Princess Diana: A Maverick

The late Princess Diana, Princess of Wales, was a maverick and one of the most idolized people to have lived in recent history. She was a princess, a real-life princess who, unlike Cinderella, the shoe did not quite fit, even if it did. Diana, Princess of Wales was a maverick in every possible definition of the word. She was a trendsetter, a rebel, original and eccentric. She lived her life as she saw fit, with a kind of unconventional approach to life. She was also an outsider and even as she was part of the British royal family, she had a normal person vibe to her.

Princess Diana represented a generation of women that had just emancipated the female figure out of subjugation, into a new lease of independence, exuberance, and fulfillment. Diana was a woman who loved who she was, despite what others made her out to be. She was a mother of two boys, Harry and William, now princes in the British royal family. She passed on at the age of 36, after a gruesome road accident in Paris, France. Despite numerous conspiracy theories, her passing was ruled as an ‘unlawful killing’ by her then-driver. She passed on together with her boyfriend at the time, Dodi Fayed.

Princess Diana’s BBC Panorama Interview

Princess Diana has been in the headlines recently due to a BBC Panorama Interview conducted by Martin Bashir in 1995. According to allegations, Mr. Bashir coerced Diana, using falsified documents, to have the interview. He is said to have forged documents showing that the British royal family was paying someone to spy on her. As a result, Diana agreed to make the TV appearance for the interview. The allegations have been made by her brother, Earl Spencer, who blames the BBC for covering up the matter. The issue is very controversial as Princess Diana, in the interview, made some very shocking statements.

A Queen of People’s Hearts, in People’s Hearts”

Princess Diana alleged that they were “three” in her marriage and that is why she had separated from her husband Charles, the Prince of Wales. In her own words, “there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded”. She also said that she wanted to be “a Queen of people’s hearts, in people’s hearts” when asked whether she thought she would ever be Queen. She said that “I don’t see myself being Queen of this country. I don’t think many people will want me to be Queen”. You can read the interview here. Princess Diana was a force to be reckoned with and she dispelled rumors that she saw as the establishment’s way of demeaning and undermining her.

Princess Diana Expresses Sadness at Separating from Prince Charles

Princess Diana also expressed sadness at the separation from her husband, even as she admired his honesty in openly expressing that he had cheated on her with his lover, Mrs. Camilla Parker-Bowles. She also revealed that she had had an affair with a gentleman named Mr. James Hewitt in the interview. The interview was so shocking that it ramped up pressure from the monarchy for the two to divorce, and they did a year later.

Princess Diana’s Revelations Shocking for the Monarchy

Princess Diana’s revelations in her Panorama interview must have been as shocking for the monarchy as they were for the public. Here was a princess who had seemed to have it all, who was decrying her treatment by the monarchy and how a sham it all was. Princess Diana, unfortunately, lost her life in 1997, in a devastating car accident that took place in Paris, France. The news was utterly shocking and her story to this day remains a very sad story. It is the story of two young boys walking beside their mother’s coffin.

Did BBC’s Mr. Bashir Coerce Earl Spencer for an Introduction to Princess Diana?

Princess Diana is currently in the headlines due to the allegations against her interviewer in the Panorama interview, Mr. Martin Bashir, on his alleged coercion of the princess using fake bank statements. He is alleged to have shown the statements to Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother, and that was why the Earl introduced him to his sister, the princess. Mr. Bashir is currently down with COVID-19 and is expected to answer these allegations after he recovers. The BBC has launched an investigation into the matter, despite being accused of covering up the coercion.

Netflix Series ‘The Crown’ Brings Diana Back to the Limelight

Princess Diana is also in the headlines due to a TV series, ‘The Crown‘ that covers the story of the monarchy. The fourth season of the story features the story of Princess Diana, starting from the time she met with the Prince of Wales. The story of Diana has made the fourth season of the series very popular and has, in a way, saved the series from likely discontinuation.

Update (Sep 9 2023): Read our review of The Crown Season 5 below.

In the series, Diana is said to have had a bad first impression of Prince Charles, calling him ‘sad’. The series also makes numerous other allegations of what transpired, leading to a lot of speculation on the truthfulness of what it depicts. Princess Diana will always represent the spirit of a maverick and as she said in her Panorama interview, “But I’m a free spirit – unfortunately for some”.