Liz Smith | 04/15/2008 4:04 pm

I Read the News Today, Oh Boy: Who Still Cares? Millions Around the World Did. Some Still Do

The last time I posted something about Princess Diana, I got a lot of razzing and people bothering to care enough to write in, asking: “Who cares?”

But I was interested in the following from my good friend Dominick Dunne’s column in May’s Vanity Fair magazine.

He describes a phenomenal memorial erected in Harrods by Mohamed Al Fayed to the memory of his son, Dodi, and the late princess. Dominick, who covered the recent expensive London inquest into Diana’s death, which ended, of course, without our finding out anything new that we hadn’t known back in 1997, has this to say:

“Like the conspiracy theory surrounding their deaths, their romance, too, was orchestrated by Mohamed Al Fayed. The shrine to the eternal love of Dodi and Diana in Harrods, the most famous of English department stores, owned by Al Fayed, is a popular tourist attraction. People line up to look at it. They speak in whispers, as if they were in church, instead of next to the Egyptian escalator in the basement of the store. The shrine, which is tacky but curiously touching, consists of a fountain, two large portraits – one of Dodi and one of Diana – and floor-lamp-size candles, the scent of lilies in the air. Under a glass pyramid is a crystal glass from which one of them had drunk champagne in the Imperial Suite of the Ritz Hotel (in Paris) just before they died, and the so-called engagement ring, which Dodi had bought that afternoon at the jewelry shop down the street from the Ritz. Diana never wore it.”

Well, I’m betting very few of us are going to go all the way to London to see this memorial, not with the English pound punishing the dollar the way it is doing these days (and the English pound is now being punished by the Euro). London is now the most expensive and, some say, desperate city in the world.

So in the interest of covering all bases, I decided to bring the memorial to you, courtesy of wowOwow. I’d love to know what you think about it?

My personal "P.S." is, if you ever find yourself in Harrods department store, to pay very close attention to the Egyptian décor of the escalator. That is worth going there to see. And don’t miss going to the Harrods toy department.

Note: Don’t forget to read my nationally syndicated column!!

55 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

It is unnecessary to criticize a man who has been struck down so sorely by the loss of his child. If it gives him comfort, it is his money. It matters not what others think. It is his expression. Let him be.

By Terri Vinck on 04/16/2008 1:40 am

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ABC/Martha Raddatz had a piece today that the shrub admitted that he authorized torture of people held in United Statesian custody. Perhaps we can give Mr. Fayed a little peace and quiet on his statute on his property when the shrub has violated, oh where shall we begin?

By Mugsy Peabody on 04/16/2008 2:35 am

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Exactly Mugsy! Worrying about Mr. Fayed’s taste in memorials is trivial compared with the terrible misdeeds of our as yet unimpeached President. I think it is interesting that right after this became known, the Pope shows up as a White House guest. Maybe the Pope does not consider torture to be a shunnable sin?

By Elizabeth Bennett on 04/16/2008 1:01 pm

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I have never understood statues, memorials, funerals, or the like. (I know I am the old man out). Once a person is gone none of those things mean anything. A private letter, an object that they owned and charished, something that touched them in some way might give solace to me. But I have learned over the years that ‘normal’ people need these rites to get closure. If this gives one minutes peace to a grieving father I think we should all look at it as a good thing.

By Maggi D on 04/16/2008 3:34 am

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Barbara Taylor, I suspect in watching this high priced circus for so many years now that no one really cares about the Children of Prince Charles and Princes Diana. It’s about what someone can drain from the thing I guess. Mr. Fayed it is RUMORED deals in arms deals. It was rumored that his son had substantial, within this business, power. It was also rumored that before he and the Princess got in the car he had been to a meeting on an arms deal. And it has been wondered if this had anything to do with the death accident of the two. I never heard anymore about it. It’s all silly I think. I think Prince Charles and the King and Queen have handled all this very well and the young men now Princes seem to do well with their family and Camilla as well. This makes a statement I think. I suspect they wish folk would just get on with reality, and the work of reality, and leave them alone.

By The Ole Crone The Ole Crone on 04/16/2008 6:17 am

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I think Al Fayed is trying valiantly to assauge his guilt in sending his son and the former Princess of Wales out in a car with a drunken driver who should have never been behind the wheel in the first place. Diana’s body guard should have never allowed them in the car seeing the condition Henri Paul was in. Enough already with the conspiracy theories, 11 years with no realistic proof is not something a sane individual keeps doing. It’s a tragic event to be sure, but two coroners’ juries have come to the same conclusion. Enough already Mr. Al Fayed should allow his son and Princess Diana to rest in peace. Doubt I’ll ever get to Harrods either so won’t worry about the monument or other trappings.

By Liz Seger on 04/16/2008 7:16 am

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Mr. Fayed has a right to put whatever he wants in his store, and I have the right not to look at it.

By Cham G. on 04/16/2008 7:45 am

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I love your point of view.

By K O on 04/16/2008 9:47 am

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Who still cares? Obviously, Mr. Al Fayed and all of the parents who have lost a child, as the result of a drunk driver. How does one bury a child? I see love, beauty and pain in the statute and a reminder that life is so very fragile. If this monument brings a moment of comfort to a grieving father, why not embrace it for what it is?

By Donna Brady on 04/16/2008 7:49 am

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I think it would be difficult to think of your child buried in the dark cold ground somewhere, so a statute to remember them by, is great way to focus on the life of and love for the person, and to encourage others not to ever forget them. The style of the statute is tacky, but who cares, it’s meaningful to the family.

By Bella Mia on 04/16/2008 8:43 am

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Sandra K. …I totally agree — it’s just plain tacky! How about a park in Di’s name where children play — she always seemed to have a smile on her face whenever she was around children. Her children are her legacy —she will live through them.

By Lady Gator on 04/16/2008 9:33 am

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The Ole Crone The Ole Crone - I care. I agree with you about how the Royal Family has handled this circus.

By Barbara Taylor on 04/16/2008 10:00 am

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Joni, I am thinking that you and the other investors may have a different vision and mission than some of us loggin in to Wow. Many of us seem to have had a real hunger and excitement for the potential of what Wow can provide. We see Wow as the mechanism to draw together female Boomers, stimulating the brain with ideas that ignites our passion that leads us to hitting the “submit” button to contribute our own thoughts and ultimately inspiring action. However, this hope we have may be at odds with Wow wanting to get to that $$billion mark, which would require the high ratings of a reality TV show, American Idol, E! and news stories about Paris Hilton and Britney Spears generate. These lighter topics are easier to include more women than the harder issues. I also recognize that it may be possible that activism, feminism, shopping boycotts etc on Wow could scare away some advertisers you may be pursuing. I do not in any way begrudge anyone setting out to make $, but I also do not want to invest my time and energy in a mechanism that has different goals. I have always believed I have no right to destroy what someone else has created. The reason I question if some of us are in step with your goals is because many topics of the articles are geared for the nation’s fascination with celebrity, awards, monuments,looks, etc. I grant you- not all, but more are than not. And I do understand that you may be just putting out feelers to see what sparks interest and gets the greatest number of hits. Yesterday was “What I wear to bed?” and today Liz stated that she is aware of the “Who cares?” responses she has gotten and used that as a prelude to another such story. “Billions of readers are interested???” - those are the billions watching soap operas and reality shows. You Wow investors own the site and will control its direction and viewership by the content you put forth. I know I am free to skip whatever is not of interest to me and I also accept room for all kinds of topics – as long as I feel there is not a tug-of-intent between the investors and the bloggers. But it seems to me that there is a leaning toward lighter topics and at most junior league type action to assure you get the level of inclusion you may hope for to reach that $ billion. And more power to you if you do! I pose this concern with great respect for all of you and applaud your enterprising initiative. You have definitely identified a niche with a need to be filled. I have enjoyed the discussions on the topics of interest immensely and feel as if I am making new friends. Highest regards!

By Kay Sara on 04/16/2008 10:41 am

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Suzanne C. I didn’t come here just to talk politics and get angry about what is wrong in the world. My education is in East Asian Languages and Cultures, (Chinese) with a background in International Relations. Although, I have a completely different type of business, those remain some of my big interests. I also studied art and music for my own pleasure and fulfillment. The 24 hour news cycle bombards us with a constant stream of negativity, with very few solutions or methods that work to change the world. (How many people do you know that are on anti-depressants - it is rampant.) Therefore, although the Iraq question of the day was very important to me as the mother of a soldier, the other questions are interesting, and yes, FUN. I love women who have great senses of humor. Funny comments let me laugh out loud. With all that is going on in the world, as well as my world, I like that it is a mixed bag of topics and issues. These are a lot of the things I talk to my girlfriends about. I love to hear from such interesting personalities with ideas and perspectives that are not mine. I don’t know what they have been through in their lives, but it is interesting to read what they think and feel. I also enjoy your comments and your passion. I have needed to step back a little bit in the last year. The last 15 years have included me losing 9 members of my families. Had a baby at 41, faced cancer 3 times and had to pick myself up and watch my son go off to war 3 times. Therefore, when I need a distraction or some stimulation, this is a great forum to reach out and listen to others, and how the world has affected them. I applaud that the women who sponsor this site want to make money, because if they do they can expand and employ more people. To me, that as an intelligent positive. They invested money to start and run the site, why shouldn’t they profit from it? We have a very small business, our employees are like family, we like to make more money, so we can pay more money. And there is more to it than just making money - there is a lot of hard work. It sounds like you have a vision for a website, why don’t you do it. I’ll come visit. I am sure it would be interesting. But don’t drop off of this one. We would miss you. If Ms. Smith hadn’t put the pic’s of those tacky statues ( what would Diana’s children think?) we wouldn’t be having this conversation. The last time I was in London was in 1981 when Charles and Diana got engaged. I loved Harrod’s and can’t imagine those statues there.

By Frannie Em on 04/16/2008 12:59 pm

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HI Frances, Boy you have been through so much and I am proud of your ability to not only still stand but to reach out to others. I love the humor, too, and comic relief is always welcome in our lives and especially when the world situations are as bad as they are. A mixed bag of topics is a good thing, Frances, and I am all for that. But I am not at all sure the investors in Wow really want the meatier things - in fact it could be counter to their vision and goals and make it hard to sell their site to advertisers. As I said before, I have no problem with them making money - that is not the issue. I am just not a supporter of gossip, I am terrible at Trivial Pursuit and do not read People or Cosmo. If Wow wants millions of women to go to their site unfortunately they may have to focus on the fluff. Ole Crone has frustration with successful women being “clones of men” and I do, too. It would be nice if successful women made a commitment to use their celebrity or money to do something to bring attention to the crisis we all have to deal - help us fight city hall. I work in a male dominated industry and my personal life is full of males so discovering you witty, informed, passionate ladies really has been great - but I have been concerned that my need and hopes for this site is not in-line with Wow investors. As for starting my own site- maybe after my lawsuit is finished. Is there a female Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson out there?

By Kay Sara on 04/16/2008 1:34 pm