The ‘People’s Princess! My Memories of Lady Diana 20 Years after her Death

The ‘People’s Princess! My Memories of Lady Diana 20 Years after her Death

It was June 4, 1996- Lady Diana had come to Chicago, USA on a 3-day visit to take part in a fund raising event in aid of Cancer patients at a Hospital in Chicago. As a volunteer of “United Way”, and also “Salvation Army” (both community service organizations)- and also being a part-time reporter for a Chicago suburb newspaper, I had the greatest opportunity to take part in a press conference which was arranged at the prestigious Drake Hotel, downtown Chicago, where Princess Diana interacted with the media personnel about her love for the needy/downtrodden and her caring for the cancer patients/survivors. She had brought with her hundreds of toys to be distributed among the less fortunate children in Chicago, and on request as a memory/souvenir for keepsake Lady Diana personally handed me over two toys- one, a replica of a London-British Bus; and a plush Teddy Bear toy depicting a “a Guardsman at Buckingham and Windsor Palaces (see pics of toys in the report). 20 years later today, it brought back memories of Lady Diana who died a tragic car accident on 31 Aug, 1997, that also killed her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and the couple’s driver, Henri Paul.

Mangaluru: Last night watching BBC channel there was a special report on the Life and Mysterious Death of Princess Diana, which immediately brought memories of the day, June 4 1996, when I had a very close glimpse and interaction of Lady Diana, during a press conference held at the luxurious and prestigious Hotel Drake-downtown Chicago, USA Lady Diana had come to Chicago, USA on a 3-day visit to take part in a fund raising event in aid of Cancer patients at a University Hospital in Chicago. As a volunteer of “United Way”, and also “Salvation Army” (both community service organizations)- and also being a part-time reporter for a Chicago suburb newspaper, I had the greatest opportunity to take part in a press conference which was arranged at the prestigious Drake Hotel, downtown Chicago, where Princess Diana interacted with the media personnel about her love for the needy/downtrodden and her caring for the cancer patients/survivors.

Princess Diana had brought with her hundreds of toys to be distributed among the less fortunate children in Chicago, and on request as a memory/souvenir for keepsake Lady Diana personally handed me over two toys- one, a replica of a London-British Bus; and a plush Teddy Bear toy depicting a “a Guardsman at Buckingham and Windsor Palaces (see pics of toys in the report). She wore very high heels, and she was a tall lady, and when she stood right in front of me handing me the toys, it seemed like as if I shrunk 6 -8 inches?.20 years later today, brought back memories of Lady Diana who died a tragic car accident on 31 Aug, 1997, that also killed her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and the couple’s driver, Henri Paul. During her stay in Chicago, she also visited Northwestern University on the invitation of University President Henry Bienen, and her first appearance was with star-struck co-eds on the Northwestern campus. She captivated the hearts of hundreds including those who attended a star-studded gala raising money for cancer causes. And year, she faced a tragic death due to a car crash- which until now remains as a mysterious death?

It should be noted that during her stay in Chicago, Princess Diana who stayed at the Drake Hotel in the presidential suite, is now called the “Princess Diana Suite”- and wealthy guests are ready to pay a fortune to stay in this ‘Princess Diana suite”. Many hotel employees were also charmed by her including the doorman. People were everywhere all over the place. It was a nice crowd. She went over to greet people, that’s the way Lady Diana was. On her second day, June 5, 1996 she gave a speech at a breast cancer symposium- and in the afternoon, she visited Cook County Hospital-Chicago. Then, at an evening gala She wore a stunning Versace purple dress as she descended down the staircases at the Field Museum- and that night the legendary singer Tony Bennett sang and Phil Donohue got the first dance. Her final event was a luncheon hosted by then-Illinois First Lady Brenda Edgar. During one of her appearances, Princess Diana told the crowd: “I hope out paths will cross again in the very near future but until then from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Chicago.” But unfortunately, Lady Diana couldn’t make it back to Chicago again!

Presidential Princess Diana Suite at Hotel Drake-Chicago, USA

Interacting with Lung Cancer patient in Chicago

Visiting a HIV patient at Cook County Hospital-Chicago

Less glamorous was the tour of the Cook County hospital, where Diana asked to see an HIV ward. The building was packed with staff who brought their families to see the princess, and the hospital ‘never looked cleaner’. She would kind of excuse herself from the entourage, push back the curtain and go in and actually sit on the bed with the patient and talk. What surprised me was that someone who looked the way she looked and had the pedigree she had … She was comfortable with the patients, and, more remarkably, they were comfortable with her. I even heard that one patient even asked if the princess had plans for that night- the patient was actually hitting on the Princess of Wales,”- but Diana responded that she “had another engagement”. Guess she was absolutely fantastic. Regal is the only way to describe it.

Needless to say, when she arrived in Chicago on June 4, 1996 —her first stop was a tour of a sculpture garden on the lakefront in Evanston, a Chicago suburb, and the media frenzy ensued, anyway. Every time reporters did a story on her, their circulation went up! The crowds “were three- and four-deep behind the ropes-they were in large numbers and overwhelming. People were extremely welcoming, and the press was extremely eager. This “Windy City” always had famous people come to Chicago, but Lady Di was kind of a combination of a famous person and a superstar. I don’t know of anybody today that you could try to equate to her aura and excitement. This was a big deal. About as big of a deal I can remember of my 22 plus years in Chicago suburb.

Throughout her visit to Chicago, the princess traveled in a black Rolls-Royce, now owned by the Volo Auto Museum in the far northwest Chicago suburbs- and sources reveal that special exhibit of the car to mark the anniversary was organized. I remember she worked that crowd. For all the glamour that surrounded Princess Di, she seemed to be a very down-to-earth person. I had a whole different perception of her after that. Like others who encountered the Princess during that whirlwind visit, I was struck by her charm, her humor and that she didn’t put on airs. And since June 4 1996, I became a hard-core fan of Lady Di- and started collecting almost every memorabilia that I could come across, from souvenirs, magazines, periodicals, pictures etc-

Today, to mark the 20 years since Princess Diana’s death on Aug. 31, 1997, many of her admirers are seen taking a pilgrimage to her burial site at Althorp, her childhood home in Northamptonshire, England. That home, which has been in her family since 1508, is just one of the reminders that, while Diana was often characterized as “the girl next door” at the time of her fairy tale wedding to Prince Charles, that door would have been located — literally and metaphorically — in an unusual neighborhood. Long before she was actually a Princess, Lady Diana Spencer was connected to the royal family. She has more English royal blood in her veins than does Prince Charles. Today, the glamour gene in the Spencer family continues, with the flashy lifestyles of the current generation of Spencers on display on social media.

These are the Two Toys that Lady Di presented to me at the Hotel Drake after a press conference

The princess when she died left behind two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, who were 15 and 12 years old, respectively, at the time- but now grown up. Her funeral at Westminster Abbey in London was reportedly watched by 2.5 billion people worldwide. Even though Princess Diana is dead, but her death made us feel what we suspected all the time: that this shy, but sly, English girl with the backward glance was only trying to give the world a hand. Let me end this tribute column with lyrics from “Candle In The Wind (Princess Diana Tribute)” by Elton John :

“Goodbye England’s rose
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart
You called out to our country
And you whispered to those in pain
Now you belong to heaven
And the stars spell out your name

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along England’s greenest hills
Your candles burned out long before
Your legend ever will

Loveliness we’ve lost
These empty days without your smile
This torch we’ll always carry
For our nation’s golden child
Even though we try
The truth brings us to tears
All our words cannot express
The joy you’ve brought us through the years

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along England’s greenest hills
Your candles burned out long before
Your legend ever will

Goodbye England’s rose
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed yourself
Where lives were torn apart

Goodbye England’s rose
From the country lost
Without your soul who missed the wings of your compassion
More than you will ever know

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along England’s greenest hills
Your candles burned out long before
Your legend ever will

Your footsteps will always fall here
Along England’s greenest hills

Your candle burned out long before your legend ever will…”