Diana and JFK

While visiting Jakarta in mid November 1997, I came across a letter addressed to the British High Commissioner by one of your readers. As I was deeply moved by Princess Diana's untimely death, when I was in London in the last week of September I visited Kensington Palace. I was surprised to see flowers being offered by the public even after almost a month since the fatal accident. I saw women's groups sitting outside the palace gates singing hymns and weeping silently.

When one tries to analyze the basic reasons of the outpouring of adulation and compassion for Princess Diana, one has to conclude that it defies logic. It can probably be compared to what happened after John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Even if, for the moment, we disregard how the rest of the world reacted, we cannot but appreciate the Britons for behaving in a most generous way toward a woman who had openly announced that, but for her two sons, she would have left England a long time ago.

Although the waves of sympathy that followed the untimely deaths of Princess Diana and JFK seem very similar, I find a lot of differences too. There are similarities in that both were "beautiful" people; stylish, trendsetters, charismatic. Whether justifiably or not, both were unfaithful to their respective spouses. Both died relatively young, just when it looked like they were about to come into their own, blossom and achieve something worthwhile.

Although Joseph Kennedy's riches did not exactly hurt him, JFK was basically a self-made man. On the other hand, however beautiful she may have been, Princess Diana's rise to stardom was entirely because of her marriage to Prince Charles. I think the media loved them both, but while JFK enjoyed its attention, perhaps because of his knowledge that basically it was their affection (and not their hatred) that made the reporters chase him everywhere he went, Princess Diana, apparently too confused to understand the media's love and affection for her, preferred to maintain a selective love-hate relationship with it.

While JFK was far from an underdog, the basic reason for sympathy for Princess Diana seems to be the public's perception of her as an underdog after her divorce from Prince Charles. Here one sees some similarity between the public sympathy for Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana -- both such stunningly beautiful ladies to make one wonder why JFK and Prince Charles looked at all at other ladies.

Is it possible that the love, affection and sympathy that poured from the public for JFK and Princess Diana was because of the people's perception of their potential? Was it the public's overwhelmingly positive reaction to their own individual presumption of what JFK and Princess Diana would have achieved -- and not what they did -- had their lives not ended so suddenly through the irresponsible actions of others? Does it not seem to be the only logical explanation?

K.B. KALE

Pune, India