"Childlike", "self-centred" and guilty of fake sentimentalism - that is what Diana, Princess of Wales, was and that is what Britain is too, says a leading British academic.

Professor O'Hear of Bradford University says we grieved so badly for Diana because we all identified with her "sentimentalism" and "self- indulgence."

And he believes that the level of grief was also a demonstration of what he calls fake "emotional correctness".

However, the charities Diana worked with think he is wrong.

They say Diana was a genuine humanitarian and this is what society identified with.

Diana's friends agree. Lord St John of Fawsley says: "Her appeal lay precisely in that she elevated feeling to the highest position. That is what people responded to - they knew she really cared."

Professor O'Hear is unmoved. He simply says that the outrage at his comments is itself proof of his theories.

But are his theories right, and do they just apply to Britain? After all, the emotional response to Diana's death was worldwide.

What do you think?

Do we live in a fake society?

Thank goodness someone has at last been brave enough to speak up....
John Barry, US

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