When Princess Diana died roughly twenty-five years ago, it sent shockwaves across the world.
Diana, known as the “People’s Princess,” was not a member of the royal family at the time of her death. Nevertheless, she was honored with a regal funeral.
Princess Diana’s funeral was held on September 6, 1997, about twenty-five years ago. Diana, widely known as the “People’s Princess,” was killed in a vehicle accident while in Paris.
Her Egyptian lover Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul were in the car with her. Both males died as a result of the collision.
2,000 people attended Diana’s burial at Westminster Abbey to pay tribute to the late benefactor. Over a million individuals lined the streets of London to pay their respects to the princess.
The live television broadcast of her funeral is claimed to have smashed records for the most watched event at the time. Over 2.5 billion individuals were believed to have tuned in to see the funeral service.
Problems between Diana and the royal family were well-known before her death. And once she died, the royal family was met with outrage and contempt from the ordinary populace. They were roundly chastised for their reaction to the princess’s demise.
Even though Diana was no longer a royal at the time of her death, she was recognized in many ways that are only intended for members of the royal family.
Despite being divorced from Prince Charles, she was given a formal funeral, which violated royal etiquette. Except for members of the royal family, no one gets a ceremonial funeral. Diana was granted an exemption because of her widespread popularity.
It was then revealed that Diana’s burial had been planned for 22 years and was dubbed “Operation Tay Bridge” since it was initially conceived for the Queen’s mom.
Diana, unlike the Queen’s mom, got a ceremonial funeral rather than a state funeral.
There were speculations before the burial that Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth had opposing views on what the funeral should include.
It was said that Queen Elizabeth desired a private funeral for her ex-daughter-in-law and did not want her remains to be laid to rest at the royal palace before the funeral could begin. However, Prince Charles made a change.
Buckingham Palace, on the other hand, issued a press statement rejecting the reports. It is just false to say that the Queen ever rejected plans for where the princess’s body will rest, the Palace stated.
Another long-standing practice interrupted for Diana’s burial was the Queen’s permission for the Union Flag to fly at half-mast over Buckingham Palace. Previously, it was customary for the Royal Standard flag to be flown at full mast while the king was present in the palace.
The royal family was at Balmoral when Diana died in Paris, thus the flag outside Buckingham Palace was not displayed.
However, while the royal family was there for her funeral at Buckingham Palace, public pressure mounted, prompting the royal family to choose to fly the flag at half-mast in honor of the late Diana.
For the first time in history, the Queen allowed the flag to fly at half-mast. Since then, it has flown at half-mast on a few occasions, including the first anniversary of Diana’s death, the September 11 attacks in 2001, the London bombings in 2005, and the Queen Mom’s death.
The final protocol breached by the Queen for Diana’s burial was possibly the most important. Traditionally, the monarch does not bow to anybody; rather, anyone who comes into contact with the king is supposed to bow before them.
However, during Diana’s burial procession, she violated both royal etiquette and an unspoken norm. Crowds watched in amazement as Diana’s coffin went through Buckingham Palace, and the Queen bowed her head in a gesture of respect.
Other members of the royal family noticed her and followed suit, bowing in respect of the late princess.
Several people recall the Queen’s act and consider it to be a monument to her personality.
During her reign, the Queen established many examples and is recognized for modernizing the monarchy for the twenty-first century.
Our thoughts go out to all those who are grieving the passing of Queen Elizabeth.
