When the rest of the royal story might be about to fail, even on account of old age, there’s always a reliable fallback in Diana. We note the uptick in media attention in the lead-up to the 20th anniversary of her death in August. Here is the latest one to appear, a slightly romantic reminisce on Diana’s five visits to Australia. The journalist, Neil McMahon, fails to identify Oz shock at seeing live, people we usually only see overseas and/or on TV. We’re simply not used to it and it’s almost unbelievable. More pointed and analytical treatments of Australian visits as rites of passage for British heirs were written around the time of the first William and Kate visit in 2014 (see News of 4 April 2014). [“The Princess Diana Effect: Australia under her spell” by Neil McMahon, Fairfax Good Weekend online 6-7 May 2017]
Woman for an Australian Republic, Adelaide Ironside, republican poet and artist 1831-1867
Self portrait 1855, Newcastle Art Gallery NSW
