Word: queenly
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...like a prime-time serial, it is one that, before Lady Diana Spencer joined the cast, was having ratings problems. The characters had become predictable: no more wildly inappropriate flings for Princess Margaret; prickly Princess Anne had turned goody-goody; crusty Philip made nary a gaffe; and the Queen, as ever, was placid perfection. For Charles, the role of bachelor Prince was becoming old hat; the public grew tired of a succession of Charlie's Angels but never a bride. Then, like an inspired casting director, Charles picked an unlikely ingenue for the role of Princess: the girl next door...
Charles and Diana are determined to raise their sons as normally as possible, lest they become little potentates in a kingdom of petticoat power. One of the first signs of Diana's resolve was her decision to give birth to Prince William in a hospital, despite the Queen's preference that she lie in at the palace. Diana then chose a decidedly unstuffy and untraditional nanny named Barbara Barnes (Prince William calls her Ba-ba). Diana is not of the children-should-be-seen-and-not-heard school of absentee royal mom. She is a hands-on mother, and some...
...Windsor expressed her aloofness from Charles and Diana, as well as pique that she had not been chosen the child's godmother. (There were six godparents, headed by Charles' brother Prince Andrew.) Diana's relationship with her mother-in-law is amiable but not close. "A bit like the Queen and the Prime Minister," says one source. "A healthy respect, but no great affection." The Queen, who is the staunchest, most vigilant protector of the monarchy, is nonetheless well pleased by Diana's invigoration of the crown...
...hats. For evening wear she favors slinky numbers with daring back slits or fairy-like gossamer gowns. What is engaging about her sense of style is that she chooses clothes with a touch of wit, even if she occasionally looks like a fashion casualty. After years of seeing the Queen Mum parading around in hats that look as though a bird of paradise had expired on her head and the Queen looking like a dour librarian, even Diana's Di-sasters, as the tabloids call them, are refreshing...
...Diana are mirrors and exemplars of stalwart British qualities: civility, courtesy and coziness, with a dash of style and a bit of fun. Charles will need those qualities as King. His small-is-beautiful philosophy should come in handy as well, for Charles and Diana will be King and Queen not of imperial Britain but of a realm that has almost shrunk to the proportions of Shakespeare's sceptered isle...