{"id":408095,"date":"2022-02-19T15:57:08","date_gmt":"2022-02-19T12:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-princess-dianas-nyc-trip-put-brooklyn-on-the-map-in-1989\/"},"modified":"2022-02-19T15:57:08","modified_gmt":"2022-02-19T12:57:08","slug":"how-princess-dianas-nyc-trip-put-brooklyn-on-the-map-in-1989","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-princess-dianas-nyc-trip-put-brooklyn-on-the-map-in-1989\/","title":{"rendered":"#How Princess Diana\u2019s NYC trip put Brooklyn on the map in 1989"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#How Princess Diana\u2019s NYC <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a> put Brooklyn on the map in 1989<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>In February 1989, Princess Diana came to Brooklyn.<\/p>\n<p>The 27-year-old royal arrived via motorcade to Fort Greene to attend a performance by the Welsh National Opera at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It was part of a historic solo tour that included her famous <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/article\/how-princess-dianas-1989-new-york-trip-really-went\/\">visit to Harlem Hospital<\/a> depicted in Season 4 of \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OiXEpminPms\">The Crown<\/a>,\u201d where she held young AIDS patients.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the idea of a princess crossing the bridge to attend an event in Brooklyn was almost as shocking as her Harlem stop. \u201cCBS Evening <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a>\u201d ran an incredulous segment about the outer-borough jaunt, juxtaposing Di\u2019s glamorous image with shots of homeless people, dilapidated buildings and broken sewers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were so excited that we were getting national television coverage,\u201d recalled Karen Brooks Hopkins, BAM\u2019s former president and its chief fundraiser at the time, describing how the staff had pitched in to buy a little black-and-white TV so they could watch it at work. \u201cThen the segment opens and [Dan Rather] is showing garbage on the streets of Brooklyn and asking, \u2018Why is Princess Di coming here?\u2019 We were shattered!\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/princess-diana-bam.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"In 1989 Princess Diana stunned the world by attending a performance by the Welsh National Opera at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.\" class=\"wp-image-21252182\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/princess-diana-bam.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/princess-diana-bam.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/princess-diana-bam.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>In 1989 Princess Diana stunned the world by attending a performance by the Welsh National Opera at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Brooks Hopkins details the moment in her new book, \u201cBAM \u2026 And Then It Hit Me\u201d (PowerHouse Books), out March 1, which looks back at her 36 years at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Diana\u2019s visit, she said, was an extra special memory.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor a princess, coming to Brooklyn was stepping outside the comfort zone of high society at the time,\u201d Brooks Hopkins told The Post. Her royal seal of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roval \u201cchanged everything for us, for Brooklyn.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It started in 1988, with BAM prepping to launch its first opera season with a gala and performance of \u201cFalstaff\u201d by the Welsh National Opera. Brooks Hopkins had to figure out a way to sell enough tickets to fund the ambitious production. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/peter-jay-sharp-building-karen-brooks-hopkins.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Karen Brooks Hopkins was BAM\u2019s president and its chief fundraiser at the time of the visit.\" class=\"wp-image-21252212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/peter-jay-sharp-building-karen-brooks-hopkins.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/peter-jay-sharp-building-karen-brooks-hopkins.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/peter-jay-sharp-building-karen-brooks-hopkins.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Karen Brooks Hopkins was BAM\u2019s president and its chief fundraiser at the time of the visit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cBrooklyn then was not the Brooklyn we know now,\u201d she explained. \u201cGetting people to cross the bridge to come to a show was a <em>job<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when the Welsh Opera\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> director told her Princess Diana was a patron, and he would invite her to the show. Brooks Hopkins didn\u2019t quite believe he could get the most famous woman in the world to Kings County, so she was shocked when, a few weeks later, she got a call telling her to ready herself for a royal visit. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis was an invitation that came to the right girl at the right time,\u201d Brooks Hopkins said of Diana, who married Prince Charles in 1981. \u201cI think she was ready for her solo trip where she could be the center of attention and do it her way.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/welsh-opera.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682\" alt=\"Princess Diana was a patron of the Welsh National Opera (above, performing \u201cFalstaff\u201d at BAM).\" class=\"wp-image-21252244\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/welsh-opera.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1023 1023w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/welsh-opera.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682 682w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/welsh-opera.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=341 341w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/welsh-opera.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\"\/><figcaption>Princess Diana was a patron of the Welsh National Opera (above, performing \u201cFalstaff\u201d at BAM).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>On Feb. 2, the day of the gala, Diana\u2019s private detail descended upon BAM, along with the FBI, Scotland Yard and the NYPD, all bringing bomb-sniffing dogs and mandating metal detectors. The princess was given her own dressing area, complete with a private bathroom and shower. (The crew discovered that someone had \u201cabsconded with the royal toilet seat\u201d from her room a day later, Brooks Hopkins said. They never found the culprit.)<\/p>\n<p>When the princess\u2019 car finally arrived, Diana came out \u2014 a stunning vision in a white silk strapless gown, with brocade bodice and matching shrug. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were overwhelmed,\u201d Brooks Hopkins recalled. \u201cShe was so gorgeous.\u201d Brooks Hopkins greeted her, curtsied and ushered her inside through the stage door and then up the backstage elevator, where she met the other staffers. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/princess-diana-bam-show.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682\" alt=\"Diana's visit helped the opera sell out its entire five-night run. Meanwhile, someone stole the toilet seat from her private dressing room (the culprit was never found).\" class=\"wp-image-21252267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/princess-diana-bam-show.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1023 1023w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/princess-diana-bam-show.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682 682w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/princess-diana-bam-show.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=341 341w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/princess-diana-bam-show.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\"\/><figcaption>Diana\u2019s visit helped the opera sell out its entire five-night run. Meanwhile, someone stole the toilet seat from her private dressing room (the culprit was never found).<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cShe was so nice to us and asked us questions about BAM,\u201d Brooks Hopkins said, adding that she displayed an enthusiasm and eagerness so rarely found in celebrities. \u201cWe had walkie talkies, and she wanted us to show her how they worked and thought it was funny. I knew that the event would be a success.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Outside, protestors shouted about the Troubles in Northern Ireland as limos lined the street and elegant guests poured into the theater and took their seats. Mayor Ed Koch wore a cheap suit instead of the mandatory tux. (\u201cApparently, he had been on the way to a Democratic Party fundraiser at the Waldorf,\u201d Brooks Hopkins writes.) Even Donald Trump made an appearance, though Brooks Hopkins said her staff later had to chase him down for his money.<\/p>\n<p>As the curtain went up, the orchestra played \u201cThe Star Spangled Banner\u201d and \u201cGod Save the Queen,\u201d and Diana made her grand entrance. \u201cEveryone is standing, everyone is wearing black, and then she enters her royal box, wearing white, and a gasp goes up from the crowd. The drama!\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-nypost-small-post\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"231\" height=\"314\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/bam-and-then-it-hit-me.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=231\" alt=\"BAM\" class=\"wp-image-21252162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/bam-and-then-it-hit-me.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=462 462w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/bam-and-then-it-hit-me.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=346 346w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/bam-and-then-it-hit-me.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=231 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/bam-and-then-it-hit-me.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=115 115w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/bam-and-then-it-hit-me.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\"\/><figcaption>Diana\u2019s visit to BAM was part of her historic solo tour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The opera sold out its entire five-night run. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to take away from the production, which was great, but Princess Di put it over the top [in terms of sales],\u201d Brooks Hopkins said. The gala raised $1 million in one night, more than double the amount BAM\u2019s biggest fundraisers brought in at the time.<\/p>\n<p>In August 1997, when she heard the news of Diana\u2019s death, Brooks Hopkins and her colleagues were devastated. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe all felt like we had lost a friend \u2014 we felt so connected to her,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s so great that she came to Brooklyn; another person might have been snobbier about it, but she was not like that. She wasn\u2019t just going to do the traditional things, and that was kind of her whole image.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/02\/19\/how-princess-dianas-nyc-trip-put-brooklyn-on-the-map-in-1989\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#How Princess Diana\u2019s NYC trip put Brooklyn on the map in 1989&#8221; In February 1989, Princess Diana came to Brooklyn. The 27-year-old royal arrived via motorcade to Fort Greene to attend a performance by the Welsh National Opera at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. It was part of a historic solo tour that included her&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":408096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/princess-diana-brooklyn.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[125919,4950,125953,52525,70305],"class_list":["post-408095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-2-19-22","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-academy-of-music","tag-princess-diana","tag-royal-family"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408095"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408095\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/408096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}