Princess Diana

I still remember the night I heard about her death.

I just got back from my future sister-in-law's wedding rehearsal dinner on the Hornblower. It was a romantic night. The Hornblower sails around the Santa Monica harbor and we were there when the sun was setting. We had dinner on the ship. It was a long and busy day; we all helped out with the pre-wedding preparation. Back in those days, I was staying at the Vagabond Inn in Redondo Beach. My soon-to-be fiance drove me back to the Inn and I turned on the TV when I got into the room, out of habit. I sat down and was about to change out of my outfit when I heard the announcement on the news.

Initially, it didn't register. Maybe I just couldn't believe it. I called out to my boyfriend (he's my husband now) and told him the news. He couldn't believe it either. He immediately called his sister and told her the news. We were stunned and glued to the TV for the next few hours.

It was a very sad ending to a very amazing story. I was 16 when Diana got married. I saw the wedding televised on TV live which meant I had to get up really early to watch it. I remembered there was a big hoopla surrounding her wedding dress. It was a big secret. When I saw it, I felt it wasn't an amazing dress, in terms of style, but it was a grand dress. She was young and beautiful. I didn't give much thought about marriages in general and I didn't know much about the restricted lifestyles of royalties. No one then ever uttered a word of cynicism. Realistically, how can a 19 year-old girl ever survive in a marriage with a 33 year-old man, especially someone she hasn't spent much time with?!

Anyways, hindsight is always 20/20. At least she died at the peak of her beauty and maturity-- She looked absolutely radiant and beautiful at age 36 when she died. I saw a recent photo of the Duchess of York, Fergie. Although she has aged beautifully over the years, she is looking every bit of 46. Had Diana lived the extra 10 years, she would have looked old too. Her 36 year-old face is now our final image of her.

My heart (and prayer) now is with another Princess--Princess Masako of Japan. From all reports, she is suffering quite a bit living the restricted life of a Princess. I hope her life story turns out to be a happy story, and not a tragic story.