Princess Dianas Interview with Martin Bashir - Assignment Example

Princess Diana’s Interview with Martin Bashir Introduction In the recent times, individual and group interviews have become important means of collecting qualitative data for issues and subjects which have generated huge public interests. Interview of Princess Diana by Martin Bashir has huge implications not only for the public but also for British Monarchy because of the non conforming role of Diana in a traditionally conservative British Royalty. Marriage of Princess Diana and heir apparent Prince Charles was a fairy tale wedding of the twentieth century. The eighteen years saga of their marriage was vastly dramatic in content that extremely fascinated media so much so that role of media in celebrities’ lives became a highly contentious issue with the privacy of the individuals as well as with the ethical proprieties of media. The recent legal separation of the royal couple had given a whole new twist to the hitherto fairy tale romance of the world’s most renowned couples. The interview thus, was an important event that had provoked a mixed response for different people and had held a especial significance for the Princess and British Monarchy at large. Therefore, analysis of the interview is a way to understand the complexities of the lives of the celebrities and try to interpret their actions in the wider ramifications of the public-private interests. The interview is given at a time when the Princess was undergoing turbulent period in her private life and she needed to clarify her stand on a number of issues so that she could get some space to sort out her public-private life. The report would facilitate the general public and media to understand the Princess Diana as another human being, possessing feelings and sensitivities as the next person. The report would also help to analyse the compulsions of the public duties and image of the celebrities and the burden that puts on their private lives. Procedures Interview of Princess Diana by Martin Bashir on BBC1 Panorama on 20 November, 1995, has huge relevance for gathering useful data regarding the life and style of the celebrities who have significant impact on the public opinion. The interview is also an important way to gauge the extent of involvement of the individual and the impact of the circumstantial events on the person. Princess Diana had been one of the most prolific personalities of the world whose personal charisma had gone beyond the precinct of social constraints of her royal status and created an unprecedented niche amongst the masses. The analysis of the interview is primarily focused on the public private life of the Princess and her views on the various issues and subjects that have had profound impact on her as a person, as a member of royal clan and as a much loved public figure. The data in general has been interpreted on the following criteria; Princess hopes and expectations from her marriage and family and her relationship with her royal in-laws. Her role as public figure Her passions and her beliefs Her views on husband; monarchy; personal life; her children; and media Findings Princess Diana wanted a happy and long lasting marriage. Though Diana had professed to love her husband, she found her dreams crumbling very early in her marriage as she did not get the moral and emotional support from her husband, as is evident from her recollection of her Australian tour immediately after marriage that had seen individual public engagements rather than joint public meetings. The interview data also showed that Princess Diana was disillusioned with the monarchy as they had failed to recognize her as an individual who needed support to cope efficiently with the new role and responsibilities. The increasing popularity of Diana could have been one of the major causes of marital rift between the Prince and the Princess. After the birth of her children, she had confirmed reports of the adultery of her husband which had resulted into deep post natal depression and bulimia. Her ‘bulimia’ was an escape mechanism. She had literally courted media in the early days but later found it a big nuisance that had turned into harassment. The interview did not go into the details of the Princess’s public responsibilities and her work but indicated towards her love for the people in pain and distress. She had loved her children and had made sure that they had normal upbringing with regular schools and constant touch with the people and charities for whom she was working and creating an awareness for. She wanted her children to become empowered through knowledge gained through practical experience and direct interaction with the people. She wanted her children to be more empathetic towards the public and not be traditionally conservative in their interaction with the masses. Later in her marriage, she had started thinking of her husband and her in-laws as ‘enemies’. She had confessed to her own infidelities in her marriage but greatly disappointed in their disloyalty towards her as an individual. She felt betrayed by them. She had shown an exemplary devotion towards her children that was based on love and understanding that was mutual. The interview data also showed that she was extremely ambitious and confident of herself to view herself in the role of ‘Ambassador of the country’. Princess Diana disclosed that her husband was not inclined to become Monarch as it would considerably curtail his freedom. She had never visualized herself as queen. She had visualized herself as ‘Queen of hearts’ amongst the masses. Conclusions The interview data was quite revealing in the content. It clearly showed that the naïve Princess of early marriage life was soon transformed into poised Princess Diana by sheer will power and strength of character that did not let her kill her natural instinct of survival. She had become hugely popular amongst the masses because of her extrovert nature and inherent ability to empathize with the public. While she had always wanted her marriage to last a lifelong, she was able to come to terms with the break-up of her marriage and agreed to legal separation and subsequently to divorce because she preferred honesty in her relationship with her husband and children. The interview highlighted her strained relationship with the royal family that preferred to be more traditional in their public dealings and media exposure. Her post natal depression and bulimia can be considered as an unconscious means of diverting her attention from the daily stress of maintaining public image when she was undergoing tremendous physical and emotional turmoil due to her husband’s infidelity and Her popularity had considerable put the Prince under the limelight of Princess Diana that might have prompted more and more individual public appearances subsequently affecting their marriage. She loved to work for the welfare of the people and liked direct interaction with them. She was intensely involved into AIDS programs, battered women, children’s society, different hospice. She genuinely wanted her children to become more approachable and whenever possible, took them with her to visit hospice and other places where they would come in contact with ground realities of the common man. The interview projected her as an honest person who was not afraid of displaying human failings and even infidelities. The Princess showed that ‘knowledge is power’ and had wished that her children should also have the same by direct interaction with the people who love them. She believed that genuine love of the people is the biggest power that monarchy can strive for. She also believed that monarchy has immense power to influence public and that power should be used for the wider welfare of the common cause and not treated as formal duties. Her personal involvement in the various charities across the globe is a testament of her real interest in the welfare of the people, especially the downtrodden, under-privileged and the sick. It also showed that the Princess was not afraid of projecting an image that went against the royal propriety and establish a more modern and more people image. She was successful in creating a niche place in the heart of the people that went beyond the traditional love of the monarchy. The interview was symbolic of the strong character of Princess Diana who had silently proclaimed that she could be ousted from the royal circle but never from the heart of the people. By giving her side of the story, she was able to reassert her public standing of a caring and compassionate person who had human failings. The interview clearly demonstrated her skills as a media savvy person who was adept at exploiting the same for her own ends. The interview also helped raise the role of media that was both ethical and unethical in its projections and pursue of celebrities. The interview has reasserted the need to incorporate changes in the projection and promotion of British Monarchy. It had showed that the Monarchy needs to evolve with the changing times and adopt new values while maintaining the old. Recommendations While the interview seems to have been focused on the personal life of Princess Diana after her divorce, there seems to be implicit lack of details of public duties and responsibilities of the Princess that had made her so popular. The interview should also have been more streamlined and structured so as to take the various aspect of the personalities of the Princess – as a mother, as a wife, as a daughter-in-law and most of all as a Princess and future queen. The informal tone of the interview has indeed, brought into focus the need for the monarchy to become more transparent and honest in the display of their relationship and emotions. There is need for more such types of interviews that demonstrate willingness of the celebrities to show that they are also human beings with human failings. The extra-marital affairs do not alone make them like common man! The overt and covert ways of exploiting media has often been the most controversial acts of the celebrities. But the media has much more responsible role of being a platform for the celebrities to increase their rating! The interview of Princess Diana has shown that British Monarchy must come out of its traditional mould to embrace the changing times. Human failings are part and parcel of human nature and displaying the same would not lower the royal stake but may add more empathetic allure for the people at large towards them and make them more approachable. Reference Princess Diana’s Interview with Martin Bashir. BBC1 Panorama. Available from: Read More