The Paparazzi -or- Dreaming of Princess Diana
In the unauthorized biography Princess Diana: The Real Story by Richard Buskin (published 1992), the back cover invites us to; "Learn the details of this modern-day melodrama and the future prospects of the world's favorite princess." We know today the future melodramatic prospects, turned into a tragic ending. An ending, in which paparazzi, in a sensationalistic search for lurid detail, contributed to the tragedy in a Parisian tunnel.
Princess Diana described as the "people's princess", has influenced many people's dreams, which is one of the reasons that the Queen as portrayed in the film The Queen could not understand the British public's overwhelming reaction of grief at Diana's death. Rita Francis has compiled and edited the dreams of men and women in Dreaming of Diana: The Dreams Diana, Princess of Wales, Inspired.
The first dream reported by Francis features the tragic irony of Diana's death to say the least;
DIANA AND I were in the South of France on a ‘gin palace' type boat - not particularily a smart one, slightly rusty around the edges. We were there on our own. I felt I was with my ‘new best friend' and hope that everyone could see I was with Diana, Princess of Wales. I felt so proud and excited to be there. We were larking around and laughing next to a boat on the quay. A man then approached her whom she obviously knew, a small, slightly balding fellow with glasses, who said, ‘It's alright, they've gone now'. She asked what he meant and he replied, 'The Press, they've gone now,' and with that he handed her some keys. She turned and smiled sweetly at me.
In the end Diana could not escape her fame, the paparazzi or her tragic fate. At the funeral Elton John sang a re-worked version of Candle in the Wind in Diana's memory.
On a final note, for those that do not know what a "gin palace" is, just follow the link.