On this day exactly 10 years ago, the life of this beautiful 35-year-old princess abruptly ended with a tragic car crash in Paris. I remember sitting at the dining room table with my bowl of Chex as my mom turned on the morning news. There it was. At only 8 years old I knew little about who she was but I knew that she mattered, both my parents were suddenly thouroughly upset.
Since then, I’ve come to learn a lot about her, often by accident with the media’s evermore fascination with her life. And wtih all the controvery’s of her death aside, it is her life that I’d like to reflect on.
As Time magazine said, “The People’s Princess had unlocked hearts, reordered values, presided at the triumph of emotional intelligence over cold intellect, of compassion over tradition.” A strong woman in an unloving marriage she completely transformed the British monarchy. But Diana is most remembered about her is her steadfast committment to charity work. She broke down the prejudice towards AIDS. At a time when those infected with the “gay-disease” (clearly politically incorrect but it was a reference to AIDS at the time) were seen as the “untouchables” of society she visited patients, offered hugs and a warm touch, and spent much of her time advocating for a cure. Initially, Diana focused on charities devoted to babies and child welfare were singled but soon she discovered many other opportunities. She had decided that she was going to help young people with drug and alcohol problems, then the unprivileged, and later the young homeless. Her determination to help those charities rejected by most also extended overseas causes. For instance, shocked by the gruesome effects of leprosy on children, Diana agreed to become patron of the Leprosy Mission and made numerous visits to work with young patients in Indonesia.
In her short life, Princess Diana showed that it wasn’t necessary to be apprehensive towards the victims of the various diseases. She was an inspiration to numerous others, including myself, to evoke change in an unforgiving world. She lived an influential life and no matter how much time passes, her efforts will never be forgotten.