Althorp on Diana’s 49th Birthday Photos and News

As usual my dear friend Beth Taylor went to Althorp to lay Flowers for Diana   as she does every year for all of her overseas friends. and She took som awesome photos.  the first one was quite a shock for those of us who are visiting Althorp thru the computer screen, as it seems that the  main house is undergoing  restoration and will be that way for the next year or so.

Photos belong to Beth Taylor

Acording to Beth every thing else seems to be open such as the stables and shop.

you can still walk the grounds and make your way to the oval which is still as beautiful as the day Diana was laid to rest there. Diana did receive flowers from her two sons and their flowers were rowed across to the oval that day. It happened to be quite warm  yesterday as the tourist made their way to celebrate Diana’s birthday. it just goes to show you no matter how much  some people wish that Diana’s legacy would go away  she is still there with in the hearts of the people who loved and admired  her.

 

Thank you Bethy for sharing your photos and taking flowers for me this year.

“Iconic” Diana dress fetches $276,000 at auction

 

LONDON (Reuters) – The black taffeta dress worn by Princess Diana at her first official appearance with Prince Charles after announcing their engagement fetched 192,000 pounds ($276,000), or nearly four times the high-end estimate, at a London auction on Tuesday.

The dress, which auctioneer Kerry Taylor described as “iconic,” had been expected to sell for 30-50,000 pounds.

It was part of a collection of clothes being sold by designers Elizabeth Emanuel and David Emanuel and was bought by fashion museum the Fundacion Museo De La Moda in Chile.

“As the weeks before her wedding progressed, Diana lost so much weight that she returned the gown to the Emanuels to have it taken in,” Taylor said in a statement.

“The alterations required were so drastic that they decided it would be easier to re-make a smaller version for her. They kept the original and forgot about it — only re-discovering it quite recently.”

Overall, the 30 lots on offer fetched 282,720 pounds ($407,000).

“The high prices that we saw today reflect the enduring love affair with Princess Diana,” Taylor added.

Jorge Yarur, founder of the museum which bought the dress, said that when he died he planned to donate it and other Diana dresses he owned to Kensington Palace, where she lived from the time of her wedding in 1981 until her death in 1997.

The palace already displays a selection of Diana’s dresses in the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection.

London’s Kensington Palace gets moody makeover

Diana's gown

LONDON – Princess Diana’s former home, Kensington Palace, was being rebranded “The Enchanted Palace” on Friday to lure tourists from other popular London sights, like Madame Tussauds waxworks and the Tower of London, where the Crown Jewels are displayed (behind very thick glass).

In this interactive age, it’s not enough for a stately palace to offer royal art, staid banquet rooms, and roped-off thrones, so curators have opted for fashion, performance art, and a bit of Alice in Wonderland fantasy. The exhibit, meant to draw viewers into the lives of past palace residents, uses intense lighting, actors and musicians to set the mood. One man even coaxes sound from a saw with a violin bow.

The tone is set by the Room of Royal Sorrows. No, it’s not about Diana and her fractured fairytale marriage to Prince Charles; it’s a dramatization of the emotional torment of Queen Mary II as she tried in vain a produce an heir. It is set in her bedchamber, giving the display an unsettling authenticity. On the bed is a figure of the queen, dressed in blue, face hidden.

“The first time you walk into the room, it has an aura of sadness, but also incredible beauty,” said designer Marcus Wilmont, part of the team that decorated the room and came up with the outfit worn by the mannequin representing Queen Mary. “She tried really hard, but she had many miscarriages. She was a very loved queen, and we wanted to try to capture her spirit.”

The somber tone is set by dozens of antique glass bottles known as “tear catchers.” In times of mourning, tears were put in the bottles “to catch the sorrow” even though they would soon evaporate, Wilmont said

Visitors are given a chance to leave a handwritten note stating the last time they cried.

Not every display is laced with tragedy. One of Diana’s elegant ball gowns is on display, and Vivienne Westwood, one of Britain’s most revered designers, came up with a fanciful — and fantastic — dress designed to be worn by a rebellious princess.

The room where British kings met with advisers, foreign diplomats and occasionally the public has also been redone, with a colorful new throne that visitors are encouraged to try out. A Room of Enlightenment features a bust of Isaac Newton topped by a Stephen Jones hat that includes a mock red apple, covered with rhinestones, to commemorate Newton’s moment of illumination.

The exhibit also includes The Room of Royal Secrets and the Rooms of Lost Childhood, all to evoke the bittersweet nature of real royal life as lived, not imagined. Many royals are portrayed as lonely and isolated despite the magnificent sweeping views of Kensington Gardens and the multimillion dollar art collection that lines the interior palace walls.

“We really wanted to try something completely different that gave us a way to take a fresh look at the palace’s history and the lives of the people who lived here,” said Alexandra Kim, one of the curators of the two-year show. “We want people to connect with the emotions.”

We are a Honorable Mentions Winner

 Tonight I checked my Spam box just to clean it out and realized I had a Email From the Franklin Mint Announcing the Winners of the Share your story contest. Well Brie and I Didn’t win the $250.00  gift certificate but we did win a $50 Gift Certificate . For our Story about Collecting Diana Dolls. This will come in handy with the new dolls being released.   

Happy Birthday Prince Harry

Britain’s Prince Harry turned 25 Tuesday in the knowledge that he is now entitled to part of the multi-million dollar inheritance left to him by his late mother.

Today’s Tributes at the Gates of KP

My dear friend Bethy kindly took these photos for me to post On the blog . Bethy took our Diana group’s tributes from around the world to the gates  for us today.

 

Beth at the Diana Fountain

Children Enjoying Diana's Fountain

Visitors Reading Our Tributes

A closer pic of them from the side view

This is mine I sent this year .

Pink Hearts For The Queen of Hearts

More Visitors reading our tributes

Our tributes with our flowers we bought for Diana

Poster advertising the Diana Exhibit at KP

Sylvia from Austraila's beautiful tribute poster.

Closer shot of my tribute.

Many Thanks to Beth Taylor for these fabulous photos.

Diana Stickers By Merlin

I purchased these a month ago and I have been searching for the book that they go in to. Apparently this is one of the harder books to get your hands on. So far the only price I have found the book for is $99.00  a little steep for my blood. So far I have only collected 10 stickers so the hunt begans for the book and the rest of the stickers!

 

1st row:96,38,104,2nd row:105,150,135 3rd row: 184

Diana On The WE Tv Network

August 31st

. 1:00 pm Diana: The Night She Died The official investigation into the crash that killed the princess.

 2:00 pm Who Killed Diana? Examining the conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Princess Diana.

 3:00 pm Diana Revealed Details of the life of Princess Diana.

Diana’s Friend and Supporter, Dominick Dunne Has Died

Author and Journalist Dominick Dunne Has Died

Author and journalist Dominick Dunne has passed away after battling cancer, leaving behind a collection of bestselling novels, a memoir, and two essay collections.

In a mediabistro.com interview last year, the legendary Vanity Fair special correspondent talked about the journalism stories that defined his career: the death of Princess Diana, the O.J. Simpson media circus, and trial for the Menendez brothers. In the last year of his life, he was dedicated to finishing his novel, “Too Much Money,” which will be released in December

 

you can read his article on Diana at the following links

 http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/danni/DianaPress/FullArticles/scan0001.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/danni/DianaPress/FullArticles/scan0003.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/danni/DianaPress/FullArticles/scan0004.jpg

 Thank you for all your fascinating work Mr Dunn you will be greatly missed.

 

Diana Related Game: Hidden Mysteries Buckingham Palace

While I was in walmart today picking up some new headphones to record the podcast Icame across this combo pack of two games. I am nota big gaming person so this really had to  grab my  attention. The game is called Hidden Mysteries  Buckingham Palace. Basically its a hidden object game and you have to find all the hidden objects and solve the puzzles at each level. As you do this the mystery is solved at the end of the game. As you play the game you are presented with interesting facts about the Palace. This game is suitable for kids of all ages and very educational.

here are some screen shots of the game

So far I have noticed that they have the gold Coach that Diana rode in for her wedding and they have the room where Prince William was christened in  within the game. I have found a place where you could download the game for 6.99 which is a great price.  Hidden Mysteries Buckingham Palace Dowload