Princess Diana lives

[Ricardolindo]

As today 31 August 2022 is the 25th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, I ask: What if Princess Diana had lived? Would she have married Dodi Fayed and if so, would she have converted to Islam?

 

[Japhy]

She would have been on so many Reality TV shows by now.

 

[Milo]

1:55 onwards basically. The press were starting to turn against her by the time of her death, by raising Mohamed Al Fayed grandson she is not going to make herself popular and she will do Fergie esq stuff, she will still have her fans but I do imagine her aging as well as Madonna

 

[Yokai Man]

She would have been on so many Reality TV shows by now.

She was meant to play herself in a planned The Bodyguard 2 and I could see her play herself in the planned Forrest Gump sequel that never happened because of 9/11.

 

[Elektronaut]

She wouldn't have married Dodi.

She would have been through loads of relationships. Which is pretty natural for a divorcee who married at twenty. A lot of those relationships probably wouldn't have been very advisable and over time her public standing would have degraded.

There's a good likelihood she ends up settling abroad somewhere at some point and I think the public interest she occupied in Britain in the nineties would also have faded in time.

I don't think she would have gone full Zsa Zsa Gabor but she would probably have had multiple future marriages. She was a glamorous woman with a hell of a global standing so would have had no shortage of suitors but she was also Diana.

It's likely she has a similar path to Angelina Jolie etc in doing stuff for the UN and humanitarian causes.

I think that's about it.

 

[neonduke]

It probably helps bolster Charles and Camilla's reputation, or at least quickens up the acceptance of them as a couple. They have both done a good job of presenting themselves to the public the past two decades and you seldom hear anyone slating Camilla, certainly not as much as you did in the immediate years following Diana's death.

So yeah, Diana would have a much more divisive public persona and Charles probably sees his warmed up considerably quicker.

 

[Japhy]

She was meant to play herself in a planned The Bodyguard 2 and I could see her play herself in the planned Forrest Gump sequel that never happened because of 9/11.

So she definitely wins at least one Razzie award too.

 

[Arthur_Phuxache]

1:55 onwards basically. The press were starting to turn against her by the time of her, raising Mohamed Al Fayed grandson

The biggest reverse ferret in British press history took place in the small hours of August 31 2001, as newspapers sought to replace acres of "dozy trollop and Dodi" columns and editorial with "Queen of Hearts" arselicking to fit in round the adverts.

"Have we got photos of the car?"

Nevertheless, lots of anti-Diarna hit pieces (Penny Junor, hahaha) and pap pictures escaped into the wild.

 

[Ricardolindo]

She would have been on so many Reality TV shows by now.

Why do you say so?

 

[Death's Companion]

The tabloids go out of business.

 

[David Flin]

Interesting speculations.

 

[Japhy]

Why do you say so?

I believe it was Oliver who said it best: "For the money, my dear boy."

 

[napoleon IV]

I believe it was Oliver who said it best: "For the money, my dear boy."

To expand on this: reality TV is the obvious career move for someone who is more or less famous for being famous, particularly in the 2000s. Not only is there a lot of money in it, it also keeps her constantly on people's TV screens and in the headlines even after the divorce has become old news.

So she definitely wins at least one Razzie award too.

I feel like the Razzies are going to give Diana an award even if the movie she makes is just mediocre, purely because she's a gigantic, obvious target and that's where the Razzies always focus their sights.

 

[Qaz_plm]

I remember someone on the other place who thought she would of become a soap actress which always struck me as odd because like the acting roles she almost accepted were basically cameos or just playing herself.

The tabloids go out of business.

I'd say the opposite. Yeah Diana stories eventually stop making as much money they did in the past but stuff like "Diana SLAMS Prince Charles" and "Princess Diana and Prince Louis share a adoring Christmas moment" will appear until heat death

 

[ChrisNuttall]

Frankly, I doubt there will be any major changes in the short run. Diana might have been the ‘People’s Princess,’ but she wasn’t a political leader yet alone the monarch. There’d be no massed outpouring of grief, of course, and no sense Charles was the black villain of the piece, but also William and Harry would still have a mother in their lives even though she’d still be devoiced from their father. There were suggestions she was actually pregnant when she died, with Dodi’s child, and if that were true it would probably have some interesting effects, but the child wouldn’t be a legal member of the royal family and certainly wouldn’t be recognised as such.

There would be issues, of course, with Charles remarrying (to Camilla) and possibly quite a bit more public sentiment against the match because Diana would still be alive, even if she didn’t whip up anti-Camilla sentiment. I could easily see the young princes loathing their new mother-in-law as they got older, which would lead to unhappy times. There might also be a quid pro quo offered at some point – Charles gets to marry Camilla, if he steps out of the line of succession and lets William take his place – that would provoke more issues. Diana marrying Dodi would have fewer national implications, but there would be other issues that would have to be addressed at some point.

Longer-term, would Kate marry into the royal family if it meant sharing space with Diana? Diana might warn her to stay out, not out of malice but out of a grim awareness that being part of the royals meant living in a goldfish bowl. A living Diana might have more impact on Kate than a dead martyr. The same might be true of Meagan – Diana might not approve of the match, or she might caution Meagan she isn’t going to be the leading lady and her ability to make changes will be very limited, if it exists at all.

Would anything major change?

It’s possible we’d get new pro-privacy laws if Diana survives the crash and blames everything on the media. She did get hounded a lot and she’d have ample reason to push for more restrictions on the media. She’d also be an influencer that would make the government worried, if she spoke out on one topic or another. And if Charles really did take a step back, he and Andrew would draw much less scrutiny over the coming decades, for better or worse. But I doubt there’d be any major long-term effects.

 

[SenatorChickpea]

A palace that never learned any of the painful lessons of 1997 might handle Andrew even worse than in our timeline.

 

[David Flin]

but also William and Harry would still have a mother in their lives even though she’d still be devoiced from their father.

I could easily see the young princes loathing their new mother-in-law as they got older,

There might also be a quid pro quo offered at some point – Charles gets to marry Camilla, if he steps out of the line of succession ...

Longer-term, would Kate ... Diana might warn her to stay out, not out of malice but out of a grim awareness that being part of the royals meant living in a goldfish bowl.

1. Diana was already out of their lives. From the moment of the separation, she was out of there.

Well, they would have attracted media attention which wouldn't have been focused on her.

2. In point of fact, they like Camilla. She paid (and pays, I assume) attention to them. They said all the right things about missing their mother, but it was notable that they rarely referred to her by name.

3. Charles, stepping away from his duty for love? He might be offered that, but he would have turned the offer down before it was finished being made.

Anyone who knows Charles would know that duty comes first. He certainly wouldn't repeat Edward VIII territory.

4. Diana, warning someone? That's an interesting concept.

I confess I don't have an objective viewpoint here, what with mainly having seen things from the Charles viewpoint. But there was a reason the staff and underlings around the place despised Diana.

 

[Ricardolindo]

1. Diana was already out of their lives. From the moment of the separation, she was out of there.

Well, they would have attracted media attention which wouldn't have been focused on her.

2. In point of fact, they like Camilla. She paid (and pays, I assume) attention to them. They said all the right things about missing their mother, but it was notable that they rarely referred to her by name.

3. Charles, stepping away from his duty for love? He might be offered that, but he would have turned the offer down before it was finished being made.

Anyone who knows Charles would know that duty comes first. He certainly wouldn't repeat Edward VIII territory.

4. Diana, warning someone? That's an interesting concept.

I confess I don't have an objective viewpoint here, what with mainly having seen things from the Charles viewpoint. But there was a reason the staff and underlings around the place despised Diana.

Thanks for the reply. I love having someone with inside knowledge.
BTW, what do you think of the theory that Prince Harry is not the biological son of Prince Charles?

 

[Arthur_Phuxache]

The speed with which she discarded Patrick Jephson, and the ease with which the likes of Rita Rogers & Martin Bashir infiltrated her circle, suggests she will become increasingly stark staring bonkers and alienated from her own children and relatives.

 

[David Flin]

Thanks for the reply. I love having someone with inside knowledge.
BTW, what do you think of the theory that Prince Harry is not the biological son of Prince Charles?

It's possible, but not really important. Charles and the Family accepted Harry as legitimate, and Charles acted like a father. Therefore, to all intents and purposes, he is the father. Who provided the sperm is irrelevant if that is a detail the family don't care about.