Tropical Tales No. 22 - Vol.1 -
Princess Diana, A Celebration
Today I visited The Museum of
Fine Art in Fort Lauderdale, which is displaying
a visual journey through the life of Princess
Diana. I took my mother to see the 150 artifacts
from all stages of Diana's life.
The previous exhibition, The Legacy of the
Popes, drew 150,000 people; an equal amount of
visitors is expected as there still seems to be
a huge interest in Diana, a very unique person.
The tour first went to Japan, where it was a
big success, then to Toronto and now it will
remain in Fort Lauderdale until December 31. Her
brother, the ninth Earl of Spencer, was
scheduled to be in Fort Lauderdale for the
opening of the show and taped audio portions
that accompanies this exhibition.
Diana became an icon of the 20th century with
her most endearing trait: compassion. She placed
herself in the world's affections by being a
series of contradictions: she came from a
privileged background, married into royalty but
never lost her common touch. She was a very
committed mother, and a champion of many
unpopular charitable causes, such as Aids and
leprosy.
There were hundreds of books from the 30,000
condolence books stored at Althorp. Diana's
brother's handwritten speech, which he
forcefully delivered at her funeral, together
with Bernie Taupin's rough draft of Candle in
the Wind, which Elton John sang.
My main interest was her Emmanuel ivory,
wedding gown, which has yellowed over the years,
but the lace work on the 25 foot long train was
absolutely spectacular, for which a special 40
foot glass vitrine was built to protect it.
Her collection of evening gowns of red,
purple, black, white and lavender was equally
awe-inspiring. Her taste for fashion was very
notable as was her interest in humanitarian
causes. One object that particularly caught my
attention, was the tiny bible given to her and
inscribed by Mother Theresa.
Her childhood memorabilia was particularly
heart rendering as it showed her innocent days,
and at the end of the tour, there was a film of
her funeral procession which had been watched on
television by 2.5 billion people. When I smelled
the thousands of red and pink rose petals in the
potpourri on the floor, I was overcome by emotion
watching all the strained faces saying goodbye
to a very complicated, and all-too-human
princess.
Alinka Zyrmont
