Just last week, a touching documentary of Princess Diana's life was released, in honor of the 20Th Anniversary of her death. The Princess released private photos from Diana's personal photo album and spoke about their late mother in a most touching manner. Now, only a week later, a British television broadcaster, Channel 4, has plans to release candid recordings of Diana.
The recordings
The videos, to be shown on Channel 4 later this week were recorded in the 1990's as part of discussions between the Princess and her voice coach, Peter Settelen. The recordings are taken Kensington Palace.
They feature Diana in a relaxed setting, discussing personal matters such as her disastrous marriage and her husband, Prince Charles' relationship with his mistress Camilla Parker Bowles.
The box of tapes was removed from Paul Burrell's house in 2001. Burrell is the Royal household's ex-butler. Although Diana's family tried to lay claim to the tapes, they were instead returned to Settelen. And now Channel 4 wishes to show them to the United Kingdom. The former royal spokesperson, Dickie Arbiter, told Sky News that Channel 4's plans are "absolutely shameful". Diana's close friend, Rosa Monckton, added that releasing the videos is "a betrayal of her privacy and of the family's privacy."
This year marks the first time that the Princes have opened up about their mother.
In fact, they have gone above and beyond, even releasing private photos and supporting a documentary about Diana's life. But these videos are just too much. The royal family has expressed their disgust at the videos being broadcast, saying that the videos betray the late Princess' privacy.
Channel 4's defense
Channel 4 has come back with a strong defense for the documentary to be broadcast this Sunday.
The broadcasters argued that the videos are an "important historical source". They claim that even if the videos were created in private, they are relevant to the public. They also show some of Diana's positive characteristics in that they portray how hard she worked to make her public voice known. The videos tell a new story about Diana and what her life was really like.
The broadcaster's decision is very much a controversial one. It is difficult to tell whether they should honor Diana's privacy or respect the public's right to information. All that we can hope is that in the midst of all this controversy, Diana's memory is still properly honored.
