One sent shockwaves across the world,
and the other came with great reverence. Two beloved figures had very different funerals.
After Princess Diana died, Queen Elizabeth II stayed in Balmoral with her grandsons,
Princes William and Harry. King Charles III was there too, with his sons,
and the extended family was in Scotland at Balmoral on holiday when they found
out that Diana died following a car crash in the Alma Tunnel in Paris.
"The world is in shock. Diana, Princess of Wales is dead, and Britain is in mourning."
As Britain — and the whole world -– began grieving for the loss of Diana,
public opinion quickly grew resentful toward the royal family for not returning to London.
The queen did eventually return to London a day before she planned
to greet mourners and look at the public displays in honor of Diana.
As the years have passed, public opinion has warmed toward the queen on this topic. Yes,
she wasn't in London. But she wasn't there because she was taking care of the two people
who most needed a mother figure at that moment: William and Harry. It was one of the rare moments
when the queen chose her family first, and time has proven that she was right to do so.
Unlike the contention preceding Princess Diana's death, Queen Elizabeth II's death was met with a
wave of gratitude from people all around the world. Britain went into 10 days of mourning,
with line-ups lasting 24 hours to pay respects at Westminster Hall,
where she was lying in state. In fact, the lineup was so long that a later publication
by the Times mentioned several people being treated by ambulance for dehydration and fatigue.
In preparation for the queen's funeral on September 19, 2022, people from all over the
world brought tents and sleeping bags to settle in on the London sidewalks to get prime viewing.
"She reigned for over 70 years, and she's a very happy person."
While the tone was, of course, somber and respectful, the crowd also bore witness to the
stability that Elizabeth brought to the nation. After a moment of silence on the night before
the queen's funeral, the crowd erupted into applause and cheering. While Princess Diana's
death was a shock -– she died at only 36, after all -– the queen's passing was a solemn time,
but one of awe for what her life meant, for what she gave to her country.
At Princess Diana's funeral, the sight of Princes William and Harry walking behind
her coffin was so tragic that the world has never forgotten it. William, just 15,
and Harry, 12, had to be persuaded to walk in the procession to Westminster Abbey,
and it was grandfather Prince Philip who said to them, "I'll walk if you walk."
King Charles III also walked with his sons, as did Diana's brother,
the Earl of Spencer. In addition to seeing her sons walk behind her coffin,
fans also saw the letter on top of it, tucked into a floral arrangement,
with the word "Mummy" written on the envelope. Reportedly, it was William who wrote the note.
Diana's sons have since spoken about the experience of walking behind their mother
at such a young age, in front of the entire world. Previously, Harry said a child should never have
been asked to do such a thing. However, as the years passed, Harry softened on his reaction
and said later that he was glad to have mourned his mother in that way. William has also spoken
about the experience. In the documentary Diana, 7 Days, he said it was easily one of the hardest
things he's had to do and explained how his long hair helped shield him, adding,
"I felt if I looked at the floor and my hair came down over my face, no one could see me."
Time caused a rift between brothers Princes William and Harry. As reports claim,
the breach began when Harry started falling for Meghan Markle, Us Weekly notes that William was
worried that Harry was getting involved a little too quickly. After Harry and Meghan got married,
news broke in 2019 that William and his wife Kate Middleton were
splitting their charities from those of the joint foundation they were sharing.
We know the rest of the story. Harry and Meghan didn't join the royal family for Christmas in
2019, and in early 2020, the couple announced that they were stepping down as senior royals.
What came next? The bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. It makes sense that there's been tension.
"I myself was trapped as well."
But the passing of Queen Elizabeth II has proven to be a renewal for the brothers. Harry
and Meghan returned to England, and the world blushed in awkwardness. However, the visit went
well. The foursome greeted crowds together outside of Windsor Castle and were present
together for other moments in the following days. It wasn't hugs and kisses all around,
but it could be the start of something. Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer,
also known as Earl Spencer, pulled no punches when he spoke at his sister's funeral. He told
the mourners in Westminster Abbey that the world was in shock. Spencer first went after the media,
since Diana was fleeing photographers at the time of her death, saying,
"There is no doubt that she was looking for a new direction in her life at this
time. She talked endlessly of getting away from England,
mainly because of the treatment that she received at the hands of the newspapers."
"I don't think she ever understood why
her genuinely good intentions were sneered at by the media."
Then Spencer went after the royal family, saying,
"And beyond that, on behalf of your mother and sisters, I pledge that we,
your blood family, will do all we can to continue the imaginative way in which
you were steering these two exceptional young men, so that their souls are not
simply immersed by duty and tradition, but can sing openly as you planned.."
While the eulogy was intense, Queen Elizabeth II herself honored Diana in
an address. The queen said that she was in shock and disbelief at what had happened.
"I admired and respected her for her energy and commitment to others."
Princess Diana's funeral brought a star-studded crowd to Westminster Abbey. Spokesperson for
Buckingham Palace at the time, Malcolm Ross, told The Washington Post in 1997,
"The church will be full. We have been swamped with calls from people who want to come."
While 2,000 invitations might seem like a lot, the Abbey filled up quickly,
the attendees ranging from Hollywood A-listers to politicians. Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise,
and Tom Hanks attended, as did director Stephen Spielberg, but most prominent
of all was Diana's long-time friend Sir Elton John. The musician not only attended but also
performed an altered version of his song "Candle in the Wind." There were some political figures,
like Hillary Rodham Clinton and Queen Noor of Jordan. Bernadette Chirac also attended — the
wife of French President Jacques Chirac represented the country where Diana died.
In a rather different tone than Princess Diana's funeral,
Queen Elizabeth II's funeral was packed with world leaders and political figures.
"Nearly 100 presidents and heads of government are expected to attend the queen's funeral."
Monarchs around the world came, including Queen Margrethe II of Denmark,
King Harald V of Norway, King Felipe VI of Spain,
among others, and even the Emperor and Empress of Japan were in attendance.
Queen Rania of Jordan came, as did King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad
Shah of Malaysia. Polish President Andrzej Duda came with his wife,
Agata, as did President Joe Biden of the United States, accompanied by his wife,
Jill Biden. Rwanda's President Paul Kagame came, as did Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau
There have not been so many world leaders gathered in one palace in decades,
The Hollywood Reporter notes, and 500 of the 2,000 seats were given to political
figures. There were so many foreign dignitaries and world leaders that
the queen's funeral became a security problem. London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, told the outlet:
"It's been decades since this many world leaders were in one place.
This is unprecedented [...] in relation to the various things that we're juggling."
The greatest emotional difference between Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II's
funerals was the shock factor. Diana died at 36, in a tragic accident. Queen Elizabeth died at 96,
after celebrating the longest reign as monarch in England's history:
70 years. Elizabeth's presence was one of stability and tradition. She once said,
"If you live this sort of life, which people don't very much, you live very
much by tradition and by continuity. I find that's one of the sad things,
that people don't take on jobs for life, they try different things all the time."
She joked about the predictability of her life, saying,
"You know exactly what you'll be doing two months hence."
The average life expectancy for a citizen of the United Kingdom in 2022 is 82 years,
according to Macro Trends. The queen vastly outlived this. Nevertheless,
her death marked the end of an era and is a sorrowful thing,
leaving behind her grieving children, grandchildren, extended family, and a nation.
For Diana, however, her death came as a shock. She died on foreign soil,
adding a feeling of distance. Her ex-husband, then-Prince Charles, flew to Paris to bring
Diana's body back to England. Following her death, French police began an investigation as
to what happened to cause her car to crash, which also killed her partner Dodi Fayed,
their chauffeur, and later, Diana, adding an element of suspicion and tragedy.
Princess Diana was buried at her family home, Althorp Estate, in West Northamptonshire,
England. Initially, Diana was to be buried at a church, in the Spencer vault,
but her brother, Earl Spencer, chose instead to lay his sister to rest on a
small island in the middle of a lake, called The Oval, on their property.
As Time notes, there is an urn on the island but no other markings of
a grave site. For a few months each year, tourists are permitted to visit the estate,
but they may not set foot on the island. Indeed, privacy around Diana's resting place became a
key point for her brother. When her remains were brought to Althorp, Spencer insisted on
a private ceremony and even arranged to have a no-fly zone temporarily put in place over their
property so that no press could document the event in any way. Spencer's commitment to privacy over
Diana's burial place came in direct response to how much the press plagued her in life.
"Now, when I go out of my door, my front door,
I'm being photographed. I never know where a lens is going to be."
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II was also buried in private at the King George
VI Memorial Chapel at Windsor, next to her late husband, Prince Philip,
and other members of her family. Her former press secretary Samantha Cohen told People,
"Windsor was her home and she loved being there."
May both the queen and princess rest in peace.