Analysing Lady Di's Eulogy by Her Brother
On the 6th of September 1997, six days after Diana, Princess of Wales had been killed in a car accident, her younger brother Earl Charles Spencer delivered a eulogy at her funeral that was televised to an audience of 2.5 billion people. The eulogy is well known for Charles’ loving description of Diana, his accusations over her death towards the media and the rhetoric of his words. Those that loved and admired Diana were expecting the eulogy to honour her life and lay her to rest in peace, and a combination of Charles’ choice of register and the passion behind his delivery satisfied this need to great success.
Princess Diana’s death erupted in pandemonium. Her involvement in charity work made people all over the world admire her, even after her divorce from Charles, Prince of Wales. Initially thought to be the result of attempting to escape paparazzi, her death was heavily covered by British and international tabloids. Funeral arrangements were quickly made and, six days later, a public state funeral was held at Westminster Abbey in her honour.
As the eulogist to a heavily beloved public figure, Earl Charles Spencer was expected to please not only her family and friends in putting her to rest, but also the people of the world. He first satisfies this expectation in acknowledging all who were listening to his words as participants in the service:
‘I stand before you today the representative of a family in grief … For such was [Diana’s] extraordinary appeal that the tens of millions of people taking part in this service all over the world via television and radio … feel that they too lost someone close to them...’
As the car accident had occurred whilst the driver was attempting to escape paparazzi, the public outrage towards the British tabloids was enormous. There was an unspoken need for those held responsible to be acknowledged in a negative light, and Spencer recognised the media as ‘those at the opposite end of the moral spectrum’ to Diana’s ‘genuine
Princess Diana’s death erupted in pandemonium. Her involvement in charity work made people all over the world admire her, even after her divorce from Charles, Prince of Wales. Initially thought to be the result of attempting to escape paparazzi, her death was heavily covered by British and international tabloids. Funeral arrangements were quickly made and, six days later, a public state funeral was held at Westminster Abbey in her honour.
As the eulogist to a heavily beloved public figure, Earl Charles Spencer was expected to please not only her family and friends in putting her to rest, but also the people of the world. He first satisfies this expectation in acknowledging all who were listening to his words as participants in the service:
‘I stand before you today the representative of a family in grief … For such was [Diana’s] extraordinary appeal that the tens of millions of people taking part in this service all over the world via television and radio … feel that they too lost someone close to them...’
As the car accident had occurred whilst the driver was attempting to escape paparazzi, the public outrage towards the British tabloids was enormous. There was an unspoken need for those held responsible to be acknowledged in a negative light, and Spencer recognised the media as ‘those at the opposite end of the moral spectrum’ to Diana’s ‘genuine