Princess Di finds peace, far from royals, paparazzi

As with the death of John F. Kennedy, I believe that everyone will always remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they first heard that Diana, Princess of Wales, was dead.

The entire world is mourning the death of Princess Diana. And in the history of this world, has there ever been such full-scale mourning for anyone? I think not.

When the archaic monarchy of England pushed the eject button and jettisoned young Princess Diana from the palace's clan of worthless royals, the entire world welcomed the princess with open arms. Diana was just never good enough for the queen or her spoiled son, but the rest of the planet adored her.

I think Princess Diana's incredible popularity was just too frightfully big for a lumbering monarchy that refused to step into the twentieth century.

Queen Elizabeth never seemed to know what to do with the bright, shining star that always, quite innocently, eclipsed the distant, brooding Prince Charles. He became jealous and sullen and turned to Camilla Parker Bowles, who was most eager to anoint the bruised ego of a childish prince.

And while Diana was busy giving the monarchy two sons, her prince and his mistress gave her unbearable grief. A rare and beautiful orchid tried in vain to thrive in a garden of weeds.

But when Prince Charles the Jerk divorced her princess, the people of England replaced Diana's diamond tiara with a glowing halo that sparkled brighter than all the jewels in the kingdom. Diana was the People's Princess.

We watched as the newly divorced and dazed Diana went into a lengthy tailspin and then straightened out to become a mature, self-assured woman who devoted much of her new life crusading for human rights.

We watched as she held and kissed AIDS-infected and cancer-stricken children and sat with dying people afflicted with every kind of disease our world has to offer. She stood in mine fields to protest man's inhumanity and walked through the rubble and filth of war-torn countries to hold battered children.

And with a gentle hug and loving words of encouragement, Diana put smiles of hope on the faces of the hopeless. No more "Shy Di." To many, she was "Saint Diana."

The people of England always got their money's worth out of Diana, and the world came to know that there was more to the mother of the future king of England than designer gowns and a dazzling smile.

Beware, Queen Elizabeth. When Diana is fully laid to rest, your people are going to look up from their inconsolable grief and they are going to look long and hard at the royal family who rejected their beloved princess. They are going to question your worth, and in the harsh glare of this scrutiny you will all appear as worthless as you really are.

Hopefully, Diana's tragic death will enable new laws to be enacted, giving EVERYONE a legal right to privacy.

Freedom of the press should not entitle camera-wielding thugs to stalk, chase, and torture ANYONE!

Princess Diana objected when Prince Charles attempted to teach his sons how to run down and murder terrified, helpless animals for "sport."

How ironic that that is exactly how Diana died. Hounded and terrified, the People's Princess was run down and killed by the mad dogs of the paparazzi. And while she lay dying and helpless, I wonder if she could hear the clicking of the cameras as they recorded her last moments on this Earth. I truly hope not.