06/09/2017
Ephesians 3:18 – NIV
‘….may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.’
20-years ago, the death of Princess Diana, dated 31-08-1997, in a fatal car crash, in Paris was profound, shocking news that ‘rocked Britain and the monarchy,’ (1), and the whole world was also stunned by it. In a week, people from all over to pay their tributes to their beloved Princess, It was an awesome sight that was next to none in the whole history of England that flowers, note cards, and candles were piling up outside of both Diana’s Kensington and Queen’s Buckingham Palaces.
BBC Television had continuous rolling coverage on Princess Diana’s death, and the announcement of her death almost monopolised the prime times’ news headlines worldwide for days. Mr Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, then, in his words to his press spokesman, Alastair Campbell said:”this is going to produce grief like none of us has ever seen.” (1)
20-years ago, today, an estimated 2.5 billion people around the world tuned into TV live broadcasts for her funeral (2). Diana’s funeral to me was a God-glorifying event, yet I had many would consider having the two Princes to walk behind their mother’s coffin in public procession as a circus of grief. However, people all agreed that the most touching tribute was a special envelope with a word “MUMMY” sat atop Diana’s coffin.
Was the funeral a circus of grief? In a most recent interview with Newsweek, Prince Harry candidly voiced his disapproval to be asked to walk behind her mother’s coffin and watched by thousands (3). Although it was not a state funeral it was one of the most viewed events in history. It was believed that more than one million people lined the streets of London, and flowers rained down onto the coffin from bystanders. And it didn’t make Diana’s funeral a royal circus of grief for the world to witness.
20-years ago, today, a Royal ceremonial funeral service was held inside of the Westminster Abby (4), the Hymn of love, ‘The King of Love My Shepherd Is’ – from Psalm 23 was solemnly sung; Mr Tony Blair read the Hymn to love from St Paul’s letter 1 Corinthian 13. Also, I was deeply moved by what Diana’s sister, Lady Sara McCorquodale read that “time is slow for those who wait…..for those who love time is the eternity“ and isn’t it true that God is Love?
Little did I know that it took decades for Mr Billy Graham, the most renown evangelist of the 21-century to have his estimated 2.2 billion lifetime audience including radio and television broadcasts, worldwide (5)? And for one and half hour, Princess Diana’s funeral was instrumental in impacting an estimated of 2.5 billion people to be able to hear and watch the message of love, maybe for the first time in their lives.
20-years later, ‘Diana devotees’ still crowd around the gates of Kensington Palace with flowers, cards to pay their tributes to their idol. Many resonated that it was an emotional ‘fascination’ that people attached to the ‘fairytale wedding and the modern monarchy so that Diana’ s impact is still real today 20-years on. In fact, it was all about God’s favours that she was given the looks, attainment, and was married a Prince, and how many real Royal Princes we can still find today?
God is the God of perfection in His time, and HE is gracious. HE allowed the funeral to be the most watched event on earth, but what if the funeral gained more than its share of public attention? And it says in the book of Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to anyone else. ” So the world received another shocking news that Mother Teresa died with cardiac problems (26 August 1910-05 Sept-1997) (7) that is one day before the day of Diana’s funeral which certainly would keep many people in perspective.
p.s
I was led to share my thoughts on Princess Diana. I didn’t know why I didn’t have the flow with me to write for days. Finally, I realised that I was not asked to write about Diana, but to share how people can see my LORD of God, Jesus in Diana and how HE used her life/death to minister to you and myself as women.
Kay
Stay tuned
- www. the Guardian app – the death of Princess Diana by Caroline Davies
- http://www.history.com/some-2-5-billion-tv-views-watch-princess-diana-funeral.
- http://www.newsweek.com-June29.2017-
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- BBC News September 6, 1997
- alphpress.photoshelter.
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