The Real Place of a Princess: Public Response

Abstract

The late Princess Diana of Wales (1961-1997) is one of the leading figures in the twentieth century. She used her fame as a British royal member to shed light on important humanitarian issues such as helping the homeless people, fighting against AIDS, donating money to cancer patients, supporting diseased children, and banning landmines. Her life has proven that she is one of the few celebrities who care for people; especially those in dire need. This is why she earned titles like ‘queen of people’s hearts’, ‘people’s princess’ and ‘England’s rose’. Diana’s death in a car accident has shocked the world and put it in great grief. The accident is considered by her public to be a terrible tragedy. This paper attempts to shed light on the emotional response that followed the princess’s death by studying twenty poems that were produced after her sudden death. Such poems reflect the huge influence that Princess Diana had and still has till this moment on the British way of life and thinking. The poems also assure that the real place of Diana is in her people’s hearts and memories. They also make it obvious that the sky is a better place for her; to be away from oppression and suffering. This paper will also apply the five stages of grief introduced by the psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross to the poems in order to uncover the reasons behind giving Princess Diana such saint-like position by the public.