Underdogs and Englishmen—Diana and the Secular Worship of the Nation

Abstract

In “The Archive” we republish articles that, in hindsight, may have been ahead of their time in its prescience. Our pull for this issue is a 1997 piece from Stephen Heathorn originally written in the wake of the death of Princess Diana. Drawing on the outpouring of emotion displayed worldwide following Diana’s death, Heathorn discusses the role royal mythmaking plays in the maintenance of British nationalism and policing of British identity during a time of declining British imperialism. Through an engaging and exciting piece of scholarship that discusses one of the world’s most beloved public figures, Heathorn encourages a critical, sociopolitical interrogation of the myths we may not even realize we subscribe to.