Letter: The myth of Diana

Sir: One year after the passing of Diana, Princess of Wales, there are still people who insist on denying reality. The shrine put up by Mohamed al-Fayed at Harrods and his rantings about a curse (report, 1 September) is evidence of this.

As tragic as it was, it seems obvious that the Princess died in an accident caused chiefly by a drunk and out-of-control driver. The garish Harrods monument just perpetuates the cult that a minority of people are drawn to. Worse yet, it seems to push some people into believing they know what the future would have held - Diana and Dodi together in a perfect marriage. All this based on a barely month-old holiday romance.

You report that some people see the Royal Family as hiding from the public at Balmoral for the anniversary. It is the people who make such an accusation that are hiding from reality. They need to be reminded how many years the Royal Family have gone to Balmoral for holiday during August and September.

The people who say such things claim to have the best interests of Princes William and Harry in mind, yet by their own statements they deny these young men any privacy.

This summer, I spent five weeks in the United Kingdom and found that everyone I asked, while shocked at the Princess's death, was more than ready to put it behind them and had tired of the continual media hype surrounding it. The views of the majority in Britain continue to go unheeded.