AS THE old saying goes, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," particularly when she has been forced to accept a "humiliating" divorce settlement and stripped of her status.
And Princess Diana is surely no different from any other woman in this respect. But her sudden announcement that she is to relinquish her patronage of nearly 100 charities led many royal watchers to believe the decision was prompted by her desire for "revenge upon the enemy" after being downgraded to a semi detached member of the royal family.
Even the pro Diana Daily Mail questioned her judgment in "discarding good causes like crushed rose petals" and suggested that there was "a touch of self pity" following Buckingham Palace's decision to strip her of the HRH title.
"What is certain is that it [the removal of her title] was profoundly offensive to common justice and will, if anything, retard attempts to rehabilitate Prince Charles. But Princess Diana should have a care. For revenge and charity do not mix well. The taste they leave is unmistakably bitter," the paper concluded.
According to sources close to Princess Diana, she hopes her decision will prove to the royal family exactly how hard she worked for charity and also reveal to the public the lack of willingness by certain members of the "firm" to do their fair share.
Although the media clamoured for the Duchess of York to be stripped of her title, Princess Diana's has always been regarded differently. Such is the tabloids' fervour for Diana that several of them have launched a campaign to "win back her status" for her.
Announcing its campaign yesterday, the Daily Mirror said it had written to the queen's proctor, who represents the crown in matrimonial matters, to request a postponement of the decree absolute, which is due on August 28th, until the title has been restored.
"The Daily Mirror believes that the removal of the title is damaging to the public interest and goes against public opinion," the paper's editor, Piers Morgan, wrote after urging readers to sign a petition.
However, Princess Diana's close friend, Rosa Monckton, predicted last night that Prince William who told his mother that the HRH title did not matter she would always be "mummy" to him will reinstate it when lie becomes king.
"I don't think that there's any historical precedent for the mother of the future monarch to not have this title. Diana should take a sabbatical. She needs to think clearly about what she can do now," she added.
Although many royal pundits claimed to be surprised at Princess Diana's determination for revenge against Buckingham Palace, the paparazzi photographers, who capture her every move, have reported a hardening in her attitude. The shy Di willing to pose and smile on demand has long gone.
"Why don't you go and rape someone else," she has shouted to them as they snap her. Her latest tactic now is to claim they are stalking her and she has even resorted to direct action by stealing the photographers' ignition keys while they film her.
Even without her title, the media will always be "obsessed" by Princess Diana. Her face still sells women's magazines, and Hello! probably could not exist without her.
Mark Saunders, a photographer with the Big Pictures agency, has followed Princess Diana far five years and admits the situation between her and the paparazzi is "the worst it has ever been". He predicts that she will use the new anti stalking laws against them when they are introduced next year.
"She says she has to put up with this 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That's just not right. For every time we photograph her there are nine times we don't. She's used the press to her own advantage for so long. Now she wants everything her own way," he says.
As Princess Diana ponders her future, the media are beginning to turn their attention to the "royal mistress", Camilla Parker Bowles, hoping to capture her at inopportune moments. Yesterday the Sun won the battle, with a front page photograph of Ms Parker Bowles eating a hot dog. "Camilla loves a King Size sausage, the paper suggested.