Nancy Whitelaw > Quotes

“Baron, Baroness
Originally, the term baron signified a person who owned land as a direct gift from the monarchy or as a descendant of a baron. Now it is an honorary title. The wife of a baron is a baroness.

Duke, Duchess, Duchy, Dukedom
Originally, a man could become a duke in one of two ways. He could be recognized for owning a lot of land. Or he could be a victorious military commander. Now a man can become a duke simply by being appointed by a monarch. Queen Elizabeth II appointed her husband Philip the Duke of Edinburgh and her son Charles the Duke of Wales. A duchess is the wife or widow of a duke. The territory ruled by a duke is a duchy or a dukedom.

Earl, Earldom
Earl is the oldest title in the English nobility. It originally signified a chieftan or leader of a tribe. Each earl is identified with a certain area called an earldom. Today the monarchy sometimes confers an earldom on a retiring prime minister. For example, former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan is the Earl of Stockton.

King
A king is a ruling monarch. He inherits this position and retains it until he abdicates or dies. Formerly, a king was an absolute ruler. Today the role of King of England is largely symbolic. The wife of a king is a queen.

Knight
Originally a knight was a man who performed devoted military service. The title is not hereditary. A king or queen may award a citizen with knighthood. The criterion for the award is devoted service to the country.

Lady
One may use Lady to refer to the wife of a knight, baron, count, or viscount. It may also be used for the daughter of a duke, marquis, or earl.

Marquis, also spelled Marquess.
A marquis ranks above an earl and below a duke. Originally marquis signified military men who stood guard on the border of a territory. Now it is a hereditary title.

Lord
Lord is a general term denoting nobility. It may be used to address any peer (see below) except a duke. The House of Lords is the upper house of the British Parliament. It is a nonelective body with limited powers. The presiding officer for the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor or Lord High Chancellor. Sometimes a mayor is called lord, such as the Lord Mayor of London. The term lord may also be used informally to show respect.

Peer, Peerage
A peer is a titled member of the British nobility who may sit in the House of Lords, the upper house of Parliament. Peers are ranked in order of their importance. A duke is most important; the others follow in this order: marquis, earl, viscount, baron. A group of peers is called a peerage.

Prince, Princess
Princes and princesses are sons and daughters of a reigning king and queen. The first-born son of a royal family is first in line for the throne, the second born son is second in line. A princess may become a queen if there is no prince at the time of abdication or death of a king. The wife of a prince is also called a princess.

Queen
A queen may be the ruler of a monarchy, the wife—or widow—of a king.

Viscount, Viscountess
The title Viscount originally meant deputy to a count. It has been used most recently to honor British soldiers in World War II. Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery was named a viscount. The title may also be hereditary. The wife of a viscount is a viscountess. (In pronunciation the initial s is silent.)

House of Windsor
The British royal family has been called the House of Windsor since 1917. Before then, the royal family name was Wettin, a German name derived from Queen Victoria’s husband. In 1917, England was at war with Germany. King George V announced that the royal family name would become the House of Windsor, a name derived from Windsor Castle, a royal residence. The House of Windsor has included Kings George V, Edward VII, George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II.”
― Nancy Whitelaw, Lady Diana Spencer: Princess of Wales

“In the winter of 1990-1991, she made seven visits to shelters for the homeless. Some met her with aggressive questions comparing her living situation with theirs. She listened attentively. She appeared to be comfortable in all situations.
When Barbara Bush, wife of President George Bush, visited in London, Diana took her to Middlesex Hospital to visit AIDS patients. One patient asked Diana why she spent time with suffering people. She answered, “Anywhere I see suffering, that is where I want to be, doing what I can.”
She also visited Broadmoor, a maximum-security prison. She talked with some inmates in groups and with some in their cells. “Living with the royal family is an ideal preparation for going to Broadmoor,” she joked.”
― Nancy Whitelaw, Lady Diana Spencer: Princess of Wales

“Now they were ready for a vacation, far from photographers and reporters. A photographer from the Daily Mirror said this was impossible: “Well, the Royal Family is never on holiday. The world wants to know. I really think she’d like to be just Diana Spencer, and just go around like that. Well, she can’t. Never again.”
Still, they tried. They chose a castle in Liechtenstein that could be reached only by one road and was surrounded by a fifteen-foot-thick wall. Less than an hour after they arrived at the castle, forty reporters and photographers had registered at a nearby hotel. A helicopter carrying three photographers flew low enough to take photos of them as they skied. Photographers caught them eating lunch at a restaurant. Charles grinned and said, “Now I’m going to blow my nose for everyone to photograph.” He did--and the photographers snapped the picture.”
― Nancy Whitelaw, Lady Diana Spencer: Princess of Wales

“At Westminster Abbey, Welsh Guards in crimson uniforms raised the casket to their shoulders. They took it down the long aisle of the church and placed it at the front of the altar. After laying a bouquet of white lilies at the foot of the coffin, Prince Charles and Prince Philip led William and Harry, Queen Elizabeth II, and the Queen Mother to seats in the front of the sanctuary. About two thousand mourners were seated behind them. Her brother Charles said, “Above all, we give thanks for the life of a woman I am so proud to be able to call my sister; the unique, the complex, the extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana, whose beauty, both internal and external, will never be extinguished from our minds.” The dean of Westminster said, “Diana profoundly influenced this nation and the world.” At William’s suggestion, Elton John sang “Candle in the Wind,” in which he made specific reference to Diana: “Your footsteps will always fall here/among England’s greenest hills;/ your candle’s burned out long before/ your legend ever will.”
The funeral procession made a two-hour trip to the Spencer family home. Along the way, crowds sobbed and threw flowers.
Diana was buried on an island in the middle of a small lake on the family estate. The burial was private.”
― Nancy Whitelaw, Lady Diana Spencer: Princess of Wales

“In October, she spent three days on an official tour in Wales. This might have been a difficult tour. Unemployment in Wales was up to sixteen percent, and the economy was down. Traditionally, many Welsh had seen the British as snobs who believed that they were superior. Even the weather was against her as dark and cloudy skies scattered rain in her path.
To the surprise of many, crowds lined the streets to meet this new princess as she passed by shops, trailer courts, and rundown coal mines. She smiled and waved, and people in the streets waved and smiled back. They wanted to touch her, to talk to her, and to listen to her voice. She answered their comments easily and naturally. She asked some how far they had come for the procession. She asked others if they had been waiting long for her. She expressed surprise and delight at their loyalty to her. She graciously accepted hundreds of gifts--among them flowers, poems, and a Welsh heifer.
In Cardiff, she gave her first public speech as Diana, Princess of Wales. When she uttered a phrase in Welsh, the crowd roared their approval of her accent. As one spectator put it, Diana “speaks it like an angel, she does.”
― Nancy Whitelaw, Lady Diana Spencer: Princess of Wales

“British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the world about the tragedy: “She was the people’s princess, and that is how she will stay in our hearts and memories forever.”
― Nancy Whitelaw, Lady Diana Spencer: Princess of Wales

“Everywhere they went, Charles applauded the connection between Australia and the British monarchy. But his verbal message was not as strong as Diana’s appeal. He publicly admitted that Diana was upstaging him: “I have come to the conclusion that it really would have been easier to have had two wives. Then they could cover both sides of the street and I could walk down the middle directing operations.”
For some short walkabouts, they took William. The baby seemed to love the crowds. He showed his teeth, crawled, and stood on his own feet for a moment. At one point he stuck out his tongue at a Maori, a traditional Maori greeting.”
― Nancy Whitelaw, Lady Diana Spencer: Princess of Wales