Diana: Personal Tributes And Calls To Action

Dateline: 09/01/97 - Weekly feature from your Guide To Personal Web Pages

The Web is an ocean of tears. On newsgroups, mailing lists, and countless homepages, the death of Princess Diana has spurred a tremendous outpouring of grief -- and anger.

As contradictory as it may seem to pay tribute to the dead via this ethereal medium, memorials are an established Web genre. But never has there been a response to death such as I've seen in the last few days. Not even with Flight 800. It may be something we'll never witness again.

The best Web memorials are those that evoke the personality of the deceased even as its loss is mourned. You'll find here the best and classiest tributes to Diana. I've also collected some links that will allow you to take action in response to her tragic end, whether by signing a petition or boycotting publications that publish Diana death-scene photos.

I've organized this feature into sections to allow you to jump right to the Diana links that most interest you:

Best memorials
Lists of homepage memorials
Webrings of Diana memorials
Diarist entries on Diana's death
Calls to action
Condolences, official and otherwise
Message boards/Live chats

Personal Memorials

I perused dozens of pages that were simple statements of mourning; thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of such sites are now posted. Certainly, for every bouquet left at the gates of palaces -- or at British embassies across the world for that matter -- there's a Web tribute.

As I suspected would be the case, the best tributes are by homepagers who already maintain Diana sites of some kind. I've focused here on memorials with depth (most include message boards or publish letters). Note that some of the most moving tributes to Diana are not sentimental missives but defiant "Calls to Action" (see separate section below).

The Unauthorized Princess Diana Page

Diana, 1961-1997

Princess Diana's Death, The Tragedy That Didn't Have To Happen

Memories of a Princess

A Compassionate Queen of Hearts

Diana, Princess of Wales: This tribute page contains a linked list of charities supported by the princess, as does One for Diana

Princess of Wales: An informative overview of Diana's life from a fan, also includes a photo gallery and message board.

Diana, Princess of Wales: This is the home of an ICQ list devoted to Diana, as well as a "minute of silence" page.

Saying Goodbye To The Princess of Wales: Note in particular the "message to visitors" and the "tribute book."

We All Mourn Princess Diana: Notable especially for lovely selection and presentation of photos.

A Tribute to Diana: The page of a 15-year-old Canadian girl.

In Loving Memory of Diana, Princess of Wales: An example of the many simple, classy "epitaph" sites.

Princess Diana Remembrance Arena: Who was she? People around the world respond.

A Tribute from One Woman to Another: An American woman's attempt to explain why she identitifed so closely with Diana... A woman's view on Diana's death and our sorrow attempts the same.

Artwork in Memory of Princess Diana: A site collecting submissions of "visual statements" mourning Diana.

Lady Di: A Song About Princess Diana: An original song downloadable in RealAudio format.

Lists of homepage memorials

Yahoo List of Diana Memorial Pages: This list now contains about 100 sites. Unfortunately, some are rather cynical attempts by webspace providers to set up "post your condolences" pages or bizarre memorials from quasi-official sites (Susquehanna County, Pa., is on record as being upset). Please look carefully for the many authentic tributes.

MSNBC List of Diana Memorials: This is a fine list of more than 50 tributes.

Webrings

Here are linked collections, or "Webrings," of tributes (for more about rings, go here). Note that you may have to scroll down some of these pages to find the ring graphic.

Boycott Tabloids Now! In Loving Memory Of Diana: This ring now lists more than 100 sites

Princess Diana Memorial Webring: This ring now contains nearly 400 sites

Lady Diana, Princess of Wales Webring: Now contains more than 40 sites

In Memory of Princess Diana Webring: More than 350 sites now members

Diarist Entries

None of these diarists are Diana fanatics; in fact, some disliked her or claim indifference. I point to these entries because they reveal how a celebrity can impact the lives of ordinary people, and because online diaries can provide a unique perspective on the line between public and private.

The Death of a Princess: The View of Online Journalers
One diarist has put together a very useful page linking to more than 40 entries penned by online journalers in response to Diana's death.

Here's some of my favorites:

Famed diarist Carolyn Burke's "Celebrity Theory"

Countdown to the Big Four Zero on grieving for a "media construct"

Aries Moon's dignified tribute

notes from your pal shelly on being unexpectedly freaked out

Amanda's Precipice on "blood money"

Calls to Action

Yahoo has just begun compiling "media protest pages" related to Diana's death. The list below also contains other "calls to action," such as a petition to erect a monument to her in London.

Project Diana: This petition seeks a formal program, named for the Princess, for moving forward with the recommendations of the UN's 1997 Development Report on ending poverty.

Diana Monument Petition

A press release issued by four sites urging a tabloid boycott.

Remember Diana (boytcott tabloids)

Diana: A Tribute and a Protest, a petition protesting the actions of the paparazzi

Stop the Paparazzi!

Boycott the Tabloids!

Boycott of news media or websites that use Diana death-scene photos

The Princess Diana Memorial Petition: A petition demanding changes in press behavior begun by a group of emphathetic Michael Jackson fans.

Consumers' Part In Responsible Reporting: An essay on how to become a responsible consumer of media in the wake of Diana's death

Contributions to the Princess Diana Memorial Fund, which supports her favorite charities, can be made by sending a check to Kensington Palace, London, W8 4PU, United Kingdom, or by visiting a site set up by NatWest/WorldPay and making a donation online using your Visa, Mastercard, or Switch cards.

Condolences/virtual flowers and cards

The official British Monarchy site to post condolences is at
http://www.royal.gov.uk/vbk/index.htm
This site was impossible to reach in the first days after Diana's death, but now you have a good chance of getting through.

A growing number of companies and individuals are offering unofficial "mirrors" of the Monarchy site. You can find a list here and here. Note that on these mirrors you can view the content, including a Diana biography, of the Monarchy site, but you cannot leave condolences. For that, you still must use the options above or below.

Another option for offering condolences via an "official" channel is to fill out a form on the British Foreign Commonwealth Office site. It will automatically be forwarded to the palace. I have experienced no delays accessing this form.

Now there's a way to join in the floral tributes to Diana: Send "virtual flowers." Via a free service, Webexpress allows you to send a full-screen photo of a floral arrangement of your choice to the Royal Family.

A tasteful, black-and-white Diana online sympathy card can be sent from Bytesize Greetings.

Message boards/Live chats

Of the British newspapers (broadsheets, of course), the best message board can be found on The Guardian's site.

Royalnetwork.com's Tears Flow Across Nations message board

PC Mike's Diana Message Board
Post on this board, set up by high-tech reporter Mike Wendland (of NBC's Newschannel and radio), and your message might be included in Mike's broadcast. Also see Mike's own homepage for an opinionated article on how some of the media stumbled in its early coverage.

Newsgroups: Best one to peruse/post to is alt.talk.royalty (the only worthwhile discussions on soc.culture.british and alt.gossip.royalty so far have been cross posts from this group).

A warning on newsgroups: Amid all the grief you'll find many disturbing messages including the obligatory conspiracy theorists ("Diana's death: accident or planned?") and disgusting opportunists ("Corpse pics! Exclusive!). For more on Usenet reaction, see my fellow guide Robert Garland.

To talk live with others on the Diana tragedy, try this chat room (click on the Online Cafe link) on the tribute page set up by Frank and Debi DeFreitas of Allentown, Pa.