched.

Twenty-two years after, her legacy is being continued by her sons including Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, whether in charity, fashion or jewelry. For me, it’s a loving and simple tribute to Dianas.

Her death is actually a reminder that she is still human. She may be royal but she can get hurt and can commit mistakes. I didn’t like how the paparazzi hounded her. If they had not, she would still have been alive today.

Ethan Sta. Maria, freelance writer and editor

Okay, here’s what I remember. It was a Sunday, 31 August 1997, I guess because of time zone differences, we, here in the Philippines found out only about it the next day, 1 September, as Internet in those days was still very slow and a luxury for many.

I didn’t follow Princess Diana’s life after she married Prince Charles so at the time I thought they were still together. It was hard for anyone to be with any other man, let alone be unhappy in her marriage. Her death, although sad and tragic, also preserved my personal memory of her: that of a beautiful young woman who also happened to be a kind and generous soul.

In the context of her activism and charity work, yes she is still relevant until today. Her association for many causes involving people with all kinds of ailments, animals and children, made her loss mourned by millions all over the world. Maybe it’s a stretch to say this, but Diana’s demise may be the reason why many of us were able to identify with the causes espoused by our own Gina Lopez, who like Diana, tirelessly worked for her own advocacies.

Gianna, seasoned writer, author and editor

I mourned for both her and Mother Theresa of Calcutta. Mother Teresa was already ill at that time. I rooted for her and (Dodi) Al-Fayed because I didn’t like how she was treated by Charles. She and Fayed has a shrine in Harrods.

We were closing the Living section of another paper. We stopped working for maybe 10 minutes when we heard the news because my layout artist was such a fan of Princess Diana. She was quietly crying and was beside herself. I used to gift her with magazines that featured Princess Diana. I mourned Princess Diana, too. The world loved her but the one person who should have cherished her broke her heart to pieces. Charles was wearing cufflinks given him by Camilla on their wedding day. I was rooting for her and Dodi because I thought finally she found someone who loved her.

I was in college when she died. She was always the topic in our class. We were required by our professor because it was one of our major subjects. It went on for twice a week for one semester. We were taught how to look for an issue or event. I also remember that Elton John song that was dedicated to her. Internet access was difficult then so we all got our news from traditional media.