Princess Diana

Thesis Statement The controversial life led by Princess Diana as well as her tragic death is a direct consequence of the pressures laid by fame and the pressures of royalty. A lot was expected of her as the Princess of Wales. Her elevation to royalty placed undue demands on a lady who could not bear being on the limelight. Her newly found matrimony did not help as her husband, Prince Charles became a philanderer. The Prince openly carried on his affair with an old flame, Camilla Parker. Any sensible woman should have deserted her husband but Diana was no ordinary woman. She was a mother to princes, one of whom was an heir to the British monarchy. Moreover, Diana had a public responsibility to the people of England to behave as the model princess and initially divorce was out of the question. Consequently she decided to put on a façade of happiness in order to fulfill her role as the peoples’ princess and proud wife. Beneath her superficial glamorous veneer, was a hurting woman who lacked an outlet to vent her gradually growing emotional turmoil. Unfortunately Diana had to live by the chauvinistic protocol of royalty. Just like the predecessors, Charles carried on with an affair in the full glare of the public and his wife was expected to tolerate his behavior. A good example is the infamous Tudor King, Henry VIII. Henry had numerous affairs but his wives did not object as it was indeed a man’s world. Apparently such norms are in play as exhibited by Prince Charles. Her station and decorum did not allow Diana to voice her true feelings. Instead she was expected carry herself with utmost dignity and elegance as befitting a princess. Once Diana dared to confront Charles and he only managed a retort, “Well, I refuse to be the only Prince of Wales who never had a mistress!"(Curry, 2004). It was tasking for Diana to live by such traditional customs. Diana was continually subjected to shame but she always amassed enough strength to carry herself with dignity and

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