Where were you when you heard princess Diana had died?

s7ryf3925pivug · 02-09-2017 10:34AM

Don't know because I was 18, male and not English.
Probably saw it on the TV in my sitting room.

02-09-2017 10:53AM

I was up early as we were heading to Majorca that afternoon. Switched on the tv and they were reporting that she was seriously injured. Was still watching when they broke the news that she was dead.

I went to Croydon later in the morning to do some last minute shopping. There were people walking around but it was so quiet like the news hadn't yet sunk in. The plane journey was the same, very quiet.

Samaris · 02-09-2017 11:44AM

I remember the whole thing happening as it unfolded on the news, the constant shots of the mouth of the tunnel, the few shots of the car, pictures of herself and Fayad in the car, the funeral, etcetera, but I was a bit too young to have the sense of world-shaking catastrophe that makes people remember where they were.

Jimbob1977 · 02-09-2017 11:56AM

I arrived home around 1am after taking a ferry from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire.

Had been at Manchester United vs Coventry at Old Trafford.

ITV were announcing a crash and injuries at that time.

For the record, the scorers were Cole, Keane and Poborsky.

Dion Dublin rattled the crossbar for Coventry.

amtc · 03-09-2017 09:04AM

I'd been out in cafe en seine and lillies and got home at 4am. My mam woke me up to tell me the news. I was due to get my hair dyed for the first time that day and they offered a princess di cut and dye. Seriously!

I do recall exactly where I was hearinf about 9/11. It was the same day eircom launched broadband. I also recall where I was when veronica guerin was killed.

Achasanai · 03-09-2017 09:18AM

Had been out in the Thing Mote in Dublin the night before. Oddly enough, I can remember that, but not the circumstances around how I found out about her dying.

Her having absolutely nothing to do with my life might have had something to do with that.

TheIrishGrover · 03-09-2017 09:51AM

I was in a mate's house in Ranelagh. Wasn't living in Dublin at the time but was up for U2 concert.
Woke up that morning to the news on the radio. Just heard something about Diana and Dodi al-Fayhad. Thought to myself:" Ah good for them, they must have announced their engagement". Reported then says that bodies will be coming back to England tomorrow. That woke me up. Mate passed the room going to the toilet. I say "You hear about Princess Diana? She's dead" "Uh huh...Wait, what?"

Similar to that was when Michael Jackson died. Was at Glastonbury. Heard it on the radio. Went to a tent for breakfast and people were there: "You hear Michael Jackson died?". "No you f*cking idiot, it was Michael JORDAN. Sher he's had AIDS for years" "No, it was Michael FLATLEY!!!" "You WISH it was Flatley"

Winterlong · 03-09-2017 10:04AM

I was in Cambridge/England, at a wedding on the weekend that Diana died. We did not hear about it until the next morning.

My own dad died a few weeks after Diana and the bride from that wedding died of cancer last year. So Diana's anniversary always brings back grim memories.

c_man · 03-09-2017 10:08AM

I was the first to see it in the house. I switched on the telly, saw the news and reported it later to my parents. They didn't believe me. I remember it was a fantastic day and I was heading out to U-14 Gaelic training followed by training with the U-15(16?). I cycled to that. Man, I used to be fit

03-09-2017 10:25AM

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

I was lying in bed with my girlfriend at the time when she got a text from her mate telling her that Diana had died. Needless to say i didnt get the ride that morning.

Did we have texts in Ireland in 1997? I remember sending my first text in May 2000 from my Siemens c25 around the same time as that advert " hello Kate, it's me from the bar" I thought text messaging was relatively new then

murpho999 · 03-09-2017 10:49AM

Was in Melbourne backpacking for a year.
Was working in PJ O’Brien’s bar when the news broke. Aussies were in shock.

Details were very scant at the time as it was a breaking news story and within 5 mins of her death being confirmed an Irish guy I worked with told me that the car had hit a tree and the IRA said they planted it. I really pissed myself.
Can still laugh about it because of the timing.

Found the whole reaction in Oz and UK to be totally bizzare. Hate the concept of monarchy and for me she achieved nothing in life bar being glamorous and marrying a rich person.

Even 20 years later the UK coverage is ridiculous.

murpho999 · 03-09-2017 11:19AM

ectoraige wrote: »

Because it was a historic moment, as exhibited by the fact so many people on this thread do, for whatever reason, remember where they were.

For the record, I was in my house in college watching videos when my housemate called down from his room, he habitually listened to the BBC world service. We spent the rest of the night listening to the news updates.

Seriously this was not an historic event. It was a media hype event.

Diana has not achieved anything of historical importance that will be remembered in the years to come.

People just remember it because she was so famous and it was massive news.

It’s not like JFK, 9/11,Berlin Wall etc.

03-09-2017 12:14PM

Back seat of family car, enroute for new school shoes, aged ten. I particularly remember my Dad remarking that we're going to hear of nothing else for weeks or months, of course he was right.

B0jangles · 03-09-2017 12:30PM

Was walking around nighttime Chicago looking for the makings of a decent bloody mary when we started hearing vague hints that something had happened, on radios in shops and from people chatting in the street. Finally asked the guy minding the trollies outside our local supermarket and he told us that she had died in a car crash. It was genuinely startling to hear; I wasn't exactly a big reader of Hello! or anything but she really was a massively famous person and her death was totally out of the blue.

Never did get that bloody mary

TheIrishGrover · 04-09-2017 01:32PM

murpho999 wrote: »

Seriously this was not an historic event. It was a media hype event.

Diana has not achieved anything of historical importance that will be remembered in the years to come.

People just remember it because she was so famous and it was massive news.

It’s not like JFK, 9/11,Berlin Wall etc.

Well, I agree with you there in that it didn't change the world apart from maybe putting a critical eye on tabloid journalism/paparazzi and the depths they descend to to get a story. This was well before the whole the whole other load of disgusting practices came to a fore years later.
But it was certainly news that everyone remembers.

weadick · 04-09-2017 01:37PM

TheIrishGrover wrote: »

Well, I agree with you there in that it didn't change the world apart from maybe putting a critical eye on tabloid journalism/paparazzi and the depths they descend to to get a story. This was well before the whole the whole other load of disgusting practices came to a fore years later.
But it was certainly news that everyone remembers.

The tabloids had nothing to do with her death. The driver was drunk, speeding and none of the occupants were wearing seatbelts. Tragic event for her family but they were the most famous couple in the world in one of the worlds biggest cities, obviously they were going to get a massive amount of attention.

From an Irish perspective I do remember being ashamed to see our flags at half mast and the Republic of Ireland soccer team wearing black armbands in their next game.

MrPudding · 04-09-2017 01:40PM

I was in my field.

MrP

pablo128 · 04-09-2017 01:44PM

machiavellianme wrote: »

Liar. Fiat unos only had a cassette deck on the top end model. Otherwise it was a standard fm/am radio.

The 'Secret Service' edition came with a CD player as standard.;)

I was sitting in the folks kitchen after a hard nights raving when I saw it on the telly. I have to say I gave a little snigger and went to bed.

JupiterKid · 04-09-2017 01:53PM

I was chilling out in my living room after having a smokin session with my mates and playing games on my new PlayStation 1. I had finished college and was just about to start my Masters. I flicked around the TV and saw it on BBC news. I was transfixed - I watched it until 6 in the morning and all the TV presenters were in a somber mood. I wasn't particularly upset but I was shocked.

Probably half of regulars on AH weren't even in primary school when it happened so it would mean little to them. But for my generation, it was our JFK moment. Diana may not have have been a world changing leader, but her celebrity made her demise a major event.

The outpouring of grief in the UK in the days that followed was unbelievable.

....... · 04-09-2017 02:11PM

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partyguinness · 04-09-2017 02:18PM

It was a Sunday morning and being 19 at the time I of course remember it unfortunately.

Interestingly a few days earlier a news piece came on I dunno, she scratched her ass or something I can't remember and I was so sick of it that summer she was constantly on. I literally said to my mother:-

'God above. Can you imagine what the news would be like if she died."

I find it downright embarrassing that Irish women (usually bored middle aged housewives) who treated her like some sort of Goddess.

partyguinness · 04-09-2017 02:18PM

ps It was also Mother Theresa's 20th anniversary also last week. Not that anyone seemed to notice.

rainbow kirby · 04-09-2017 02:18PM

In my granny's house in Rathfarnham. She's obsessed with the royals for some reason and was absolutely gutted. I was 13 at the time.

partyguinness · 04-09-2017 02:19PM

....... wrote: »

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I know. Pathetic isn't it?

MrPudding · 04-09-2017 02:25PM

partyguinness wrote: »

ps It was also Mother Theresa's 20th anniversary also last week. Not that anyone seemed to notice.

We tend to ignore the evil ones, and Mother Teresa was evil. She actually makes me wish there was a god, because if there was a god, then there would probably be a hell, and if there was a hell Mother Teresa would be roasting there for eternity. But god probably doesn't exist, so I guess we will just have to be happy that she is dead and not causing anymore unnecessary suffering.

MrP

....... · 04-09-2017 02:29PM

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partyguinness · 04-09-2017 02:30PM

JupiterKid wrote: »

I was chilling out in my living room after having a smokin session with my mates and playing games on my new PlayStation 1. I had finished college and was just about to start my Masters. I flicked around the TV and saw it on BBC news. I was transfixed - I watched it until 6 in the morning and all the TV presenters were in a somber mood. I wasn't particularly upset but I was shocked.

Probably half of regulars on AH weren't even in primary school when it happened so it would mean little to them. But for my generation, it was our JFK moment. Diana may not have have been a world changing leader, but her celebrity made her demise a major event.

The outpouring of grief in the UK in the days that followed was unbelievable.

I know it's subjective but I dunno about.

Most significant events that I remember:

1. 9/11
2. Chernobyl- reading about it a month later.
3. Fall of Berlin Wall- it was the night of my birthday party and I stopped to watch it on TV with parents.
4. Air India Flight 182- being from West Cork and I will always remember the picture on the front of Cork Examiner of the bodies covered in the Regional hospital in Cork plus a doll that has washed up.
5. Ray Houghton- Euro '88.
6. Live Aid- being seriously pissed that the entire day of TV was taken up with it.
7. Fall of USSR
8. Sebernica
9. Alan McLoughlin- 93 v NI- phew.
10. Ben Johnson - Seoul 88. One of the few times I have got of my seat and gone 'Wow'. Ok- it was all a fraud in the end.

branie2 · 04-09-2017 02:31PM

MrPudding wrote: »

We tend to ignore the evil ones, and Mother Teresa was evil. She actually makes me wish there was a god, because if there was a god, then there would probably be a hell, and if there was a hell Mother Teresa would be roasting there for eternity. But god probably doesn't exist, so I guess we will just have to be happy that she is dead and not causing anymore unnecessary suffering.

MrP

So you're happy to accept the word of that liar Christopher Hitchens?

....... · 04-09-2017 02:33PM

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partyguinness · 04-09-2017 02:34PM

MrPudding wrote: »

We tend to ignore the evil ones, and Mother Teresa was evil. She actually makes me wish there was a god, because if there was a god, then there would probably be a hell, and if there was a hell Mother Teresa would be roasting there for eternity. But god probably doesn't exist, so I guess we will just have to be happy that she is dead and not causing anymore unnecessary suffering.

MrP

Now, I am not any sort of apologist for MT but using the word 'evil' in this context is a little OTT. The Nazis were evil, ISIS are downright evil etc etc. Mother Theresa was hardly evil.

Where were you when you heard princess Diana had died?

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