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FeaturesYou are in: Norfolk > Local Radio > Features > Remembering Diana, Princess of Wales Remembering Diana, Princess of WalesIt was 10 years ago that Diana, Princess Of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris. 91Èȱ¬ Radio Norfolk has marked the occasion with a look back at the Sandringham-born Princess' legacy and the lasting effects of that fateful day.
Audio and Video links on this page require Realplayer In the early hours of Sunday, 31 August, 1997, Diana and her companion Dodi Fayed were killed after their Mercedes lost control in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris. Investigations found the couple's chauffeur, Henri Paul, who also died in the accident, was drunk and exceeding the speed limit.Ìý But many people also blamed the paparazzi photographers who had been chasing the car through the streets moments earlier. Britain in mourningThe death of Diana - who was born at Park House on the Sandringham royal estate - had a profound effect on the nation, triggering an outpouring of grief on a scale never before witnessed. Her funeral at Westminster Abbey on 6 September, 1997 drew an estimated three million mourners, while more than a million bouquets of flowers were left at Kensington Palace. It was an extraordinary display of affection for the People's Princess, which is still felt to this day. Diana's family home, Althorp House Diana had been a frequent visitor to the Sandringham Estate near King's Lynn over the years, and the people of west Norfolk felt her loss sincerely. A book of condolence was opened at the town hall and mourners queued around the block to sign it. Sharman Kuhnes was there and clearly remembers the intense feelings that were shared that day. "Everybody had got something in common because they were there to express an emotion and be there together about Diana.ÌýIt was a very strange occasion," she said. The first person to sign the book was the mayor at the time, Clifford Walters,Ìýbut he wasn't caught up in the public grief in the same way. "It didn't impinge on me that much, it was an event of mild historic interest," said Mr Walters. "I don't see that it has any significance as far as we're concerned at all. She's a small footnote on the page of history." The Reverend James Mustard is the curate of St Peter Mancroft church in Norwich and believes there was a reason why Diana's death was felt so deeply. "There's something about the fact this was a tragic, unexpected, sudden death of a woman in her prime," said Rev Mustard. "But that does happen to many people and I think the tragedy is that a lot of the people who were mourning, weren't really mourning her, they were mourning other people." Media under the spotlightThe notion that Diana's death could have been aided by the relentless pursuit of photographers that night has sparked an international debate that still rages to this day. The Princess' brother, Charles Spencer, said he'd always believed the press would kill her in the end and many journalists and editors pledged to change the way they report on the Royals. Photographer Alban Donohoe Alban Donohoe is a photographer based in north Norfolk and he was at Althorp House, the Spencers' Northamptonshire ancestral home, on the day of Diana's funeral. He believes we need to realise the role we all play in allowing aggressive behaviour by the paparazzi to take place. "Because of that hunger by the public to buy the magazines for any kind of celebrity, there is a market out there and once there's a market, people will go out and fill that market," said Mr Donohoe. "Newspaper editors run purely on circulation and viewing figures. If they show pictures and figures go down, they stop doing it. "One paper has been showing Diana pictures for the last few months because figures go up," he added. Memories of a childhood friendEven though many of us felt we knew her personally, to most of us the Princess was just a picture in a newspaper or an image on a television screen. But for some she was a real friend, and her memory lives on. North West Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham knew Diana when she was a child and they attended the same primary school. "She was always one of those people who was just full of life and one could tell at that stage that she had a certain star quality," said Mr Bellingham. "She would brighten up a room at a party... she was always someone who everyone loved to see because she was just the life enhancer." So what does Mr Bellingham believe Diana's legacy would have been, had she not been in that Paris tunnel on that terrible night 10 years ago. "I'm a great monarchist and I'm sure the monarchy will survive, but if Diana had remained part of it... the force for good which could have been channelled in various directions, especially for charities... it would have been a very different story.Ìý "The whole thing, it is a great tragedy." last updated: 31/08/07 You are in: Norfolk > Local Radio > Features > Remembering Diana, Princess of Wales |
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