It's safe to say that there are certain ladies who left their mark on this world and touched us in ways that are sometimes tough to explain. And for me, both as a woman and as a mother, the impression left behind by the late Princess Diana is impossible to forget -- and one to remember.
I chose to honour the late Princess Diana in today’s article because I personally got to know her sons , Prince William & Princess Harry when I was a non-playing member at various polo clubs in the summer of 2004. I also supported and attended the Opening of the Children’s Centre in Lesotho in 2015 for one of Harry’s charities called Sentebale. I will tell you all, on a personal level, William and Harry are lovely, kind and treated me like a Lady. William was a knight in shining armor when a polo lad was harassing me and wouldn’t stop. William came to my rescue and even got that polo player to apologize to me for being rude, later I sat at the table with him and Kate and other ‘inner circle’ friends that happened 18 June 2004 at a polo party. That is a story for another time.
We all have those poignant moments in our lives when something so important or significant happened -- that merely thinking about it takes us back to the exact moment in time where we happened to be when it occurred.
For me, I will never forget the feelings of disbelief and overwhelming sadness, the night before I had my homecoming game, where my marching band was going to my former elementary school to march from there to my high school to let the games begin. I remember saying to the percussion overlord (yes that was the title!) Mr. J, did you hear about what happened ? Princess Diana died…” The exact words in 1997 for high schoolers were “very sad but we gotta march”. (I like to note that I have a photographic memory. I can remember conversations, recall scenery and much more as if it happened at that very moment, even if it happened 20+ years ago)
But sadly, after turning on the TV, (CNN to be exact), in the blink of an eye -- the woman so many people grew up knowing as the "People's Princess" suddenly ceased to exist. I feel that we all need to take a moment to remember exactly why the memory of her life on this earth is something that will never leave us.
Who She Is
Diana was more than just the Princess of Wales. Sure, she may have had a fancy title and will always be known as the shy, fresh-faced young woman who married into the British monarchy, but the legacy she left behind has so much more to do with her heart and who she was as a human being as opposed to anything having to do with royalty.
Perhaps the greatest role she ever served was that of mother to Prince William and Prince Harry. Being a parent is challenging enough under the most normal circumstances. Couple motherhood with being thrust into a lifestyle where you feel trapped, alone, and like a stranger in your own household -- and it certainly doesn't make for an easy existence. Despite all of the obstacles presented by her home life, however, somehow Diana wound up raising two boys who grew into men she would be incredibly proud of today.
How She Shaped History:
f there was one thing Diana said she was good at, it was her ability to "care for people." After her divorce, she focused her energy in several charities. Her championed causes usually involved the most disadvantaged and the forgotten.
AIDS/HIV
Princess Diana was among the first high-profile people seen touching and shaking hands with people stricken with AIDS, changing the world's perception about the disease. Her active involvement in the National AIDS Trust, which does research, education and treatment of HIV/AIDS, led to a worldwide revolution, and numerous celebrities and organizations - such as Elton John and People Magazine - established foundations for the cause.
Land Mines
In January 1997, pictures of the Princess touring an Angolan minefield in a ballistic helmet and flak jacket were seen worldwide. She is believed to have influenced the signing, though only after her death, of the Ottawa Treaty, which created an international ban on the use of anti-personnel landmines.
Palliative Care
The Diana, Princess of Wales Fund supports palliative care. Palliative care is an approach to caring for people who are dying. It is a holistic way of enabling people to die with dignity and to support the families through the grieving process.
Leprosy Mission
Diana was patron to The Leprosy Mission, an organization dedicated to providing treatment and support services to those afflicted with the disease.
The Royal Marsden & Great Ormond Street Hospitals for Children
Diana was patron to both the Royal Marsden Hospital (dedicated to childhood cancers) and the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (dedicated to ground breaking surgeries). Diana was often seen visiting young kids afflicted with cancer or battling debilitating diseases requiring surgery.
Centrepoint
Centrepoint is an organization that helps homeless youth and teens by getting them off the streets. They provide temporary shelter, help in getting education, job placement, referrals to professional services, and counseling . After Princess Diana's death, Prince William took over, and now carries on her legacy by volunteering his time to support this organization. - I did support Centrepoint, went to a charity event at Kensington Palace several years ago. Taylor Swift took my phone and made a video recording for my daughter as well as chatting with Prince William (not phone, but chatted with William , I even made him blush, reminding him about the polo ball from 2004)
Most of Princess Diana's humanitarian efforts remain active to this da
Her Words to Live By
Princess Diana has more than her fair share of memorable quotes. Here are some of my favorites.
On civic duty: Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.
On love: "If you find someone you love in your life, then hang on to that love."
On compassion: "The greatest problem in the world today is intolerance. Everyone is so intolerant of each other."
On being true to yourself: "Only do what your heart tells you."
On motherhood: I want my boys to have an understanding of people's emotions, their insecurities, people's distress, and their hopes and dreams.
On living life: "I don't go by the rule book. I lead from the heart, not the head."
Why She Inspires Me
The biggest reason Princess Diana inspires me and always has is because she had the courage to start her life over from scratch when she realized she'd been dealt a hand that was wrong for her. It takes plenty of strength to leave a marriage and make the choice to live life as a single mom. But to leave the royal family all while knowing the negative effect it might have on your reputation? Yeah. If that in itself doesn't inspire me and countless others to be strong, independent women regardless of what the rest of the world might think, I don't know what does.
She taught me that it's never too late to start over, get things right, and live life authentically on your own terms. Anything less than that isn't a life at all. It's merely an existence. And I'll always be thankful to her for reminding me of the difference. I am a divorced, single parent. I have my own business. I started from nothing. People like the late Princess Diana inspire me to never give up. Yes, the struggle is real but that can't let it stop you. Don't dwell on the past, make the past trauma realize you have grown from that event, that is what I did.
That is why I am Salty Vixen because I was a Vixen in a Salty Situation 18 June 2004 on a polo field in England at 10:45PM- I was sexually assaulted. (dude doesn't play polo but someone I will always remember and last time I saw that dude was 18 June 2016) - after Sexual Assault, I came back to the states, got married, became a mother and in that marriage, my ex husband was abusive (and still is, although we are not together, he tries to control things financially i.e. make sure the kids don't get full amount of child support to punish me. I no longer let him control me.
He doesn't know I have my own company, if he did, he would do not nice things I don't want to talk about. That was the abuse I endured. The first time I told someone out of the blue I am being abused, that person didn't believe me. Thought I was making it up. I held on to all the shit that happened to me and finally, that person I told I was being abuse who didn't believe me, that dude pushed me to my limit, I couldn't do it anymore. I was done with the abuse. I was done with people not listening to me. I let my inner Salty Vixen out, took a negative and turned it into positive - I am proud of my brand. I am proud that I am Salty Vixen, someday I hope to tell the person who sexually assaulted me, he was the real reason why I am Salty Vixen.
Diana, inspiried many to never give up when the going gets tough, something I will always remember.
