After Diana: Her death exposed a lot of latent spirituality in people

`The loss of Diana was like a personal bereavement, and that takes a long time to have an effect'

Amanda Plummer, 35, freelance sales and marketing consultant, south London

I went into labour on the Saturday evening and Ella Rose was born at 1.41am on 31 August at home. The midwives had gone by 3am and I had no knowledge of babies at all, so we just sat up all night in bed looking at her. My parents arrived in the morning and my friends later in the day and we spent about 24 hours drinking champagne, celebrating and changing nappies.

I think my husband must have mentioned that Diana had died because he heard it on the radio. I saved the papers on the day that Ella was born so obviously I saw the headlines. It was pretty dramatic news for your birthday.

Even when the funeral came I didn't take much notice, as it happened to be the same day as the head-wetting of the baby. Lots of friends came around that day to get away from the television. People came to get away from Diana.

I don't think things have changed. I think the royal heritage is too robust for her to have too much effect on it, a bit like Wallis Simpson didn't. However, at the time I did notice that the working classes who always cheer the Royal Family were questioning the Queen.

I don't think we have become more charitable or have changed in any way. I think the Omagh bombing was a far more tragic day than the day Diana died, and hopefully that is a sad day that will really change people.

Jo Hansford, hairdresser to the stars

I don't think things have changed over all from the giving point of view. Out of respect we're carrying on things that she wasn't able to do, but I don't think many people are thinking that they should give more. There was that march recently against land-mines, and it would be awful if her causes weren't taken up.

I don't think the Royal Family will ever really change, but I think Diana made us look at them differently. She broke down so many barriers. She was always in the limelight because she oozed warmth. All the royals in Europe are very human. Sometimes I think this lot are on another planet. They don't relate to anything. Maybe when Charles is king he'll change, although he has become a bit more of a human being after his affair became public.

Gary Brozenich, 28, designer, Pennsylvania, US

I don't think the British have become more giving and caring. I just think people needed to release something. It was public mass hysteria and they seized on Diana's death as an excuse. I live in London now, and she's the patron saint of every bakery and sweet shop where I live. She never stood for anything for me but she was a do-gooder. When she was alive, people were far more interested who she was sleeping with than who she was helping. That all happened after she died.

I think as a result of Diana, the Royal Family has been forced to loosen up. The general public have affected them and in such a short space of time. Nobody in my life has changed but attitudes to Diana have changed.

Jonathan Jennings, Church of England's Broadcasting Officer who contributed to the CNN coverage on the day of the funeral

I think it is too early to tell if we have changed because, as a nation, this experience hit us on many levels. Church House where I am based is right next to Westminster Abbey, and the day before Diana's funeral we heard that lots of the crowd wanted to talk to us about how they felt.

The clergy went out and mingled and we went for a walk around Parliament Square. This is a walk that normally takes about 15 minutes, but it took us two hours. People wanted to share their feelings, they wanted us to say prayers with them. For me, that exposed a lot of latent spirituality in people, and it revealed that people are still connected to the meaningful things of life, but it took a tragedy to bring it out. But it's too early to tell if people have changed.

I've experienced deep sorrow from people but no anger at the monarchy. They just have this sense of regret. People treated Diana's death as a personal bereavement, and personal bereavement takes a long time to have an effect. I'm sure we'll be looking for evidence of change for years to come.