Kate Plummer
Aug 29, 2022
Indy
August 31st 2022 marks the 25th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.
The royal family member died from injuries sustained in a car crash in France, and unleashed an outpouring of grief from members of the public who were devastated that she was gone.
In the 25 years that have passed, Princess Diana has remained a huge figure in public life, with people portraying her in countless TV shows and films, and remembering her achievements.
But something else has also happened. Gen Zers, not alive while she was, and bemused by the fandom surrounding the royal have turned here into one big meme.
This is how they do it.
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The memes joke about "Ar Di", which is obviously the phonetic pronunciation of "our Di" with "Di" being short for "Diana".
Some mock merchandise that's bought and sold by those obsessed with the royals.
\u201cAr di would have luvd me to drink Prosecco out of a Prince Charles and lady Diana 1981 commemorative mug for a 4pm call\u201d— s (@s) 1641575033
\u201cRest In Peace ar Di, you would have loved the Limited Edition Diana Princess Of Wales Tribute Plate From The Franklin Mint for \u00a35\u201d— Lewcifer \u24cb (@Lewcifer \u24cb) 1650198885
Others take famous characters with a passing resemblance to her and pretend they are actually her - like Shirley Carter from Eastenders.
\u201cAr Di met me at the gates of heaven. I\u2019m shaking.\u201d— The Ghost of Shirley Carter\u2019s Pussy (@The Ghost of Shirley Carter\u2019s Pussy) 1658927260
And others still merely imagine what she would be like if she were alive today and how she would participate in popular culture.
\u201cAr Di would have been vegan\u201d— BIMINI! (@BIMINI!) 1629842368
\u201cAr Di would have loved binley mega chippy\u201d— \u2606 jess \u2606 (@\u2606 jess \u2606) 1653657294
\u201cAr Di would have smashed it on celebrity bake off, you just know it\u201d— iona (@iona) 1649941684
\u201car di would have loved stacey solomon, the people\u2019s princess x\u201d— rianka (@rianka) 1654264988
There's even a Facebook group dedicated to poking fun at Diana obsessives, called "Princess Diana - We Still Love You (NO TROLLS ALLOWED)."
A meme creator on the page, a student called Zack from Hampshire, told Dazed last year that the group is “a parody of lesser-educated royalists who typically consist of middle-aged, white, racist, homophobic conservatives, so I find it funny to make a mockery of them”.
So there you have it. Ar Di memes. It's what she would have wanted?
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