I too heard from a friend in the 'States, who phoned me at 5:00 a.m. our
time as the news broke on US TV. The Kennedy connection struck me too -
I was just a kid in London on that fateful day in '63, but let me assure
you that I can remember the grownups with tears in their eyes - and I
mean English grown-ups. My father's company was having a party in London
to celebrate their 125th anniversary, and when someone broke the news
about Kennedy, the party just died too. Kennedy was admired by those of
all political leanings as a young man of vision, passion and commitment.
Never mind the problems which emerged later; at that time, he was seen
as the man with the future of the world in his hands.There was similar
sadness in this country in 1965 when Sir Winston Churchill died - but as
he was an ailing old man, that wasn't too unexpected. Then there was
Martin Luther King - the man whose most famous speech with the words
`Free at Last' still makes the hairs tingle on the back of my neck.
Diana styled herself as the `Queen of Peoples' Hearts'. It is surely no
coincidence that it was another commoner - Elisabeth Bowes-Lyon - who
assumed royal trappings when she married the man who would become King
George VI when Edward VIII abdicated - and is now the (97 year old) H.
M. The Queen Mother - or `The Queen Mum' as she is affectionately known.
During the war, she toured the war-torn bomb sites in London which
resulted from Hitler's Blitzkreig, met the people who had lost their
homes and won the hearts of the people as an accessible royal; she too
is a `Queen of Peoples' Hearts'. Princess Diana came from the same mould
- and now I think that mould has been broken...
----------
From: Hal Rogers
To: David Knowles
Cc: MGDIGEST
Subject: Re: Princess Diana
Date: 02 September 1997 14:27
David Knowles wrote:
>
> Not wishing to dwell on this on an MG list, but thanks to those offering
> condolences to us Brits.
>
> The whole nation is in shock - all the palaces and places with a
> connection to either Diana or Dodi are a sea of flowers - people who
> didn't really care about the royalty that much have suddenly discovered
> how much they will miss the `Queen of Peoples' Hearts'.
>
> The funeral will be Saturday - it is anticipated that London will be
> choked (literally) with a million or more people paying their respects.
> It hurts.
When I heard of the crash, I too was stunned! I was literally glued to
the television for a couple of hours. Even prior to the announcement of
Diana's death, I was so awstruck by the tragedy of the event that I
phoned my 2nd cousin, who is in Cheshire, England and woke her up at
about 4:30 am her time! Shortly after getting on the phone, the
announcement regarding Diana's condition was made on CNN. I heard the
news first, watching CNN and told my cousin before the UK TV stations
had made the announcement. She was so quiet and in shock. I then got off
the phone to let her rest a bit more. Later, my cousin Kay said that she
woke up an hour later and thought it must have been a terrible dream!
This kinda reminds me of the saying when President Kennedy was shot
"where were you when..." I know that I will remember.
Hal
Hal Rogers
H.D. Rogers & Sons
Import Auto Specialists
3418 Barksdale Blvd.
Bossier City LA 71112 USA
(318) 742-3651 phone (318) 742-5044 fax
http://www.hdrogers.com
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