Iowa City Video Captured Chilling Reaction To Princess Diana’s Death
Extra eyes have been on the British Royal Family over this past week...
With Queen Elizabeth II celebrating her Platinum Jubilee and 70 years on the thrown, it seems the most famous family in the world is talked about more now than ever.
We've been gifted with quite a bit of royal gossip and drama as well over the course of the last few years.
From the Oprah interview with Meghan and Harry to Prince Phillip’s death, and even to all of the pop culture Princess Diana projects; it looks like this interest will not go away.
The interest for any sort of insight into these people's lives is so strong that a single picture of Meghan and Harry's baby sort of broke the internet the other day.
Even all the way in Iowa, there has always been that interest. One Iowa couple even shared a major anniversary with one Royal couple. They ended up receiving a note from one-half of the couple's own secretary.
But one infamous video truly captures the interest and investment that Americans have regarding the royals, especially the late Princess Diana. There are multiple different avenues for people to go down to get their fix of the famed Princess of Wales.
A musical has recently gone to Broadway prompty left Broadway, aptly titled 'Diana,' that depicts different moments in the tragic figures' life. This project also is currently streaming on Netflix.
If you're a fan of watching things that are soooo bad they are good then this might be the thing to watch.
Obviously, the Peoples' Princess appeared in the most recent season of 'The Crown' and will even be appearing in the follow-up series. In addition, the princess was recently depicted on the silver screen by Kristen Stewart in a film called 'Spencer' which followed Diana through the end of her marriage to Prince Charles.
She even was nominated for an Oscar for it!
There has always been a fascination that many have had with the British Royal Family. The recent resurgence stems from Diana's children Prince William and Harry finally coming of age, getting married, having children, and the latter infamously stepping down from being a working royal.
When Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle sat down for an interview with Oprah Winfrey in early 2021; people drew comparisons between the couple and the late princess. Both mother and son chose to step away from the glitz and glamor of the crown, and lead a more "normal" life.
As normal as someone who needs to bow before greeting their grandma can be anyway...
When the interview between the former royals and Winfrey aired, another video started circulating the internet again. This clip shows several men gathered around someone's kitchen table playing the card game UNO.
Since the night of Diana's death, it has constantly been recycled and revisted everytime the media covers the way the world reacted.
The man behind the camera's name is Alan Light. He was testing out his new camcorder on August 31st, 1997 when news broke of Princess Diana's Paris car crash. Over the course of this nearly seven-minute video, you can see how quickly the situation developed.
Light claimed that his mother called him and told him about the crash and that Diana was merely "injured," according to reporters. That's when they decided to turn the news on during their game.
As soon as the news of her death comes across the screen, the air in the room changes.
"...the true reality of the situation hit like a ton of bricks and we stopped playing UNO of course, and rushed over to the TV," Light explained.
This entire interaction took place in Iowa City. His friend, Ken who still lives in Cedar Rapids, screams the second that the news drops. It's this moment that is played in interviews, documentaries, and news clips over the course of the next few decades.
In a follow-up video, filmed 16 years later, the group discusses the events of that night AND the now-infamous video.
In the video, you can also see the man who breaks the news of this start to smile. His name is Scott and according to Light, "His brief smile was a reaction to Ken's loud silly scream, NOT to Diana's death."
As of September of 2021, all of the people in this video are alive, and apparently, they all keep in touch.
You can watch the original video reaction in full down below!