September 1st brought back a vivid memory. It was a quarter of a century after the Paris tunnel car crash that Diana, Princess of Wales, died along with Dodi Al-Fayed her lover at that time. Princess Diana’s death 25 years ago has sparked so many conspiracy theories even to this day.
I first heard the news that Saturday evening in mid-town Toronto. I was giving a lift to one of my boarders to a Club he was going to. The newscast described the loss of one of my favourite famous persons that I had on a pedestal. I was shaken to the core and had to pull over and let the news sink in.
The emotion that swept over me had happened only twice before: the assassination of JFK and the death of Elvis in 1977. I can recall exactly where I was when first hearing of these deaths as well. The three incidents have stayed with me as if close members of my family. Diana’s death led to a global outpouring of grief and media attention unheard of prior to this tragedy. Many criticized the royal family for their lukewarm response to her death.
The abrupt shock of Diana’s death also sparked countless conspiracy theories. Even decades later there are those that maintain the belief that Diana could have been the victim of a devious plot.
Events such as her traumatic death are abundant breeding ground for conspiracy theories, which permit people to make sense of chaos by finding evidence, coincidences and someone to blame.
Celebrity deaths have inspired an entire genre of conspiracy theories, particularly the death of Princess Diana boosting different details about the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash leading many to the same conclusion – that she was murdered by the British authorities.
One wonders why celebrities are so enabling for people to act like ‘do-it-yourself’ detectives to approach a case despite having already arrived at their conclusion or at least believe that nothing goes wrong without a malicious intent. In celebrity deaths, this usually means murder by someone who seemingly benefits.
The circumstances of Diana’s death were confusing and chaotic at the time. There were mistakes made proliferating questions such as; the ambulance took too long, the tunnel was cleared so quickly and the surveillance cameras weren’t working?
Attitudes primed to look for conspiracy will say there were deliberate actions to hide evidence of a murder. Reality is usually more mundane than conspiracy theories. The result of the Paget report, upon studying available evidence, was that Diana’s death was a tragic accident – not a conspiracy.
I can remember Lady Diana and Prince Charles’s ‘fairytale wedding’ in 1977 and discerning ominous clouds overhead. It was as if Charles after his numerous flings suddenly plucked the younger, beautiful and naïve Diana to be by his side. Too much one-sided power and culture to ensure a lifetime of married bliss!
More importantly, It’s been exactly 25 years since the death of Diana, but her legacy of activism and charity lives on. Princess Diana invented the idea of the famous person who does good. The so-called “people’s princess” wasn’t just beloved by the public, she entirely changed how people interpret a celebrity.
She crisscrossed minefields in Bosnia and Angola to advocate for landmine clearance, visited people with leprosy in Nepal, India and Zimbabwe and opened Britain’s first AIDS ward in London – where she famously shook ungloved hands with a patient, challenging the false and once-prevalent assumption that HIV/AIDS could be spread by casual touch.
After Diana’s death, British historian Ben Pimlott predicted Diana would be remembered for her public service and for giving the monarchy a breath of fresh air. He described her as “a very funny, witty, sharp, person with a great rapport and great compassion.”
On the day of the anniversary, mourners gathered in Paris to lay flowers, leave messages and pay their respects on the bridge above the underpass where Diana was killed. At the Spencer estate where Diana grew up, the flag was lowered to half-mast.
I would have savoured for life even the briefest of a meeting with Princess Diana, to appreciate the means of her warmth and magnanimity.
