I have always had a fascination with Diana, Queen of Hearts. I recall the day it was announced that she was set to marry Prince Charles in 1981 – the jubilation in the air as the spectacular wedding was televised to millions of viewers all over the world. Not only was she regal and oh so leggy, she had that peaches and crème beauty with an unusual coyness of a woman of her stature. It was this shyness that did it for me – it was as if she had no inkling how people everywhere could be enchanted by her humbleness, motherly instinct and charisma.
Like the rest of the world, I followed her every move through the tabloids. I admired her fashion style, she couldn’t put a foot wrong in this arena and designers were beseeching her with their creations. When news spread of her growing unhappiness within her marriage – I despised Prince Charles for being unfaithful to her – how could any man be unfaithful to a woman like that – what was wrong with him??? I felt her pain when she went through a very public divorce and sympathised with her when the media attacked her every move as she attempted to lead a private life. I hoped she would find her Prince Charming, wanted her to live happily ever after in her very own fairy tale – she deserved to find happiness after everything the Royal Family put her through!
But, alas this was not meant to be. I was reminded of her demise yesterday when I watched the “Diana” movie starring Naomi Watts. Firstly, let me say that Naomi Watts plays a poor version of Diana – but then again no actress could ever bring justice to this role, so I was going to be biased from the beginning!
I hadn’t watched the trailer before or read any of the reviews regarding the movie but somehow expected it to capture her unhappiness within her marriage, her loving relationship with her sons, the charity work she shone in and of course, her untimely death. I didn’t expect to find out about a relationship she had with Pakistani Surgeon, Dr Hasnat Khan – a fling that spanned two years and revealed how much she truly loved him and did everything within her power to protect him from public scrutiny. She was so secretive of this relationship that many had no idea she was in love and desperately craved living a normal married life.
I was baffled as to what Diana found appealing in Dr Hasnat Khan – perhaps it was his dedication to his career in saving lives – but he wasn’t good looking, had bad eating habits, was a workaholic and didn’t have much time to spend with her. The movie even depicted the extent to which she went to be with him, donning a wig in order to transform herself to spend stolen moments together. She went to great lengths to meet his family in Pakistan in the hope they would accept her and eventually grant their blessing in marriage.
Dr Hasnat Khan was in a terrible quandary – for as much as he loved Diana, he couldn’t imagine how they could ever live a normal life for he valued his privacy and she had far too much baggage. They would always be hounded by the media at every possible angle and he couldn’t see how the relationship could stand the test of time and decided to end the affair.
Obviously Diana didn’t take too kindly to this break-up. She decided to get back at him by playing the oldest trick in the break-up book – instilling jealousy. All of a sudden she found a new love interest in the form of super-rich Dodi Fayed. They were seen frolicking together on his yacht in the South of France. Diana was portrayed as being the instigator in alerting journalists to her whereabouts knowing such photographs would be splashed all over the news eventually making its way to Dr Hasnat Khan, including the Royal Family. The events leading up to her untimely death was captured as best it could but what stood out like a sore thumb was how unhappy she was and how much she still loved Dr Hasnat Khan right to the bitter end. The movie was a poor reflection of her life, was utterly dull and boring, and did nothing to convey the profound loss felt throughout the world by her untimely death at the young age of only thirty-six.
Her death, to this day, still feels surreal to me. When she died, it felt like the world had come to a virtual standstill – millions were transfixed to their tellies, just like when she got married – but there were no tears of joy – just a void, to this day that can never be replaced. The world lost an ANGEL – she accomplished so much in the short period of time she walked this earth – ordinary people felt they knew her personally without ever meeting her for she had the profound ability to slip into their hearts unknowingly.
I felt like I had lost one of my close family members for I LOVED her and looked up to her and everything she stood for. When I watch documentaries and spot a picture of her – sadness overcomes me for I wished she could have seen the marvellous men her sons had become and the grandchildren she would have adored. I would have waited for her to find true happiness, to age gracefully whilst still maintaining her allure, even without a title. I miss you Diana – still the Queen of my Heart:(
Leave a Reply