It was 20 years ago today

kefkat

kefkat

Vital Football Legend
No this is not a Beatles post: I thought I would confuse you :14:

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So it's 20 years ago today when the country went into a collective nervous breakdown over Princess Diana's death. Now I know some of you aren't fans of her. This topic is not about what you liked her or not and so on. My feelings have changed alot over the years on the subject of Diana. It is still immensely sad for her sons.

My question is ''where were you that morning/day when you heard the news?''

When I was a teen/younger I used to roll my eyes at my late Mom saying about ''everyone knew where they were when Kennedy was shot and killed''

That day I knew what she meant (Oops again Mom)

I was in bed at the time at around 8-am in the morning. My eldest came running upstairs (he was 12 at the time) shouting ''Mom, Mom, get up, you have to turn to Sky news, there's a message on the screen of Nickelodeon-Princess Diana is dead'' I am like ''don't be so stupid son'' jumped out of the bed, ran downstairs turned the TV over and burst into tears.

I spent most of the day staring at the TV in total shock and tears. The rest of the week was spent on/off crying like the majority. I also went on the Monday with my now adult children and my late Mom to The Minster to lay flowers. By the time we got there the whole of the front where the alter is was covered and they were half down the aisle.

The day of the funeral I never cried a tear until the took Diana through the gates of Althorpe for the last time. Then it hit me ''it was really over and true''

I am guessing alot of you may have still been children or not interested, however has a topical subject right now, I thought I would ask ''where were you when The U.K changed forever'' with the out pouring of grief cos lets face it, like her or not, it did
 
Someone told me at Church on that sas Sunday morning.
As it happens, I had arranged to visit my sister in Lincolnshire the following weeken. When I arrived at Holyhead, I caught the London-bound Intercity service to Crewe where I changed onto a one carriage train to Nottingham. As we trundled through the English countryside the driver came on to announce a minute's silence. It was all very surreal, pottering in the Stoke area (see what I did there?) whilst everyone kept quiet.
Nottingham was a ghost town but when we got to Boston, the place was busy enough.
 
It is one of those 'where were you' things even for someone like me who was never that bothered either way about her as a princess.

Sunday morning very early driving to work at a leisure centre. Being young and trendy I would have radio 1 on in the car in those days. Turned it on and they were playing classical music punctuated by an announcer saying what had happened.

 
Great to get some replies guys! Thank you. I often think we out did our parents, cos we got to experience it so far twice in our lives (maybe more depending who you are) however everyone also knows where they were on 9/11 too. That's another topic for another day. 16 years this year
 
I was lying in bed, it was a sunny summers day and I was off work(about to go on holiday). Back then I used my stereo as an alarm clock, it turned on to Talk Radio (as Talk Sport was called back then) and the first thing I heard was James Whale say the words, "Dianna Princess of Wales is dead"

As it must have done for everyone, it came as a bit of a shock but other than thinking it was sad for the family I didn't really tink too much of it. I knew that the flowers would soon start to pile up somewhere in London and that there would be tributes from all the usual celebrities but other han that, it had no real effect on me, I wasn't a fan and really never comprehended how much others seemed to like her. It was not until I was on holiday at Shell Island in Wales at the time of the funeral that I realised that some people really idolised her. I got chatting to this one woman that said that she was devistated as Dianna was her heroin. I never could comprehend the group hysteria that acompanied the "Nation's mourning", from my perspective everything grew out of proportion, there were even calls for her to be cannonised.

In my opinion this was an extremely negative turning point in the psychi of the nation, at this point we became a bunch of hysterical, over emotional, sentimental victims and it didn't stop there, look how the nation reacted when Jade Goodie, the so called "People's Princess" died. I'm glad to say that the collective psychi has bounced back a bit since in the wake of various terrorist attacks, possibly as a result of them. I'd hate to think what the nation would be like with the threat of terrorism had we not bounced back.
 
I remember being pissed off as most of the TV channels as good as closed down and all sport was cancelled.

That bloody panpipe music most of them were playing really pissed me off too.

I could never understand the fascination in her.

Does anyone else think that Harry is James Hewitt's son?
 
I remember thinking that it was inconsiderate to have the funeral on the Saturday as not only did it mean our cricket match was cancelled but it meant no day off work as well.

I was sad though as I am when anyone dies . (Well almost anyone lol)
 
My take on it at the time was the mass hysteria was bizarre. If it had been Princess Ann there wouldn't have been that reaction and a lot of people in this strange mourning and crying for her wouldn't cross the road to help a neighbour in trouble.

It was tragic, like anyone young dying needlessly for sure. But what followed I found hard to believe, especially due to my situation at the time where most I knew, some regular church goers (and in my opinion due to the way they were with me, blasphemers) wouldn't even spend five minutes talking to me, let alone helping.

And yet they did for someone they had never met, didn't know and had an idealistic view on.

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I have no doubt it was amazingly sad for all her family and especially her kids, don't think I am downplaying that at all.

Been fascinating reading Harry's comments not long back, think I did a thread on it somewhere, against what the royals usually like 'don't explain, don't complain' being made as a kid grieving for his lovely mother, having to walk publicly behind the coffin - and walk a long way at that.



 
I was in Paris I had hired a Fiat UNO and was returning it. I was more worried about the scratch it had after a near miss in a tunnel the previous night.
 
LOL I am laughing Heath. Yes I am warped. I was a fan back then. My views have changed over the years on it all. Mellowed and changed alot. We all do as life continues.

Where's Mr Plod when you need him! It was Skeggy all along :10:

No Fulford I will say Harry is nothing to do with James Hewitt. Alot if people think it coz of the ginger hair. You look at Charles Spencer he was also a ginger when he was younger.

James Hewitt didn't know the Wales back then. He came on the scene after Harry was born. I'll find the article for you and post it up later as on mobile atm
 
As someone who was barely even born when this happened I find it all a bit over the top. I understand she was popular and her death would have been a huge shock but the hysteria surrounding it even now 20 years later it's headline news, TV shows about it every day of the week it just seems over the top. As Fear said, some of the mourning for her... people wouldn't even react like that if someone they know died let alone a complete stranger.
 
I am not allowed to talk about it other than to say I concur with Skeggy that his Uno nearly hit my bike.
 
Skeggy's comment is very funny.

Didn't James06 have a liaison with Lady Di just after he finished with Bonnie Langford ?
 
Hanging out on another Social Media site alot these days Heath

I think it did change the country JF: the country has been far more open on its feelings since then. It also bought the modernisation of the Royal Family IMHO
 
Where was I?

I was in bed whilst my then ladyfriend was downstairs making breakfast - it was her turn. She put on either the radio or tv in the kitchen, then within minutes I heard a shriek.... before she shouted up to tell me. I was up like a shot, put a few clothes on and came downstairs and put the main tv on.

We watched it for a few hours.

Terribly upsetting day I'll be honest. Still think there are some things we don't know about. I suppose the 'real' thruth will never come out.

 
Agrees Pride: it's the one conspiracy I think that has a ring of truth to it. I read alot on it and there are things that I can't make sense of.

The British inquest was a waste of time and money. No one was going to turn round and say "Oh sorry Wills and Harry-xyz bumped your Mom off" Its just not going to happen if that was the case. Alot of people still believe it wasn't an accident
 
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