In the strange, wild days after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, when heaps of flowers rotted in their plastic outside town halls across the country and the Daily Mail vowed never again to print a paparazzi photo, Gallup conducted a poll to ask Britons to quantify just how upset they were. Half of all respondents – and almost three in five women – said they were just as sad as if a personal friend had died.
Some effects were more disturbing. Suicide rates in England and Wales – particularly among young women – were found to be 17% higher in the first month after her funeral; in the first week, rates of self-harm rose by 44%. One study three weeks after Diana died identified symptoms of post-traumatic stress in 28% of respondents. Some were unmoved, or dismissed the reaction as mawkish collective madness, but for a great many, this sadness was real.
