Tuesday August 11, 1981

Princess Diana?

 _. Very hot. To Leeds in a crisp white shirt, sleeves tantalisingly rolled up, displaying my brown, manly arms. As I left Ally was hanging out yet more blue washing. 

At the YP I got onto my 'high horse' about the title of the Princess of Wales. No royal bride is ever afforded the honour of becoming a princess in her own right. The wife of the Prince of Wales is the Princess of Wales, and never 'Princess Diana'. The Queen Mother was never 'Princess Elizabeth', and the wives of the royal dukes of Gloucester and Kent are not princesses in their own right either. The Queen mother, as wife of Prince Albert, Duke of York, became Princess Albert, Duchess of York.  Let us suppose that Diana is made a princess in her own right as 'Princess Diana'. A dangerous precedent would be established. In 5 years times, Princess Diana could go off and divorce the P of W, and marry Arthur Evans, and remain HRH Princess Diana. Retaining the present style Diana takes all her styles and titles from her husband, and at the dissolution of this marriage [God forbid] she would have to drop the royal appellation. The only fly in the 'royal ointment' is Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. On the death of her husband, the first duke, in 1974, Alice became HRH The Dowager Duchess of Gloucester. However, the Queen, in a court circular announcement declared that her widowed aunt would henceforward to be known as 'Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester'. No Royal Warrant or Letters Patent. Quite incorrect, but I cannot argue with the personal wishes of Her Majesty. However, until and if the Queen issues a ruling about the style and title of her daughter-in-law we can call her nothing but HRH The Princess of Wales. The Duke of Edinburgh was married to the Queen for 10 years before being granted the style and title of a prince of the United Kingdom. Until 1957 he was HRH Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. He ceased to be Prince of Greece and Denmark when he took British citizenship. A lettter in the Times from a Peter Cash includes the quote: 'The Princess of Wales sounds more like an aircraft carrier than a human being! It is too impersonal for her.'

I phoned Mum and received no reply. Has she perhaps joined Lynn & Dave on holiday at the Baker caravan in Norfolk to recover from the Stonehouse shock?

Spoke to Ally. She came through to Leeds at 3 to deliver something for Derek Jenkins and picked me up at four in Audrey [with the roof rolled back] and on we went to Bradford where a casserole was bubbling in the pot. We dined at 6:30. Afterwards, the evening being exceedingly hot, we went for a walk and found ourselves in the cemetery among the grave stones. We did remark that people are continuing to die at obscenely early ages, despite the advances made in medical science. Depressing really. We walked back hand in hand.

Finally made contact with Mum. They have been to Burnsall with Lynn and Dave for the day.

Dave G phoned. Jim Glynn is in hospital and sounds to be on his last legs. A suspected heart attack, &c. We are going to Stockport on Aug 22.

Watched a documentary about Cecil B. De Mille. To bed, quite beaten, at midnight.

-=-