about what happened to the Wales marriage. One of them is dead and, as of
this morning, the other has made it clear that he is now ready to put it all
behind him. Perhaps that's not a bad idea, but given Diana's immense
popularity, her beauty, and the unspeakable tragedy of her early death, it
probably won't happen.
It is clear that Diana was traumatized by her parents' divorce and that she
never managed to evolve any intellectual or emotional resources to deal with
that or similar situations. She remained an emotionally needy young woman
and, as she flunked out of high school (in American terminology) and never
attended university, she was a naive 20 year old with virtually no
experience of the world when she married Charles. She knew, like most
Britons of her class, that he had been involved with Camilla in the past.
It was unfortunate that the two of them carelessly gave her reason to
suspect that the affair was ongoing even while she was engaged to Charles.
Diana had stars in her eyes, as any young woman of her naivete would have
had in her situation. Her disappointment with what she then discovered to
be reality was very real, complicated by her inability to address the
realities of her marriage in the mature manner that a more sophisticated
woman might have managed.
Charles grew up with what he describes as a remote mother and a hectoring
martinet father. In part the queen's distance from her children was the
result of her office and dignity, but one cannot help reflecting on the
difference between the intimate family circle she had known as a child and
what appear to have been emotionally remote relationships with her own
children. As he matured into public life he came to receive an inordinate
amount of positive publicity, which may well have compensated him for an
emotionally sterile early life and given him a self-confidence many thought
he lacked in his 'teens and 'twenties. (It undoubtedly did him no good
later on to see so much of that media approval transferred to Diana.) As a
result, Charles had his own needs but Diana was no more the woman to fulfill
them than he was the man to fulfill hers. The direct consequences were
disaster and tragedy.
Regardless of how we choose to regard or criticise the methods either of
them adopted to deal with their crisis--sulking, crying to the media,
pursuing extramarital affairs--the above is my view of the personal
relationships involved. It's charitable if nothing else. Two essentially
very well-meaning young people who were simply wrong for each other.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy of all was that they were forced to go through
all of it under relentless and often pitiless public scrutiny. Any other
couple could have faced facts and ended the ordeal in a humane and dignified
manner, as Prince and Princess Joachim of Denmark are now doing.
Regards
John P.
From: Guy Etchells <guy.etchells@virgin.net
To: GEN-MEDIEVAL-L@rootsweb.com
Subject: Re: Fw: CHARLES & CAMILLA - ITS OFFICIAL
Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2005 15:26:44 +0000
My views on her have not changed since the early days of her marriage and
her whining that the Queen kept interfering and telling her what to do
(someone needed to remind her of protocol and who better).
Di knew from the start the situation with Charles and Camellia (it had been
going on for some years and they had no intention of stopping) and she
accepted it but after marriage tired to change this situation. She knew why
she had been chosen and what her role would be, but tried to force her hand
when she considered she had leverage, history shows how she failed.
She was manipulative and scheming using the press to best advantage, it is
just a pity that Charles took so long in realising just how to manipulate
the press to advantage.
Cheers
Guy
I'll give Millie this (love this new name for her: haven't come across it
before), she has been quiet in her activities, some might say discreet.
While Di was alive, she was everyone's favourite, bar a few, who thought
her a nutter. Since she died, everyone has joined on the bandwagon of
Di-bashing. It's fashionable, but I don't know how much truth there is in
any of what you say. Besides, why should she try to destroy the Royal
Family when her son will be king one day? Why would she destroy her
descendants' futures.
Renia
--
Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.
http://freespace.virgin.net/guy.etchells The site that gives you facts
not promises!
http://www.british-genealogy.com/forums ... ferrerid=7
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com ... church.htm
Churches & MIs. in the Wakefield Area