TODAY’S WORLD: Not Forgotten: Diana – Princess of Wales

Five lessons from her life and death…..

All over the world people were stunned to hear of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, on Sunday, 31st August, 1997. Bill Clinton, President of the United States of America at the time, summed up the mood of so many when he said how “profoundly saddened” he was by the tragedy. Tony Blair, Britain’s Prime Minister, described her as “the People’s Princess.”  Recalling the compassion that she had shown so often, he said, “She was a wonderful and warm human being.”

 

Diana and her friend Dodi Al Fayed, son of the owner of the famous Harrods’ Department Store, Mohamed Al Fayed, had dined at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. The friendship appeared to be blossoming. Video pictures, released by Mohamed Al Fayed after the tragedy, showed Diana and Dodi leaving the Ritz shortly after midnight by the back entrance, along with their driver Henri Paul and bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones. The intention was to avoid the photographers, but as we now know the plan didn’t work. Speeding through the streets ofParis, pursued by the relentless paparazzi, the powerful Mercedes veered out of control in the Pont de l’Alma underpass and smashed into a concrete post. Henri Paul and Dodi died instantly. Diana remained alive but in a critical condition. In spite of heroic efforts by French surgeons, however, she was pronounced dead at 4 a.m. local time.

 

 

UNFORGETTABLE SCENES

During the next few days some unforgettable scenes were witnessed. On that fateful Sunday evening Prince Charles flew to Paristo collect the body of his former wife before returning on the plane with it to R.A.F. Northolt outside London. It must have been a distressing experience for the Prince. Tributes poured in from across the world. Books of condolence were opened in many towns for people to register their own personal grief, and some queued for as much as eleven hours to sign one of these books at St. James’ Palace in London. The great and the small seemed to be touched by her death. World leaders paid tribute to her final humanitarian concern – discouraging the use of landmines. We were reminded of her compassion for the needy as we saw pictures of children, invalids, AIDS sufferers, and accident victims receiving her love and attention. So many people had come to regard her as a friend.        

 

On Saturday 6th September a unique display of public grief was witnessed as millions of mourners lined the streets of Londonand the roads leading out of the capital to catch a glimpse of the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales. Commentators described it as one of the most significant events of the century, with such world-wide T.V. coverage as had never been known before. Viewers on every continent were able to watch the funeral on their screens. Across the world people wept at the loss of a young woman whose compassion had touched the lives of so many individuals.

 

 

1. The Sovereignty of God

While it was right to mourn the loss of Diana, Christians recognize that God is Sovereign in all that He does. He gives life and takes it away when He sees fit. Dodi Al Fayed was a Muslim. If Diana’s relationship with Dodi had deepened and if they had married, there might have been a very significant Islamic influence on Prince William, Diana’s eldest son and future heir to the throne. It would be wrong to say that this was God’s reason for taking her, but we know that He is Sovereign and He called her from this life in His own time.

 

2. The Brevity of Life

In his Bidding at the funeral, the Dean of Westminster used two very humbling words that describe each one of us. They were mortality and vulnerability. Diana was a princess, but she was mortal. She was vulnerable too, for she died unexpectedly in an accident. She was only 36.

 

Not all of us live to reach old age. Even many of those who do, feel – like Jacob – that their years have been “few and evil” (Gen.47:9). Life passes quickly, “swifter than a runner,” (Job 9:25 NKJV). Diana’s accident demonstrates the uncertainty of life. Each of us should ponder Isaac’s words seriously: “I know not the day of my death,” (Gen.27:2).

 

3. The Urgency of the Gospel

This third lesson follows on naturally from the previous one and concerns the urgency of believing the Gospel message while there is time. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” (2 Cor.6:2). The Bible warns:- “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth,” (Prov.27:1).

 

 

Like the dying thief in Luke 23:39-43, did Diana place her faith in Christ in her final moments? Some years before, the Gideons (a Christian organization committed to distributing the Scriptures without charge) had presented her with a Bible. Only God knows if she ever read it and believed its message of salvation. What we do know is that to neglect God’s great salvation is disastrous. (See Hebrews 2:3.)

 

4. Death Spells Finality

For true Christians, one of the saddest and one of the most frustrating things was to hear false and misleading words of comfort being broadcast around the world from Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey. In his Bidding, the Dean of Westminster declared that it was a time “to commend her soul to almighty God.” Later, he referred to Diana as “our companion in faith and sister in Christ.” He continued: “May you rest in peace and rise in glory, where grief and misery are banished and light and joy evermore abide.”

 

When we compare the Dean’s words with Holy Scripture, we find that there are startling differences. At the moment of death the soul and spirit leave the body (3). There is an absolute finality about death. The Bible gives us no encouragement whatever to pray for the dead. Those who are “in Christ” do pass into His presence and into joy and bliss, but those who die without faith in Him go to a place of eternal torment where there is no rest but wailing and gnashing of teeth, (see Matthew 13:50). This is a vital lesson to grasp: the soul’s destiny after death cannot be altered.

 

5. The Christian’s Responsibility

As the funeral cortege made its way through the streets ofLondon, television cameras frequently focused on the card on top of the coffin bearing the single word “Mummy”. It was a poignant reminder that two young princes had lost their beloved mother. It was right and proper that prayers were offered for them in the service.

 

Christians have certain God-given responsibilities. One is to pray for those who are in positions of authority, (1 Tim.2:1-5). Another is to seek to bring the gospel to the lost. Rich and poor both need to hear it before they die. Many have been made to think of eternal issues through the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. May they also be open to the message of God’s salvation!

 

 

 

END NOTES:- (1)Eph.2:8-9.  (2)1 Cor.1:30.,  (3)Eccl.12:7.