ON WHAT could have been Princess Diana's 60th birthday, her sons William and Harry unveiled the bronze statue of the late Princess erected at the Sunken Garden in the Kensington Palace. While most of the world focused on the odd and icy reunion of the two brothers after all the controversial events involving Harry and Meghan, I was more reflecting on the life and legacy of my idol Diana of Wales, the People’s Princess.
I remember the ultimate sadness I felt as a 14-year old student I was when she died on August 31, 1997. I was sobbing while watching thousands of people mourning her death and looking at news showing the candles being lit and the mountain pile of flowers and memorabilia offered to her. All the tears and all the candles burning did not bring her back to life. I was devastated and all I could do back then was to cry and watch as the entire world honored her brave and generous soul.
Over the weekend, I was able to watch a video posted by Kendall Rae on Facebook which got me curious enough if Diana’s tragic death was an accident or a planned set-up to get rid of her. Kendall Rae recounts all the details leading to the crash and she considers two major possibilities and hinting that Diana’s passing might not be an accident at all. It was reported in the video that Diana, at that time, was already divorced from Prince Charles and that her companion Dodi Al Fayed was believed to have proposed to her had the car crash did not happen.
If indeed, the conspiracy theories are true, and Diana was meant to be killed in that mishap, I pray God forgives all those behind her death. How could a kind and compassionate person be stripped of her chance and right to be happy? That after all the heartache and suffering she experienced caused by her husband’s infidelity, she will be killed in a mortifying incident like that? As much as I want to be consoled by the fact that she will no longer come back alive after almost 24 years when she passed away, I still could not bear the idea that ruthless persons were able to devise the plan to eliminate Princess Diana.
As someone who is deeply touched by her passion to help and serve especially the sick and those in dire need, I want to honor her memories as she inspires many women like me to stand up and move on even after being bruised and broken by life’s tormenting experiences. I want to honor her life story as a mother who will protect and love her children unconditionally. I want the world to know and remember her as the woman who defied the odds and bravely became the person she truly is. With or without a crown, Diana will always be, in our hearts, our princess.