The Princess Diaries

Princess is an adjective that describes someone who gives off the impression that she has other people do things for her, she’s accustomed to wealth and servants, and she’s fawned over by everyone. It can also describe someone who is conceited and stuck up, who thinks they are better than others.

Almost a year after the final divorce decree ended her arid marriage to Prince Charles, Diana again burst onto the British tabloid front pages in October 1997, this time in the arms—and in the face of—Dodi Fayed, one of the richest men in the world. The photographs were pure paparazzi stuff: grainy images furtively snapped through telephoto lenses the size of bazookas.

The episode begins not with Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, or Princess Diana, who all dominate the season’s screen time, but with an earnest BBC journalist named Martin Bashir. The show he works on, Panorama, isn’t getting the traction he wants, and he wonders if he can make a difference by interviewing Princess Diana.

The story of Princess Alice of Battenberg is another of the many uplifting ones in this episode. Alice, who was a member of the Greek royal family, sheltered a Jewish family during the Nazi occupation of Greece. She did not seek recognition for her good deed, but the media couldn’t help lauding her as a modern-day princess. Today, the Princess is Patron of a number of organisations that have close association with her specific charitable interests, and she spotlights their work through her programme of official engagements.