Comedienne Ai-Ai Delas Alas was among those who remembered British Princess Diana when King Charles III was officially crowned in a historic ceremony in London on Saturday, May 6.
Although Charles acceded to the throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8, 2022, he was not officially a crowned sovereign until last weekend.
The coronation marks the monarch’s ascension to the throne through a tradition of receiving the crown, the chief symbol of regal authority.
Charles’ second wife, Queen Camilla, was also crowned as a royal consort.
His coronation is the first for a British monarch in the 21st century.
READ: King Charles III crowned in ceremony blending history and change
The hours-long service at Westminster Abbey was attended by the British royal family, royals from other countries, world leaders, celebrities, and some members of the public who have distinguished themselves by serving their communities.
The occasion also saw some people remembering Diana, Charles’ first wife and the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry, who was very popular and well-loved by the public for her authenticity and roles in activism and charity work.
Dubbed the “People’s Princess,” Diana was hailed for her realness and for putting humanity before royal status or protocol.
Her name entered people’s consciousness anew when her former spouse, Charles, and her rival, Camilla, were crowned.
Among those that remembered her was Ai-Ai, who shared a picture of the former Princess of Wales on Instagram the day after the coronation.
“Naalala ko [siya],” the comedienne wrote on Sunday, May 7 with a red heart emoji.
“Sa-sad ako kasi dapat [siya] ang Queen Diana… [‘di bale] na, hayaan na, wala ako magagawa and wala din naman silang pakialam sa opinyon ko, pero tingin ko, hindi lang ako ang nakakaramdam nito [ngayon],” Ai-Ai added with a confused face emoji.
She also included the following hashtags in her post: “#myqueen,” “#naiinisakotoday,” #nab*bw*sitakokayc” and “#queendiana”
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The comedienne’s post has earned over 12,000 likes so far.
Others agreed with Ai-Ai’s sentiments in the comments section.
“Tama ka po Ms, Ai, I’m from England [p]ero not the whole country is rejoicing… Princess Diana was supposed to be our Queen,” an Instagram user claimed.
“[Yes] nay, [siya] talaga Queen. Diana ang naglakas-loob na mag salita sa pait na sinapit [niya], ‘di lahat nakikita natin,” dancer-entrepreneur Sugar Mercado commented.
Some said they agreed with Camilla’s coronation.
“Ok [lang] po Miss Ai, ‘di [naman kasi] sila ni King Charles ang nagmamahalan,” a Pinoy commented.
“Kahit nabubuhay siya ngayon, ‘di rin sya magiging queen kasi divorced na sila,” another Instagram user wrote, referring to Diana.
Charles and Diana formally divorced in 1996, after 11 years of marriage. A year before that, the late princess appeared in a BBC interview where she famously said that there were “three” of them in the marriage.
The other individual was Camilla, who met the then-Prince of Wales in 1970 and has since become a part of his circle.
By 1986, Charles reportedly started an affair with her. Recordings of their intimate conversations were leaked in 1993.
It was said that Charles had contemplated marrying Camilla before but the royal family reportedly did not perceive the latter as a serious contender for a future queen. They believed Diana was more fitting.
Diana, however, passed away in Paris, France in August 1997 after sustaining injuries from a car crash.
Her former husband eventually tied the knot with Camilla in a civil ceremony in 2005.
ALSO READ: Camilla: Who is King Charles’ wife and Britain’s new Queen?
As royal consort, Camilla was also coronated since their tradition dictates that when a male sovereign accedes the throne, the wife is also anointed and crowned, although in a simpler ceremony.
In the case of Queen Elizabeth II, her consort, Prince Philip, was not crowned since he did not hold the title of King. The title can only be inherited and in this case, it was Elizabeth who was the sovereign offspring, with her father being King George VI.
Unlike royal women, husbands in female-ruled monarchies do not take the title of King because the title traditionally outranks the title of Queen.
If they do so, they will outrank their wives who inherited and have the birthright to the throne, which can only have one monarch. The highest title husbands could only have when married to female sovereigns is that of a prince consort.
