Princess Diaries

As Princes William and Harry throw a musical bash to celebrate Lady Diana's birthday, TGIS explores what makes her the most variegated icon of our times.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,London, 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 fever. A doll, exhibitions, books the works - all for a woman who died almost ten years ago. 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."
Also, since her death, Di hasn't rested in peace. 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 liar-saint 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 slowly 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. Over the last 10 years I feel as though she has always been there."
They have also accepted that she will never really go away from public mindset." I can't see it ever ending really. I think people will always have a fascination about her," he has added. As scriptwriter Rahila Gupta sums up,"Diana had iconic status. Beautiful women who mix with commoners despite their status make for romantic myths. However, the secrets of her life only reveal that Diana was only human." Maybe just the reason why this enigma lives on...
THE YEAR OF THE PRINCESS
l There has been a deluge of literary works about Diana. While Lady D, by French celebrity writers Isabelle Rivère and Caroline Babert, says that had Diana lived, she may have married Pakistani surgeon Hasnat Khan, settled scores with love rivals such as Camilla Parker-Bowles, and furthered her reputation as the queen of hearts, journalist Tina Brown's The Diana Chronicles focuses on how the princess may look like an angel but was capable of deceit when she felt like it. l Graphic images of the crash that killed Diana were shown on TV in April this year and were termed as 'grossly intrusive' and led to a major outrage all across the world. A concert at Wembley will have acts by Rod Stewart, Sir Elton John, Bryan Ferry, and Duran Duran. It has been organised by her sons to commemorate Diana's 46th birthday.