I know that when Princess Diana died, the world went into mourning, but I was a self-absorbed 17-year-old and while I was sad for her family, I was not overly affected by her passing at the time. But today I felt the loss. Today I visited Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northampton with Holly and her kids Ryan and Sarah. The home is still in use by the family during half the year, but from July to September, it is a museum, a historical location, and a tribute to Princess Diana.
There is something tragic about seeing her wedding dress in a glass case. I have a china doll of Princess Diana in her wedding dress and I always loved how extravagant her train was. But the sight of the dress hanging on a mannequin is just sad. There were videos playing of her life, exhibits of her growing-up years, two huge cases containing her famous wardrobe pieces, and extensive tributes to her charity work across the world.
Why was she such an icon across the world? I think people connect because she was an “everyman’s princess” and she made the royal family accessible. But after seeing the family manor, I realize that she was far more privileged than I had realized – but with that privilege came a confined life and a tragic end. The saddest part of the exhibit was the room with a video of the aftermath of her death – the candlelight vigils, shots of the mountains of flowers in front of the family home. In front of the video screen was a 10-foot-square section filled with rose petals – petals from the flowers people had left. There were thousands of petals – and they still smelled beautiful; the fragrance filled the room. The sight and smell combination was a little much for me and though I’m not normally a crier, I got a bit choked up. It was just so tragic… all of it. 
I can’t imagine growing up in a house like the Spencer manor. Seeing manors in which people lived two hundred years ago is one thing, but Diana grew up in this house only 30 years ago or so. The grounds are incredible and the home is so stately. Each room is perfectly appointed in appropriate noble fashion: high ceilings, gilded portraits of long-dead ancestors EVERYWHERE, over ten thousand volumes in the library, two dining room tables over 20 feet long… but there were also little signs of “real life”: a BOSE stereo, Tatler magazines, and clearly recent photos of the Spencer family (Di’s brother’s family) who still inhabit the house on occasion. 
In the middle of the lake on the property is an island that holds Di’s grave– inaccessible to the public. The lake is a beautiful setting and the island is overgrown with trees so that only a little bit of the grave is visible from the bank of the lake. I find it ironic but appropriate that she finally has some peace. I am not sure why I was so affected by this exhibit. I know that I’m saddened that my time in Oxford is almost over… perhaps all of these emotions are melding together. 
I'm also sad because today was my last Jane Austen class. I really feel like I've come quite a long way in my academic appreciation for Austen - I no longer feel like an "ignorant admirer." Tomorrow I will meet with my professor for my tutorial on the essay I handed in... gulp... a one-on-one session with an Oxford Fellow on an essay I wrote on her specialty... right, then. =) Since today is the anniversary of Jane Austen's death, our class met tonight to celebrate in the little bar beneath the college (I went back to Oxford after the excursion to Althorp). We were celebrating her life, not her death, and my professor hosted the event. It was a lovely close to our time together. (I am not highlighting the lecture from today because it was on the contoversies of Modern Theatre: defecating on stage – is that really art? Or literature? Or anything close to either? Really??)
Date: 18 July 2007Location: Oxford, Northampton
Highlights:
- Hanging out with Holly and her kids at Althorp
Highlights:
- Hanging out with Holly and her kids at Althorp
- Seeing the tribute to Princess Diana
- Talking with my whole family tonight!
- Seeing the lamp post, fawn, and lion (shown below) that supposedly inspired C.S. Lewis (right down the street from my college!)
Phrase of the Day: "I don't want to teach my grandmother to suck an egg". My professor said this today and when I looked surprised (read: shocked), she explained that it means she doesn't want to tell us something we already know. Apparently all grandmothers in Britain know how to suck eggs (that really sounds wrong!). 
