Diana

I remember the morning of the wedding like it was yesterday. My Mom woke me up very early so that I could watch all of the festivities surrounding this historic, royal event. I was extremely excited. The thought of a real life prince and princess was almost too much to handle. I was eight years old. That morning, wrapped in blankets, I settled on to the floor to get the best view of the television possible. My mom brought me coffee milk and hot buttered french bread for breakfast. I didn't plan on moving from that spot. It was glorious! I was about to watch the wedding of a princess.
The dress. I couldn't wait to see her wedding dress. And the shoes! I was sure they were made of glass. When Diana stepped out of the car, and it took several flower girls to hold that amazing train, I was giddy with excitement. Right then and there I knew what my wedding dress would look like. It would look like Princess Diana's. I wanted the train, the shoes, and the tiara. I wanted to be her.
My mother, ever so supportive of my obsessions, bought me a huge book full of pictures of the wedding and of the reception that followed. In the book were close up shots of her flowers, her dress, her tiara, and of her SHOES! The shoes were perfect! I would show everyone who entered my house the picture of her shoes. Now, they were not made out of glass, but I didn't care. They were perfect none the less. Also,my Grandparents went to England on vacation and brought back a blue and white tea cup and saucer with the Prince and Princess's picture on it. It was fabulous! My mother put it in our china cabinet and I was not allowed to touch it. Such a treasured item should be kept safe. I agreed.
My love for Diana did not go away. I was excited when she was pregnant and had her boys. William was a brilliant name. My son would be named William, too ( or Wills as they called him.) I felt sad and angry as she went through the tough times in her marriage. She deserved better than Charles. I was inspired by her charity work. Landmines, AIDS, and poverty became topics of conversation because of Diana. She was somewhat of a hero of mine. Her flaws and struggles made her real. She was an inspiration.
I found out about Diana's death by watching television in a bar with some of my friends. All of the sets were on CNN and they were showing a horrible car crash. I didn't realize it was Princess Diana until they showed a picture of her with her dates of birth and death listed under the photograph. The volume on the t.v.'s were off so I didn't know the details.
I immediately went outside to call my mom. She told me about the paparazzi chasing the car she was in and causing it to go out of control. I couldn't believe it. How senseless was this death? My head was spinning. That night I stayed up to watch the coverage. I needed to hear everything so that I could better understand this tragedy. Nothing made sense. I kept thinking about her boys. How hard this must be for them. It was a shame.
The night before the funeral I slept at my parents house. I set my alarm clock for 5 am. I woke my mother and made her coffee. We sat on the sofa and wrapped ourselves in a blanket and watched. We watched as the coffin made it's way through the streets of London. The thousands of mourners crying as they said their last goodbyes. We watched her boys show such strength by walking behind the coffin. We listened to her brother as he vowed to carry on her wishes in his heart wrenching eulogy.It was a sad day. Instead of a picture book I have an Elton John CD. Goodbye England's Rose will forever capture the feelings of that time.
Today, Princes William and Harry put on one hell of a birthday party for their mom. They seemed to be having such a wonderful time. It is easy to see that they have their mom's zest for life. I hope that they keep her memory alive. It was a life worth celebrating.