MovieChat Forums > Diana: In Her Own Words (2017) Discussion > A tragic figure...

A tragic figure...

posted 4 years ago by KBiker (1252)
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I'm American, so my perspective is not the same as a Brit who watched the fiasco of her marriage up close in the tabloids and on TV, but, after watching this documentary and the 4th season of "The Crown," I sometimes found myself being less than sympathetic toward Princess Di. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and it seemed plain to me that it was she who set her sights on marrying Charles and becoming Queen someday. But, she was much too young to shoulder all the responsibility that went with becoming a part of the royal family, not realizing what would be expected of her. She thought she was entering into a fairy tale, without knowing all the media attention that would go with it. She was expected to soldier on, but she was too immature to realize that, not to mention being unable to handle it. On top of that, though she was pretty and charismatic, she was painfully shy, and immediately became overwhelmed by all the attention she garnered. All of that plus early on learning of Charles's true love of Camilla, led to her unhappiness, her bulimia, and eventually the end of the fairy tale and her divorce from Charles. All true, but I found the constant, dare I say, whining about her situation "In Her Own Words," had me thinking she was simply a young girl in over her head and unable to cope with what was happening to her. Yes, she was taken advantage of by Charles, who needed a suitable spouse to bear his royal offspring. But she also took advantage of the situation, accepting the benefits of of her royal status while not wanting any of the obligations.

When she finally left the marriage, she was handsomely compensated with a 17 million pound settlement, plus a generous monthly stipend. Watching all this, I couldn't help but think of the millions of ordinary women who had to endure much worse in loveless marriages, bearing children without the help of nannies and butlers and countless staff, while their husbands philandered their way through life behind their backs. Finally, with her death, caused by the paparazzi's constant hounding of her, the tragedy came full circle. The aftermath, with her practically being canonized, while the royal family was vilified, all seemed a little over the top, at least viewed from this side of the pond.

[–] whoanelly (1592) 3 years ago

Great interpretation of Diana; your description is nearly identical to my own opinion about her.

It’s been a couple of years since I watched this, but I remember repeatedly thinking what a sad, attention-seeking, unworldly, and rather pathetic creature she was when she married Charles. She was indeed, as you stated, in over her head— way over her head. Her manner of trying to “fix” her problems was via histrionics, attention-seeking dramatics, etc. Throwing herself down the stairs while pregnant with William is stomach turning drama queen territory at its finest.

I don’t buy into the theory that the papps caused her death. She was always letting them know when she was coming and going so they would capture every moment. And she foolishly placed her safety—her very life— into the hands of someone (Dodi) who had no clue how to approach what was needed. That he hired an alcoholic driver is the epitome of negligence.

I cringe whenever I hear or read yet another reference from Harry to the papps being responsible for Diana’s death. She called them and let them know her comings and goings. Her BF had no clue how to protect her/them at all, plus he hired an alcoholic to drive them. THAT is what killed Diana.