The Unofficial British Royal Family Pages

Thursday 17 October

So Much Has Happened

What an amazing few months since I last wrote. As usual I've started ten books and have finished none. (I've got to get focused!) The books alone are unbelievable. I ordered a copy of Ken Wharfe's book "Diana: Closely Guarded Secret" from Amazon.co.uk and waited weeks for it. Once it arrived I realized it was not a first edition, which leads me to believe it is selling even better than anticipated. Why is it that I feel that Ken got away with too much as Scotland Yard is not pressing charges after deciding that he didn't give away top secret security information? He really got away with the same thing that Patrick Jephson got away with and that didn't annoy me as much. The only thing I can pin the feeling on is the way Paul Burrell is being dragged through the streets for keeping quiet. Here's a man who's never sold out and yet he is standing accused of something that is being reported and tried as a heinous crime. Even Fergie's murderous former dresser, Jane Andrews, didn't seem made to suffer as much as Paul and his family are.

To me it seems unbelievable that he will go through a six-week trial over this alleged crime. Now I'm not saying that if it is proven that some of the items were stolen that I think it a good thing. What I am saying is here's a man who is doing everything in his power to preserve a woman's dignity and special memories of the times of her life, acting in a way that he truly believed was in the best interest of Diana, Princess of Wales and her children, and yet he is being treated worse than the two other people who have sold her memory for a tidy personal profit. I'll give it that it is more shocking to see the archangel of royal staff being tried than the distrusted snakes, but it is almost like sending a man to trial for having a package of chewing gum in his pocket when he leaves your store with a cartful of groceries he's paid for, while smacking the wrist of a masked man who robs your store at gunpoint. One just doesn't seem to compare to the other.

What about all the Charles and Camilla rumors? Well, if he's going to propose to her while his Mummy and Daddy are away, he'd better get a move on it! Here's a new option I've thought of for them, he buys the Villa in Tuscany, using it as an organic farm on which he raises Cinta Senese pigs that are nearing extinction. Then he and Camilla marry and move to Tuscany where they live happily ever after part-time in Tuscany, part-time in Gloucester and part-time on who ever loans them their yacht for the week. Then Queen Elizabeth II can focus her energy on preparing Prince William to take on the role of sovereign one day. This is a pleasant if implausible theory, don't you think?

One of my favorite Charles debacles of the summer is the letter writing campaign to Members of Parliament, Prime Ministers, etc. regarding things that are close to his heart. To me it was another example of my theory in process. That theory being that Charles hasn't any clue whose judgment to trust and. obviously lacking in his own, gets caught in another awkward position. When will he learn, I may be a tough cookie on him, but I'm honest and would never deliberately steer him wrong. Maybe I'm like the Paul Burrell in Charles' life. Doing what in my heart I know what is best for him and having him listen to his camp that tell him I don't like him and am cruel. What an honor that would be, that is until they decided to drag me and my entire family through the street in a very public way. The truth about who I am (an Irish American, more often referred to as a Bronx Irish-Catholic) would be enough to plant seeds of doubt in the minds of the public who could be lead to believe that I was out to destroy him and the royal family by virtue of my birth.

They could also point to the fact that I appreciate Diana, Princess of Wales so much. Many believe that she single handedly destroyed the dignity of the House of Windsor. Even Ann Robinson, the Queen of Mean, hostess of "The Weakest Link", spoke of Diana thusly in a Radio Times interview this week: "Every time her popularity dropped, she hit another hospice. I cheered her at times because it was rather wonderful to see her make a dog's dinner of the dignity of the Royal Family." She also spoke harshly of the fact that Diana, Princess of Wales one of the final ten of Great Britons, a fact Ms. Robinson is set to reveal on the BBC2 this Sunday, October 20th. She said, "To regard her as a great Briton seems to be absurd. It's interesting how easily she manipulated public opinion." Manipulated? Past Tense? It sounds more like Ann believes we are still manipulating the public into voting her into the top ten Great Britons from her grave.

If I've noticed anything about what's happened in my time away, it's that the more that has changed, the more things remain the same. Diana is still being exploited for personal profit. People who still cling to the Princesses coattails for attention are nonetheless desecrating her memory. Most importantly, she remains close in the hearts of many. Charles is still waiting for the perfect moment to ask Camilla to marry him. It seems he may have missed an opportunity or two over the past 30-something years, but there is no way to tell for sure. The Queen is still going about her business with her nose to the grindstone and the Muse in spite of everything continues to be fascinated by the entire state of affairs.

Hello! It's good to be back. Though this is the toughest column I've ever written. I read all of Charles' letters that were published as I'd planned to write a column about that. Then I was going to write about Princess Eugenie and her "elective" surgery. Then there was a book with three chapters to go that I thought I'd write about. The rumors about Charles and Camilla were plentiful - as always - and of course there are my favorite biography type pieces as well. I'm making a list and checking it twice so I'll be more prepared for next week.

On an exciting note, I've gotten some GREAT letters this week and can't wait to post them in Saturday's Speakers Corner.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

All the best,
Eileen