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CNN Live Today

Diana's Crash Five Years Past

Aired August 30, 2002 - 10:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Five years ago tomorrow, a car crash sent shock waves around the world and a country lost its princess. On August 31, 1997, a car crash killed Princess Diana, her companion, Dodi Fayed, and their driver. Diana was 36 and at the time, one of the most photographed women in the world. Today, people are remembering their beloved princess and the tragic fairy tale life she led.
CNN's Richard Quest is at Althorp, the Diana family's estate, and he joins us live from there.

Hi, there.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Fredricka.

You win the prize this morning. You are the first person to have correctly pronounced the name. It is spelled an Althorp, but you are quite right: The correct pronunciation is Althorp. Actually, Fredricka, so many people have got it wrong that actually Charles L. Spencer has changed the named to Althorp.

But it is the fifth anniversary tomorrow of the death of the Princess of Wales. She was just a year older than myself when she died. I think that puts it, for me anyway, into some perspective when everybody remembers where they were, what they were doing, when they heard Diana had passed away.

And it is, of course, here in an island in the middle of the lake at Althorp is buried, her final resting place.

Oliver is making noises next to us, which must mean it is time to talk to our guests.

Ann (ph) and Amanda (ph) join me here.

Good afternoon to you.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon.

QUEST: Why did you feel it was relevant, important, necessary, whatever to come to Althorp.

I think it is nice to actually see the actual birthplace of Diana, and obviously, because we are actual locals, it was actually nice to be able to see where she actually did spend part of her time.

QUEST: Do you think that the memory of Diana has changed, Ann (ph), in the last five years?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don't think, really. I think it will never change.

QUEST: What is that memory?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The lovely way she had with people. Understanding. Just being her natural self.

QUEST: She was very much a part of Britain. Britain went, some say, overboard in its grief when she passed away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I don't think so. The thing was that Diana brought along something where she was approachable and made the royals actually more accessible to the Britains. So they really did take it to heart. It was a fairy tale. It ended that actually ended in such tragic circumstances and that we really did feel.

QUEST: You are glad you made the pilgrimage or the trek here today?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Very much so.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. Yes.

QUEST: Thank you very much indeed.

That's Ann (ph) and Amanda (ph).

And Fredricka, I leave you, I want to perhaps -- you may think it is a sour note perhaps to introduce this book on the anniversary of Diana's death. This is the book that has been written by a man called Ken Wharf. You can see him just next to the Princess of Wales. And he was her personal protection officer. This is the equivalent -- and let me put it in blunt terms, Fredricka, if I may -- this is the equivalent of the Secret Service writing about the private life of Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinski affair.

WHITFIELD: Oh, man.

QUEST: The people right at the heart that would have known what was going on, and this book has just been published. Great controversy.

WHITFIELD: So what does the family say about all that, if anything, particularly Diana's brother, who has been very outspoken?

QUEST: The queen -- the queen is said to be furious. Prince William, Prince Harry, are said to be incandescent with rage. And all of the bodyguard said is he wanted Diana's memory to be -- well, you know the sort of thing they always come up with when they write a kiss-and-tell book: We felt it was important the truth be told.

WHITFIELD: Well, thank you, Richard, very much for sharing that part of the story with us. Appreciate it. Good to see you.

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