Diana and Astrid
Sir: I have been wondering when a journal- ist would notice the similarities surrounding the tragic deaths in motor car accidents of the Princess of Wales and Queen Astrid (lust like Diana', 5 September).
I well remember the wave of emotion that spread over Europe and particularly Britain at the death of the beautiful and much photographed queen. There were strong ties of friendship and sympathy between our two countries at that time.
Many people were unjustly quick to blame King Leopold, who was driving the car which crashed, and when, later, he abdi- cated, much of that unpopularity still clung to him. And here is another coincidence. Any of your readers visiting Paris who may care to stroll down to the Place de l'Alma will find that the flat, paved area on the upstream side of the Place, just above the entrance to the tunnel into which the Princess of Wales's car plunged in the last conscious moments of her life, is named Place de la Reine Astride.
Graham Harvey-Evers
81 rue de la Pompe, Paris, France
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