It was in London's Hyde Park during the 50th anniversary of VE Day in April 1995. It was one of the last appearances Di made with Prince Charles. Their entire Royal Family was present were the likes of then Vice-President Al Gore and his then wife Tipper, then Prime Minister John Major, then leader of the Official Opposition Tony Blair, then Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and then Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who would be snuffed out by an assassin's bullet less than seven months later.
When I learned that Diana, Princess of Wales was in a car accident, I was at home in Ottawa and immediately remembered that Sunday afternoon in Hyde Park nearly two and half years earlier. At the time, I was renting a room from a woman with a rather unpleasant disposition.
But when we learned of the accident we spent some time together and when we learned she had died, we hugged. Unfortunately, the goodwill did not last and I would move out three months later.
Yet it was apparent to both of us that notwithstanding what might have been written in the tabloids, Diana came off as a decent human being who used her prestige to help others without seeking glory for herself. This decency has been carried out by her sons William and Harry.
Diana was cruelly cut down in the prime of her life. Fortunately, her legacy carries on.
No comments:
Post a Comment