On a ghost which daily becomes more crowded and more frenetic, yet whose inhabitants live increasingly in isolation from each other, certain people become icons of our common humanity. They signify both the happiness and the pain of the human condition, touching sometimes both the heights of fantasy and the depths of grief. Their lives become contemporary parables, reflecting mankind's reluctant understanding that its race on Earth, at best, is neither fully sweet nor wholly sorrowful.By these criteria, Diana, Princess of Wales, may qualify as the most significant figure of the age. No pope or prelate, no monarch or president, no star, no sporting champion could match her recognition factor. In the salons of Europe's capitals and in the remote villages of the third world her face and he name were instantly recognised. And the world name were instantly recognised. And the world watched intently, measuring every word, every inclination of the blonde head every fluttering of the doe-eyes, every loss or gain of a few ounces.The changing realities of her life were at once a morality play and an escape for millions of people around the globe, offering a focus out of the drab humdrum of daily life. And as the tinsel fell away from the dream story of the beautiful princess and the handsome prince, the same throng of humanity empathised with the obstacles she faced. The handsome prince was untrue. His family despised her. The gala evenings and the banquets were agony. The palaces were prisons. Ultimately, she had to confront the spectre of her own emotional and psychological disintegration. The tragedy of her death was that she appeared, finally, to have triumphed. She had forged her own identity and created the conditions in which she could be a strong and loving mother to her sons.The world had only begun to experience the extraordinary transformation and strengthening which had taken place within her in recent times. Poorly educated, raised in a home which itself was insecure and plunged into the bizarre life of the House of Windsor, she was a ready victim to eating disorders, melancholia and the importunings of mediums and spiritualists. But out of this had emerged a mature woman with a vision of how she could use her influence and her celebrity status for the good of others. There can be little doubt that had she lived she would have become increasingly a catalytic influence in changing attitudes to humanitarian issues.
Already she had changed the tempo of the debate on landmines and she had made significant interventions on AIDS and leprosy.With her tragic death, many questions arise. The implications for the British monarchy may be significant, not least in the removal of her influence as a loving mother on the two young princes. And the debate on the media becomes acute in the light of the circumstances in which she died, along with Mr al-Fayed and their driver. No doubt the activities of the paparazzi contributed significantly to the smash beside the Pont d'Alma. But the Princess's relationship with the photographers was a complex one and she used them - and the media in general - with consummate skill when it suited her purposes.In the outpourings of grief and the torrents of tributes, one British commentator spoke of her luminosity. It is an appropriate word. She lit up the world with her qualities of elegance and style. Perhaps more than anything else her story fortified and encouraged the countless individuals who struggle to make a success of their journey in this imperfect world. She showed that there is often agony behind a facade of glamour and confidence. She made it acceptable for people to acknowledge that they have been close to the edge. And she showed that with courage, even the timid and the insecure can find their place and their pride.