Have we really learnt?

On April 29th 2011 the Royal Family welcomed their latest edition Catherine, "Duchess of Cambridge" into their family.  I to was in awe of the fairytale romance of William and Kate, their union created hope, provided the belief in fairytales and united a world in happiness and peace. The Duchess of Cambridge's life had changed in a single moment.  Her Sister Pippa had been catapolted into International stardom and the Middleton Family had been scrutinised by the media and public as they had never known before.  The Fairtytale rise of a Princess had captured a nation and the world's heart.

Now let me take you back to the 6th of September 1997 when in the walls of Westminster Abbey, Lady Diana's funeral was held and we mourned her loss.  We witnessed an unprecedented universal blame for the death of the  'People's Princess" and it was directed at the papparazzi and media circles.  Millions of people boycotted magazines and the backlash was felt by Publication Houses across the world.  For a brief time after, the mood seemed to shift and consumers made their concerns felt and we saw a sense of respect from the paparazzi towards celebrities and their privacy.  Magazine Houses felt a sense of responsibility and the landscape seemed to reflect this - albeit for a brief moment. 

It was estimated by Mail Online that a Global Audience of 3 billion people watched the Royal Wedding of William and Kate.  What is more staggering are the Social Media statistics - there were 124 Facebook updates per second and over 768 thousand mentions of the wedding on UK Facebook Walls alone.  For diehard fashionistas, Kate's wedding dress was mentioned over 55,000 times in the UK alone and Google reported over 450 million viewers watched via YouTube's live stream.

Since the wedding global blogs have reported on their every move, magazines are rife with latest pictures of the couple and fashion critics of the world have taken once again to breakdown in detail every inch of the latest clothing item showcased by the Princess.  Stores websites crash when a new piece is worn, Kate is an instant hit for any Global Brand fortunate enough to have her wear one of their outfits.  Critics are commenting on her weight, betting agencies are taking bets on future heirs gender and papparazzi of the world are snapping their every move.  As much as William fights to protect his new Brides sense of Privacy and keep a sense of normality we see it beginning to drift away and the spotlight is very much on them.

When does it become normal and socially and morally acceptable for a newspaper to display a photoshopped image of what Lady Diana and Princess Catherine would look like together today? 

I do not begin to try and imagine for one minute the fish bowl they must live in.  We live in an unprecedented age of fascination with the lives of celebrities and the ease and speed of the internet has brought them even closer.  Prince William we are told continues to hold a 'normal' job and Kate enjoys doing weekly shopping and cooking for her new husband, every bit of their lives open for public comment and scrutiny. 

Yet I pray their sense of privacy remains and papparazzi realise their responsibility, I hope Royal insiders around Kate continue to educate and every now and again consumers remind Publication Houses across the world when enough is enough and we don't want to see anymore.

Have we really learnt from the death of Princess Diana?  Time will determine that one.....

Nanna Lush x