COTANGENT

By Daphne Cardillo

                                        Remembering Diana

                   August 31, 1997.  When I first heard the news about Princess Diana’s death in a car crash, I was napatanga.  Suddenly, goose bumps grew on my arms.  I was not experiencing shock but fear and I uttered to myself:  “So, she’s going to die pala.”

                   Then it came back that old eerie feeling.  That was when I read the papers months ago of an auction sale of her collection of dresses.  When I read that news and saw the photos, I had this unearthly feeling that there was a “sign” to that event.  I felt she was bidding farewell.

                   At first, I thought she was simply renouncing her old life as a member of the Royal Family, but those dresses didn’t symbolize the British monarchy unlike the Queen’s jewels which represent family and tradition.  Then I thought that maybe she was trying to erase her immediate past especially her unhappy life as wife to Prince Charles.

                   But she finally left, in a tragic death, as a commoner.

                   She merely emerged to perform that historic task of giving heir to the throne.

                   And the British monarchy lives.

                   Lady Diana’s life as the Princess of Wales appeared more mythical than real, for she represented less of the monarchy and more of the British subjects.  As Tony Blair, the British prime minister puts it; she was the “People’s Princess.”   She gave the monarchy a human face with her warmth and compassion towards all kinds of people.

                   That she will die an early death was likely to occur with the drastic changes in her life.  From a life of obscurity to join the Royal Family overnight and then return to lead an independent life, was like moving from a low energy field to a very high energy field then back.

                   Members of the House of Windsor are simply of a different lot, having been bred from rulers who seemed to have lived generations ahead of their time.  They are simply different from the rest of the flock; in lineage, heritage, and life circumstances.

                   When she lived her life as Princess of Wales, Lady Diana was transformed and somehow restructured.  But never been groomed to become a princess she could not keep up with the rigors of being one.

                   But leading an independent life outside the culture of the monarchy after her divorce from Prince Charles was like being an outcast.  Already transformed and in a different set-up, she eventually blew up.

                   She was already deprived of the security afforded to being the Princess of Wales.  Moreso, she rejected the protocol and tradition observed by the Royal Family which is a form of security belt, preserving the British monarchy for centuries.

                   Members of the royalty who shunned public life retreat into private life.  Princess Diana continued to be visible in utter vulnerability.

                   I guess the power and mystique of the British monarchy still continues to linger.  It simply condemns those who deviate its ways.

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