Princess Diaries

As princes William & Harry celebrate Lady Diana's birthday, Hyderabad Times decodes the Diana phenomenon.She would have been 46 today and a music concert as a birthday party would have been absolutely up her street. She would have approved of the guest list too - David Beckham, Sienna Miller, Clive Owen, Rod Stewart, Sir Elton John, Bryan Ferry, Duran Duran, Lily Allen and Joss Stone.Not to forget 90,000 people who will be present at the Wembley Stadium to remember Princess Diana on her 46th birthday. It's a birthday party to beat all birthday parties; after all, it is for the people's princess. As her elder son Prince William puts it, "We wanted something that would really bring her whole spirit - her joy of life and everything that we thought she stood for." And it is not just the two princes, but the whole world that is reliving the Diana phenomenon . So, what makes Diana such an icon? Answers Tina Brown, who has recently written a book on what she terms as the 'Diana years' , "It was the change in Diana. Over the years, she had become this self-possessed , striding, global superstar . It was really remarkable. She was the mouse that roared. She was a generational echo."
Enough scandal has been generated around her. From alleging that she had a fling with JFK Jr to the fact that she had tried cocaine to claims that Prince Harry's DNA test was done to ensure that James Hewitt was not his father. And this year, in particular, has been the year of our princess. From the book by former journalist Brown on the liarsaint combination that defined Diana to a book detailing what Diana's life and the world would have looked like if she had survived the Paris crash. A limited edition doll of Diana, a photo exhibition, a fountain named after her and even the pictures of the Paris crash have all made the headlines.
As Prince William has said, "The time has passed really slow since her demise . There was never any peace and quiet for any of us - the fact that her face was always splattered on the paper the whole time. "