Lingering Memories
After a Decade, Diana Remains A Source of Great Attraction

By Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, September 1, 2007

LONDON, Aug. 31 Prince William and Prince Harry led a memorial service Friday marking the 10th anniversary of the death of their mother, Princess Diana, whose status as a beloved global icon remains a source of pride and bewilderment for the British.

"She made us and so many other people happy; may this be the way that she is remembered," said Prince Harry, 22, in a brief reading praising the Princess of Wales as "the best mother in the world."

The service, attended by about 500 guests and broadcast live across Britain and beyond, echoed the unprecedented outpouring of grief over Diana's death in a Paris car crash on Aug. 31, 1997.

Hundreds of people gathered near the Guards Chapel, where the service was held, and near the gate of Kensington Palace, where Diana had lived. Under a warm, cloudy sky, many sang along with the hymns and left notes and flowers. Tourists in Paris also left flowers and cards at the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, where the crash occurred.

William and Harry were 15 and 12, respectively, when their mother died, and on Friday newspapers and television screens were filled with photos of them walking with their mother's funeral cortege alongside their father, Prince Charles.

Both young men, now tall and lean officers in Household Cavalry, read at Friday's service, which was held in the regimental chapel of their military unit, near Buckingham Palace.

William read a biblical passage and Harry read a personal tribute from the two sons in which he described Diana's death as "indescribably shocking and sad" and remembered her as "fun-loving, generous, down-to-earth and entirely genuine."

"When she was alive, we completely took for granted her unrivaled love of life, laughter, fun and folly," Harry said. "She was our guardian, friend and protector. She never once allowed her unfaltering love for us to go unspoken or undemonstrated."

As the two princes spoke, the passage of time was evident in their broad shoulders, deep voices and adult demeanor, as well as in the graying of their father.

Others in the chapel seemed less changed since Diana's globally televised funeral. Queen Elizabeth II, in a lavender hat and dress, sat stoically in the front row, looking remarkably like her portrayal by Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren in last year's hit movie "The Queen," which dealt with the queen's handling of the aftermath of Diana's death. Prince Charles wore a dark suit and led the royal family procession into the chapel, flanked by his sons. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip followed just behind them. Charles betrayed no emotion then or during the hour-long ceremony, during which he sat in the front row.

The guest list also included celebrities such as business mogul Richard Branson and singer Elton John, whose adaptation of "Candle in the Wind" -- performed at Diana's funeral -- became a global anthem to one of the world's most popular and recognized figures.

Diana, who was buried on the grounds of her family home, Althorp Park, has remained timeless, frozen in the world's memory at age 36. Her image still appears in countless newspapers and magazines around the world, and is a major tourist draw on tea cups and greeting cards in British souvenir shops.

Many Britons celebrated the memory of Diana, who was dubbed "the People's Princess" by Tony Blair. The former prime minister attended Friday's service along with Britain's current leader, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Blair's predecessor, John Major.

Many here believe that she was a much-needed shot of youth and glamour for the royal family and that she was treated badly by the royals during her marriage to and subsequent divorce from Charles.

A poll published Friday in the Daily Telegraph found that only 49 percent of Britons polled respect the royal family. Only 6 percent said their opinion of the royals had improved in the decade since Diana's death, while 25 percent said it had declined, the newspaper reported.

The poll, conducted by the firm YouGov, found that 89 percent remembered where they were when they heard of Diana's death.

The delicate nature of the royal family's relationship with Diana's memory surfaced this week in the decision by Camilla, Prince Charles's new wife, not to attend the ceremony.

Diana once complained about Camilla, Charles's longtime mistress, to a television interviewer, saying there were "three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."

Although invited by William and Harry to attend the service, Camilla, now the Duchess of Cornwall, said she believed her presence would be distracting.

Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, and her sister, Sarah McCorquodale, attended the service and McCorquodale gave a reading. The guests also included more than 100 representatives of charities Diana was associated with, as well as the bridesmaids and page boys from her 1981 wedding to Charles.

One of the royals' leading detractors is Mohamed al-Fayed, father of Diana's boyfriend, Dodi al-Fayed, who also died in the crash. Fayed has consistently argued that the royal family was involved in the death of his son and Diana. Police investigators have concluded that the accident was caused by Diana's driver, Henri Paul, who was driving too fast after drinking.

A moment of silence in honor of Diana and Dodi Fayed was held Friday morning at Harrods department store, which is owned by Mohamed Fayed.

Many Britons found the public display of grief at Diana's death almost embarrassing. Critics here still find Diana's enduring legacy perplexing or even distasteful. Many found Diana to be tempestuous and immature and believe that her image, particularly in the United States, has been polished beyond reason.

Critics said that Friday's memorial service, along with a memorial concert July 1, Diana's birthday, was excessive and that Britain needed to move on.

"This bothers me -- it's all over the TV and newspapers, the 10th anniversary -- it's just not that important," said Dennis Walton, who was walking by Kensington Palace on Friday. "She was just another person, even though it was a tragic death."

Walton likened Diana's following to that of Elvis Presley. He said people who visit Graceland and promote Elvis's memory are, like Diana's legion of fans, trying to "live the moment forever."

But others outside Kensington Palace said the tributes to Diana have been deserved and appropriate.

"There was nobody like her, she was earthy and normal, but she had a magical quality," said Joanne Meritt, a real estate agent who came 30 miles from her home outside London to lay white lilies at the palace gate, just as she did 10 years ago.

Meritt said she is upset at critics who say the British overreacted to Diana's death. She said she came Friday in part to "show the establishment it was not mass hysteria 10 years ago."

During the service, Richard Chartres, the bishop of London, called for an end to divisiveness over Diana's memory.

"It is easy to lose the real person in the image, to insist that all is darkness or all is light," he said. "Still, 10 years after her tragic death, there are regular reports of 'fury' at this or that incident and the princess's memory is used for scoring points. Let it end here."