Incredibly it is ten years today since the death of Lady Diana and Dodi Fayed in a car accident in Paris. And yet it seems like it all happened only yesterday.
Everyone remembers just where they were and what they were doing when they first heard the news. Just where were you when you heard the news?!
I found out when I visited some American neighbours that fateful sunday morning and they stunned me by simply flashing the front page of the sunday papers.
Like for a lot of people the memory of that day is a hazy recollection of watching endless TV footage, phone calls from disbelieving friends and reading the sunday papers. With some friends we even drove to Northolt airbase where the body was flown back to. Incredibly the road was covered with flowers to mark the journey taken by the vehicle carrying her body.
The nation was in mourning in the days that followed and there was an eerie silence as people tried to go about their daily activities. Millions queued up to sign condolence books, whilst cynics condemned “mass hysteria”. Whatever it was those fateful days did impact us deeply and did leave a mark on us.
However, what is the lasting legacy that Diana left behind? In simple terms, she probably taught us to be more caring, compassionate and vulnerable.
Again rather than focusiing on the way a person died, we should celebrate their life and learn the lessons they taught us.
No doubt Diana had her own challenges and foibles like the rest of us. But she showed us what it is like to be human – and how to be humane.
What will your legacy be for the world?
