People's princess
The term "people's princess" is a sobriquet used on 31 August 1997 by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair to describe Diana, Princess of Wales, following her death earlier that day. The term had first been applied to Diana in a 1992 article by Julie Burchill in the Modern Review, when she described Diana as "the one and only People's – and Pop's – Princess".[1][2]
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Origin
Diana had died in the early hours of 31 August 1997; the British royal family had released a short statement that said that they were "deeply shocked and distressed" by the news of her death. The statement was perceived as insufficient for the level of public grief.[3] Blair wrote that the royals' response was "all very by the book but it took no account of the fact that people couldn't give a damn about the book" and that he tried "to protect the monarchy, channel the anger before it became rage, and generally have the whole business emerge in a positive and unifying way rather than be a source of tension, division and bitterness".[3]
Blair made a statement on Diana's death outside the church of St Mary Magdalene, in
Aftermath
In his 2010 autobiography,
The Times Guide to the House of Commons described the term as "quintessentially Blairite" and that it was "a bold and opportunistic move – Mr Blair grabbed a weeping Britain and hugged it to his breast".[6]
The mockumentary photographer and filmmaker Alison Jackson portrayed Blair and Campbell rehearsing Blair's reaction to Diana's death in her 2007 film Blaired Vision. The pair, portrayed by actors, invent the term "paparazzi princess" and "the new people's princess of a new Britain".[7] The film historian and critic Richard Wallace in his 2018 book Mockumentary Comedy: Performing Authenticity felt that Jackson was "ask[ing] us to question whether anything done in the name of New Labour can be taken at face value".[7]
In November 2013 a plaque was placed on the spot where Blair gave his statement at the church in Trimdon.[8]
References
- ISBN 978-0-313-31607-4.
- ISBN 978-0-230-59825-6.
- ^ a b "How Diana became known as 'the people's princess'". CNN. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Blair Pays Tribute to Diana". BBC News. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4090-6095-6.
- ISBN 978-0-00-712676-7.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-319-77848-8.
- Daily Telegraph. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.