Ten Years Later: I Still Don't Get It

Editor's Note: I am about to piss off a lot of you. Um . . . sorry?

LONDON - Princess Diana's family solemnly marked the 10th anniversary of her death Friday, with her younger son eulogizing her as "the best mother in the world."

The bishop of London used his sermon at a memorial service to call for an end to the sniping between Diana's fans and detractors, and a priest who has led an annual remembrance said it may now be time to let go.

Friday was a day for broadcasting video snippets of her wedding and funeral, for rehashing the rights and wrongs of her failed marriage.

It was one more day for dredging up questions about how Diana came to die in a car crash in Paris with her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and for the Daily Telegraph to publish an essay explaining "why we were right to weep for Diana." (H/T - Yahoo!)

Can someone please tell me what's the big deal about Princess Diana? Did she cure cancer? Did she stop a war? Did she solve Rubik's Cube in under a minute? Accomplishments like these would explain such rabid hero worship.

Unfortunately, she never really did anything Earth-shattering. She was a princess, kids! Friggin' royalty. And if you think she would cross the street to spit upon you, you are in complete denial. Sure, everyone mentions how polite she was, and how accessible she was, but most of the time that was done in front of the cameras or the press. Does anyone truly believe that Diana would just walk the streets of London and talk with the "commoners?" Please.

I respect the fact that she was involved in charity work with AIDS patients. I respect the fact that she was involved in land mine disposal efforts. But I am also a realist. A princess needs to become involved in charity work these days, whether they like it or not.

The fact of the matter is that Diana was a very beautiful, popular woman who died in a very tragic manner. As a result, she has been elevated to iconic status, much like a Marilyn Monroe or a James Dean. She's not a hero; she's a femme fatale.

I just don't get it.