Diana (20 page)

“There are two basic agents when defining us as human beings—a sharpness of mind and a kindness of heart.”

“I am deeply embarrassed when people put me on a pedestal. It is just ridiculous. But … I must do what I can for those poor children.”

“The enemy was my husband’s [publicity] department, because I always got more publicity, my work … was discussed much more than him. And, you know, from that point of view I understand it. But I was doing good things, and I wanted to do good things. I was never going to hurt anyone, I was never going to let anyone down.”

Speaking at a Relate (a guidance-counseling service) Family of the Year luncheon: “Sadly, many marriages’ reality fails to live up to expectations.
We should remember that the Family of the Year Award celebrates the victory of simple values over the complex difficulties confronted by so many marriages.”

After the IRA bombed a shopping center in a British village in 1993, killing two children, Diana telephoned the mothers to extend her sympathy. “I’m sorry, I wanted to give you all a big hug, but I’m not allowed to come. My father-in-law is coming instead.”

Accepting the Humanitarian of the Year Award in New York in December 1995, she said: “Everyone needs to be valued. Everyone has the potential to give something back if only they had the chance.”

Diana told
Le Monde
during her final interview: “Over the years, I had to learn to ignore criticism. But the irony is that it gave me strength that I
was far from thinking I had. That doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt me. To the contrary. But that gave me the strength I needed to continue along the path I had chosen.”

Going through photographs of her tours with
Le Monde
journalist Annick Cojean during the final interview, she paused at one picture. “That little boy died,” she said, staring fixedly at a photograph taken in 1996 in Pakistan. “I had a foreboding before taking him in my arms. I remember his face, his pain, his voice…. This photo is very special to me…. If I have to pick one out, without any hesitation, it’s this one.”

Discussing photographs of herself among the suffering: “It’s really a private moment in a public event—a private emotion that a photo turns into public behavior. It’s a curious coming together of things. Still, if I had the choice, it’s in that kind
of surrounding, where I feel perfectly in harmony, that I prefer to be photographed.”

Diana explained to
Le Monde:
“Yes, I do touch. I believe that everyone needs that, whatever their age. When you put your hand on a friendly face, you make contact right away; you communicate warmth, show that you’re close by. It’s a gesture that comes to me naturally from the heart. It’s not premeditated.”

Charity director Patricia Ferrall explained to Diana that there was a revolution taking place in the treatment of cerebral palsy patients. Diana rejoined: “Well, you’ve got the right person, then. I’m the ultimate rebel.”

“When I go home and turn off my light at night, I know I did my best.”

On helping those rejected by society

“Nothing gives me greater happiness than trying to help the weakest in this society. It’s a goal and, from now on, an essential part of my life. It’s a sort of destiny. I will run to anyone who calls to me in distress, wherever it is.”