Jade Goody, Princess Di and Stephen Fry

Stephen Fry is an intelligent man. So when he writes something stupid you're probably advised not to react immediately but to think about it, and then comment.

This morning we awoke to the news that Jade Goody had finally surrendered to her cancer. I suppose it was inevitable, that the woman who had sold her life and death for the benefit of her children should pass on Mothers Day.

But when Stephen Fry compared Jade Goody to Princess Diana, my gut reaction was "no way", I even tweeted the great man to tell him this. But on reflection, maybe he is right. The congruities are quite surprising and the similarities staggering.

Mothers of two boys, Daughters of broken homes, children fathered by men from previous relationships, televised weddings, darlings of the popular press, the list of comparisons is telling. So was Jade Goody a Princess Di from the wrong side of the tracks?

Both had intimate relationships with the press. The constant, ever-seeing eye of Big Brother was a metaphor for the young Diana Spencer but a reality for Jade. They both felt the double-edged sword of the red-tops with Jade's ignorant racism and Diana's "pity me!" interviews causing a flurry of non flattering headlines. Ironically it was in the deaths of each of them that they reclaimed the place lost to them in the publics heart. It is easy to forget, that prior to the accident that caused her death, Diana was not the universally loved figure that she became after. A string of "poor" choices had labeled her as some kind of neurotic upper-class good-time girl, that spent more time with her jet set boyfriends than she did with her children and the constant string of stories complaining of her terrible life above stairs with the Royal family was beginning to sound self-serving and boring. Compare this to the Jade Goody story, The Celeb Big Brother racism row, the boyfriend in jail, The near daily tabloid stories detailing each and every indiscretion and a kind of out of focus blending of D and J seems to take place.

It would also be interesting to wonder how the two women would have taken to each other, because for all the apparent differences I feel sure that they would have instinctively understood each other. Both seemed more at home in the low-brow and popular end of the cultural spectrum I'm fairly certain each would have been able to name the Westlife CD's and been able to inform you of the latest changes to the cast of Eastenders.

So when Stephen Fry compares Jade and Diana, both born on estates, one council, one royal, perhaps he is not quite so wide of the mark after all. Stephen, I apologise.