Diana, the Monarchy and the Crisis in Britain
The dramatic events of the first week of September 1997
mark a sea-change in British
society. The sudden death of the Princess of Wales was the
signal of an outburst of
popular feeling which was without precedent in recent
British history. Of course, Britain
has seen more than a few royal births, deaths and
marriages, duly attended by large crowds
of cheering or silently respectful people. But such a
spontaneous eruption as this, such
an overflowing of emotion, such a movement of the
masses, unorganised, uncalled-for,
uncontrollable – such a thing has never been seen. It is an
entirely new phenomenon,
reflecting an entirely new situation in Britain.