With the passing of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Royal Family was left with an enormous gap. She had been not only the most popular member of the family but had also become something of a superstar. She had a natural rapport with the British public and her death not only left a gap but created a huge public relations problem. As shown in the documentary, the public perception was that Prince Charles had caused their separation and therefore her death in the company of her new companion. To make matters worse, the Queen was on holiday in Balmoral, Scotland and had no inclination to get involved in the national grief that erupted in the wake of her death. She didn't feel it was part of her official duties.
In the meantime the public was wondering why the Queen had not issued a public statement and returned to London to lead the mourning. Prime Minister Tony Blair stepped into the void and mourned the loss of the "People's Princess". I recall her death and the documentary was right in this assessment. Within a few days the Queen returned to London from her Balmoral hideaway, viewed the huge display of floral tributes and paid tribute to Diana in a televised address. She left the palace to go out for the funeral procession where she bowed when the funeral cortege passed. It seemed that the Queen an unprecedented situation as well as could be expected. Many of her subjects must have felt that it was handled as well as could be expected. So the event was played out with due respect to Diana and the Royal Family was able to move on.
The balance of the program dealt with issues arising after the passing of Diana, including the Queen agreeing to the marriage of Charles to Camilla Parker-Bowles. (Although not mentioned in this documentary she also agreed to Camilla assuming the title of Queen when Charles assumed the throne.) Then there were the Queen's grandchildren William and Harry; how William was the more dutiful and well-behaved one. William married Kate Middleman and had three children and took on the duties as second heir to the throne. Harry, who suffered greatly from the loss of his mother at age 12, had a difficult adolescence but had a very successful tour of duty in Afghanistan. He later founded the Invictus Games to aid disabled veterans. His marriage to Meaghan Markle, like William's, was an outstanding television spectacle but the two suffered tremendous intrusions from the paparazzi.
The documentary doesn't reach any particular conclusions about the path forward. It was made in 2020, two years before the death of Elizabeth. With her death, and the departure of Harry and his family to live in the United States, the slimmed down House of Windsor has found itself dealing with some health concerns that were totally unexpected and may well be resolved before long. There is no doubt that the House of Windsor will continue to evolve as it has but could take on a very different look in the next generation.
In the meantime the public was wondering why the Queen had not issued a public statement and returned to London to lead the mourning. Prime Minister Tony Blair stepped into the void and mourned the loss of the "People's Princess". I recall her death and the documentary was right in this assessment. Within a few days the Queen returned to London from her Balmoral hideaway, viewed the huge display of floral tributes and paid tribute to Diana in a televised address. She left the palace to go out for the funeral procession where she bowed when the funeral cortege passed. It seemed that the Queen an unprecedented situation as well as could be expected. Many of her subjects must have felt that it was handled as well as could be expected. So the event was played out with due respect to Diana and the Royal Family was able to move on.
The balance of the program dealt with issues arising after the passing of Diana, including the Queen agreeing to the marriage of Charles to Camilla Parker-Bowles. (Although not mentioned in this documentary she also agreed to Camilla assuming the title of Queen when Charles assumed the throne.) Then there were the Queen's grandchildren William and Harry; how William was the more dutiful and well-behaved one. William married Kate Middleman and had three children and took on the duties as second heir to the throne. Harry, who suffered greatly from the loss of his mother at age 12, had a difficult adolescence but had a very successful tour of duty in Afghanistan. He later founded the Invictus Games to aid disabled veterans. His marriage to Meaghan Markle, like William's, was an outstanding television spectacle but the two suffered tremendous intrusions from the paparazzi.
The documentary doesn't reach any particular conclusions about the path forward. It was made in 2020, two years before the death of Elizabeth. With her death, and the departure of Harry and his family to live in the United States, the slimmed down House of Windsor has found itself dealing with some health concerns that were totally unexpected and may well be resolved before long. There is no doubt that the House of Windsor will continue to evolve as it has but could take on a very different look in the next generation.
