From the appearance of unexpected A-list guests to
what has been later referred to as one of the greatest speeches in British history,
here's all that you didn't know about Princess Diana's funeral.
With only six days between Princess
Diana's death and her funeral, there wasn't much time for Palace and government officials
to plan the details. The public outpouring of grief raised the stakes even further.
"There's no room for movement here now – the people simply packed one upon the other."
Plans have already been made for the funerals and ceremonies of some royals. According to Town and
Country, preparations for Queen Elizabeth’s II death started in the 1960s when she was
only in her forties. Each person's plan has its own code name. For example, when Prince Philip,
Duke of Edinburgh, died on April 9, 2021, Operation Forth Bridge went into action.
Elizabeth II's death plan was codenamed London Bridge. The one for her father,
George VI, who died in 1952, was named Hyde Park Corner, after a particular spot in a park
close to Buckingham Palace. Reportedly, King Charles’ III plan is codenamed Menai Bridge.
The plan used when Diana died was nicknamed Tay Bridge, in honor of a bridge in Dundee,
Scotland. It's not because she had a particular connection to Scotland. Her death was so sudden
that there was no plan in place. Instead, the organizers used one that had been put together
for another member of the royal family: Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother
was very much alive at the time, although she would die five years later at the age of 101.
Which meant she had the unnerving experience of witnessing aspects of her own funeral.
In the aftermath of Princess Diana's death, Queen Elizabeth II was accused of coldness
towards the famously warm princess. The empty flagpole at Buckingham Palace became a focal
point. Until then, the only flag that ever flew over the palace was the flag of the monarch,
the Royal Standard. It was only flown when the Queen was present and never at half-mast,
since the monarch is either present or not: they can't be half-present. When one monarch dies,
the flag immediately transfers to the heir, to show continuity.
When the Queen was away, the Buckingham Palace flagpole was left empty. In the days after Diana's
death, she was with her bereaved grandsons at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. However,
the public felt that the Palace was snubbing Diana, according to the BBC.
On the day of Diana's funeral, the Queen broke centuries of protocol to honor her
ex-daughter-in-law. After the Queen left for the funeral, the Standard was taken down and
the Union Flag — the national flag of the United Kingdom — was flown at half-mast.
Since that day, the Union Flag has flown at Buckingham Palace when the Queen is not in
residence. The Queen authorized the flying of the Union Flag at half-mast on the first anniversary
of Diana's funeral. She went on to repeat the gesture of respect to mark several other periods
of national mourning, including the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and July 7, 2005.
For many onlookers, the most
heart-wrenching image from Princess Diana's funeral was the sight of her two sons,
William and Harry, walking behind their mother's coffin.
"This is the moment that people have been, if not looking forward to,
looking forward to with some dread in their hearts, really."
They were accompanied by their father, then-Prince Charles; Diana's brother Charles, Earl Spencer;
and their paternal grandfather, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh,
who joined as moral support for his grandsons. Earl Spencer later described the walk as,
quote, "the most horrifying half hour of my life," adding that it must have
been so much worse for Prince William and Harry. He said that he was told that the
brothers chose to walk with the coffin, and that Diana would not have wanted it.
The brothers disagree somewhat over their role in the procession. In August 2017, William said in a
BBC documentary that it was one of the most difficult moments of his life. But he added:
"There is that balance between duty and family and that's what we had to do."
A few months earlier, Harry had told Newsweek that he didn't think a child should be asked
to walk behind their mother's coffin. In the BBC documentary, he backtracked,
saying that he didn't necessarily think that it was the right or wrong decision,
and that he was pleased that he was able to take part in the funeral.
As the funeral procession passed
Buckingham Palace, the Queen, Princess Margaret,
and other members of the royal family stood outside the gate to pay their respects.
According to a book by Princess Diana's biographer Andrew Morton,
the Queen bowed her head low as the coffin passed: but her sister Margaret barely nodded. Morton also
claimed that right before the procession reached them, while they were waiting by the gates,
Margaret was trying to talk to the Queen about improving the bathrooms
at Kensington Palace — the nearby home where she and Diana had once lived in adjacent apartments.
The early days of Margaret and Diana's relationship didn't predict this level
of coldness. Margaret could relate to Diana's tumultuous experience with the British press:
she had once been the royal that most often drew the attention of the paparazzi. But
Margaret's loyalty above all was to the Queen and the Crown. When Diana broke the cardinal
unwritten rule in the royal handbook with a tell-all interview on the BBC show "Panorama,"
Margaret immediately turned on her. Even Diana's death wasn't enough to calm the furious princess.
The royal family was left with a
physical expression of the publics' grief in the form of books of condolence. The
books were laid out in St. James' Palace, where Princess Diana's body was also being
kept before the funeral, in a private chapel accessible only to her family.
Thousands traveled from across Britain and joined the lines to write their messages of
grief, waiting between six-and-a-half to 12 hours, according to the BBC. By September 5,
the day before the funeral, there were 43 books of condolence and
counting. Others had been placed in British embassies and consulates around the world.
According to an article published in the Sunday Mirror that October, people in other parts of
Britain also signed condolence books, which were sent to Kensington Palace,
where all the books were eventually moved. Others sent their messages of
condolence via the internet. According to the LA Times, the royal family's website received
60,000 virtual messages — not a lot today, but unheard of in 1997.
Following the funeral, CNN reported
on rumors that the Palace and Princess Diana's family the Spencers had clashed
over arrangements. Both parties denied this, with Charles, Earl Spencer, describing the
claims as "laughable." However, he did manage to ruffle a few royal feathers with his eulogy.
He started by praising Diana's compassion and selflessness, while also acknowledging:
"You stand tall enough as a human being of unique qualities not to need to be seen as a saint."
Towards the end, Charles criticized the media, whose relentless pursuit
of Diana he believed had caused her death. He described his sister as,
"the most hunted person of the modern age." In the final section of his speech,
Charles promised Diana that her "blood family" would do everything they could to honor her
plans for raising her sons. He went on to say, as if speaking to her directly:
"We fully respect the heritage into which they have both been born and
will always respect and encourage them in their royal role but we, like you,
recognize the need for them to experience as many different aspects of life."
The public listening outside the Abbey erupted in applause. The speech had been described as one
of the greatest in British history. It was also seen as an accusation that the Palace had tried
to metaphorically cage Diana's vibrant spirit. Charles later claimed that was not his intention,
and said that he'd heard that the Queen asked about the speech, and had replied:
"He had every right to say whatever he felt."
Both Princess Diana's ex-husband
and ex-mother-in-law used their outfits to pay silent tribute to her at her funeral.
Prince Charles broke with the British royal family's tradition of wearing black mourning
clothes by choosing a navy blue suit for Diana's funeral. To the casual observer,
this may have seemed disrespectful. Charles and Diana had been through a three-year
separation culminating in a bitter divorce, finalized a year before her death. However,
Charles' decision to skirt tradition was actually intended as a nod to his style icon
ex-wife. As CBS News reports, the suit Charles wore to the funeral had been Diana's favorite.
Meanwhile, his mother Queen Elizabeth II used her jewelry to honor Diana. Since
she's supposed to be politically neutral, the Queen is known for subtly broadcasting
her thoughts through her wardrobe, particularly her brooches. For Diana's funeral, she wore one
of the Victoria bow brooches: three brooches shaped like bows and studded with diamonds,
commissioned by Queen Victoria. Shortly before her death, Victoria designated the brooches as
heirlooms of the crown, which are passed down from queen to queen or queen consort. Elizabeth
also wore one of the bow brooches on the day she surpassed Victoria's reign. Perhaps they represent
a long line of British queens, including the Princess of Wales who never made it to the throne.
Approximately 2,000 people were invited to the funeral service inside Westminster
Abbey. In addition to members of the royal family, the guest list for Princess Diana's
funeral included global dignitaries, and some notable names you might not expect.
Although Diana didn't officially receive a state funeral, various countries still sent unofficial
representatives. Then-First Lady Hillary Clinton represented America, as did former U.S. Secretary
of State Henry Kissinger. The French President's wife, Bernadette Chirac, attended on behalf of the
country in which Diana had been killed. Then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie attended:
The PM gave a reading during the service. Four former prime ministers also went.
So far so predictable. But Diana was also popular outside stuffy state business. Her funeral was
also attended by movie royalty, including Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks,
Steven Spielberg, and Sir Richard Attenborough— best known as John Hammond in "Jurassic Park".
"Hello, John."
"Hello."
"Hello, John."
British entertainers George Michael and Cliff Richard were also there,
as was opera singer Luciano Pavarotti.
Of all the musicians who attended
Princess Diana's funeral, her friend Elton John was chosen to perform. Diana and John became fast
friends after meeting at Prince Andrew's 21st birthday party. John said he and Diana enjoyed
gossiping together, and they also shared a mutual interest in promoting AIDS charities. However,
that led to a major falling out, when Diana unexpectedly pulled out of a photobook that would
have raised money for the AIDS Foundation, sending John a cold note with no satisfactory explanation.
It took another funeral for the two to make up — their
mutual friend Gianni Versace. Diana died five weeks later.
At Diana's funeral, John performed an updated version of his 1973 song "Candle in the Wind."
He called up frequent Beatles' producer George Martin, who arranged a string quartet version.
The original was about Marilyn Monroe, so John's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin
changed the lyrics to honor Diana. "Goodbye Norma Jean" became "Goodbye England's rose,"
for example. John was so nervous about getting the words wrong that he used a teleprompter,
according to Reuters. It was the only time he performed that version of the song live,
but when it was released on September 13, it became the best-selling song not only of 1997
but of all time in the U.K. Worldwide, it's only been outsold by Bing Crosby's
"White Christmas." The proceeds of the single were donated to Diana's favorite charities.
Some aspects of Princess Diana's coffin were
very in keeping with British royal tradition. For example, during the funeral procession,
the coffin was draped with the Royal Standard, trimmed with an ermine border. This flag
is flown above palaces — and the Houses of Parliament — when the Queen is in residence,
and is also used for royals who don't have their own flags. The senior members of the
royal family all have their own variations on the Standard, to indicate rank and titles.
Another traditional feature was that the coffin was lined in lead. This is common
among members of the royal family, as lead helps preserve the body better.
Spare a thought for the pallbearers: Not only were they managing extra weight,
but they probably would have had to leave the country if they'd dropped the coffin.
However, Diana's coffin didn't look completely identical to those of British royals throughout
history. Before she was transported through the streets of London to Westminster Abbey,
her sons William and Harry had placed a white floral arrangement on top,
with a handwritten envelope that simply and heartbreakingly read "Mummy."
Westminster Abbey is the
final resting place of many notable British royals, including Henry VII, Elizabeth I,
and — awkwardly — Mary, Queen of Scots. But Diana is not among them. According to the BBC,
her brother Charles, Earl Spencer, originally planned to have her interred at their family's
vault in the local church near their childhood home of Althorp. However, he ultimately decided
to bury Diana on the estate's private grounds, where she wouldn't be disturbed by well-wishers.
Despite this, in 2017, he said that there had been four attempts to break into her tomb.
After the funeral, Diana's coffin was driven the 70 miles from London to the estate,
where she was interred in a private ceremony attended by only close family,
and conducted by a priest who was a family friend.
The spot Charles chose is on an island on a lake called the Oval,
overlooked by trees planted by members of Diana's family, including her sons,
and by the princess herself. It's marked with a statue, and a small temple on the shore.
Although members of the public visiting the estate on open days aren't allowed onto the island,
Diana has some company. According to the Chicago Tribune, several family pets are buried there,
including her cat Marmalade. Some criticized Charles for this:
but given that his main aim was to give William and Harry a place to
privately mourn their mother, they certainly have a beautiful spot.