I watched the fairy tale wedding of Prince Charles to Diana, Princess of Wales, with all the awe of a child watching a storybook come to life. Today marks the tragic anniversary of her passing, which I remember vividly, too.
I'd walked into work that Sunday morning, at my job as private chef for a couple dozen Jesuit priests. One of my favorite priests, Brother Wood, usually visited the kitchen after lunch, around 2:00, to share a cup of coffee with me and catch up on the latest gossip. It wasn't too much of a surprise to find him in the kitchen at 10 in the morning but he didn't look so happy.
His first words were, "Have you heard about the princess?" I thought he meant one of the Monaco princesses, since the daughters of Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier were making lots of headlines back then. I asked him which one, Stephanie or Caroline.
He said, "No, Diana. Did you hear she's dead?" I told him no way, that he must have her confused with someone else but he told me all about a horrific car crash, paparazzi, and all sorts of tragedy. I quickly believed him. We turned on the radio to keep up with all the latest breaking news. It was a day I'll never forget.
What about you? Where were you when you heard the news?
The English Rose Cocktail 
