Britain's Prince Charles, Camilla Parker Bowles Wed

Ian,

Diana had no class? I suppose you are going to say that the Royal Family has class?

Ian, I want whatever it is that you are smoking!

And... I really don't understand your reference to "gay male sluts". Where did that come from?

How can any one compare Diana with any one normal. Lets us be honest she HAD NO CLASS.

In any other walk of life she would have been called a slapper or slut and thats what she was.

Look at all the men who had her.

Charles though no saint appear one along side her.

I pity her poor sons havig to see and read all that. Lets hope they turn out normal and not gay male sluts!

I knew that princess diana was the real deal when i saw her visiting land mines,for prince charles he needed someone to give him an heir to the thrown,princess diana was a wonderful women who went way beyond her dutys as a princess,she a true person,she cared about all people,even the peopel that had been thrown away,like she visited people with leprosy,and aids and not only visit them but hold them and touch them and show compassion for them,that is something that can not be faked,she was a wonderful women,i think we in america adopted her as our princess too.

Bill,

I probably should have been more specific when I talked of Diana being a "sparkling diamond". Yes, she was a beautiful woman, but she was much more than that. You know what got my attention? When she went to an AIDS ward to visit gay men, yes gay men!, with AIDS. At first I thought it was a stunt to gain publicity for the Royal Family, But when I saw the sincerity in her eyes as she talked to these men with full blown AIDS, many of them in their final moments, I knew it was real. She didn't care that they were gay, and she didn't care that they had AIDS. To the objection of many, she held their hands and she talked, really talked to them. Many broke down and cried. She put her arms around them and held them. At that point, she wasn't the Princess of Wales, she was just another human being who cared.

The Queen was "not amused" by this. She felt that it was not the proper thing to do. When people say that Diana was the princess of the people, these deeds are what they are talking about. She was ACCESSIBLE!

She did these acts on many occasions... other places where people with AIDS were hospitalized, an orphanage, and God awful places that were disgustingly filthy and disease ridden, that "proper people" would never imagine that a Princess should be.

Has the Queen done anything as noble as this? No. Has Prince Charles done anything that matters, other than dressing up and making cameo appearances when it suits his needs, or failing to tell his young son that it's really not cool to dress up in a Nazi uniform... just for laughs? Don't they teach their children history, or is that just not part of being a royal?

The marriage didn't work because Diana was quite frankly above all of that royal bullshit. She was always arguing and fighting with the Queen who wanted Diana to stay in her place and fit the role as the Queen defined it. It all came to a head when she called the Queen (to her face, no less), a "bitch". After that, they never talked again.

I would have left Charles also. But what really got the Royal Family was this. When Diana left, she just didn't disappear like they had hoped. They wanted her gone so they could continue to go on with their little royal charade. Everywhere Diana showed up, she stole their lime light - without a marriage, without anything, she was still the princess of the people. Yes, her death was extremely convenient for the Royal Family. She was out of their way.

But even after death, she still is remembered as the "princess of the people". She cared. The Royal Family is going to have to deal with that one because it's not going to go away. She will be embraced with that title forever.

How will the world remember the Queen (or Charles, for that matter)? I suspect the Queen will be remembered by many as failing to live up to what she could have been - someone who aspired to have a higher standard than just dressing up in beautiful gowns and wearing priceless jewels, who is up on her pedestal, just out of the reach of the people. All of that crap doesn't make a difference. Deeds do. Diana knew that.

I watched camilla and charles wedding this morning on television,instead of a beautiful bride we had an old bird wearing a hat with feathers,she looked like she was ready to fly away,i feel sorry for the poor bird that was plucked,she will never be princess diana,but royals almost never get to marry there true loves,so if charles and camilla are happy more power to them.

That's one point of view. My view is that whilst Diana may have been beautiful, and she certainly was (even a gay man, such as me, can appreciate that) she was certainly not 'class'; my initially warm views about her began to change within two years of their marriage - it was a disaster waiting to happen. Neither Charles, nor she, were mature when they married - it was not the fault of either of them solely, of course, and our Church leaders and his mother (ie The Queen) have a great deal to answer for. They seem to have had two reasonably nice sons - that's the best that can be said of their otherwise disastrous marriage.

Whilst it is tragic that she and Dodi Fayed were killed so horrifically, if she had continued on the scene it would have continued to be a festering sore on our public life for decades. I probably sound completely callous and unfeeling, but her death, if tragic, was convenient. With luck the present arragnement will prove durable, at least long enough for William to ascend the Throne - no doubt he will rehabilitate his mother then, but with luck I will either be ga-ga or dead by then so it won't affect me either way (-;