The hearse driving away from the funeral service. Prince William alongside his uncle, Diana's brother, Earl Charles Spencer. PRINCESS DIANA: Lady Di was killed in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, PEOPLE'S PRINCESS: Diana was beloved around the world for her charity work and charm, DRIVER: Colin Tebbutt worked on Diana's staff for two years before her death. Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 - 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. Princess Diana had multiple maternal figures at her funeral: her stepmother Countess Raine Spencer also attended. Martin Luther King 7. Reportedly, Kydd said deeply insulting, bigoted, and racist things to Diana about her relationships with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan and Egyptian Dodi Al Fayed, both Muslims, and Diana cut her out. Princess Diana was married to Charles, Prince of Wales and is the mother of Prince Harry and Price William. 3,911, This story has been shared 3,855 times. Princess Margaret with her son Lord Linley and his wife leaving the service. One pallbearer, ex-Welsh Guardsman Philip Bartlett, recalled: We got told we were going to try and simulate the weight with a kerb stone. Clive Leverton said: "The French embalmer had tried to make her face as presentable as possible. She was the most famous woman in the worldbut to William and Harry, Princess Diana was just mummy. Back in 1997, only 10 percent of British people had home Internet, meaning a heartfelt tribute on Instagram or Facebook wasnt an optionexpressing their grief in-person was their only outlet. The Crownis no stranger to coming under fire for its portrayal of the royal family. Colin Tebbutt said he couldnt bear allowing Charles, and Diana's sisters, to see her body in such a state. In 1997, the world was devastated to hear of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.Her post-royal life was cut short when she was killed in a fatal car crash in Paris on August 31 that year. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article. Perhaps the most poignant moment involved her father-in-law, Prince Philip, and her young sons, Princes William andHarry. But could there have been another reason for choosing to have a closed coffin? The once-in-a-lifetime impact felt by Dianas death could be seen all over England, in impromptu shines created by the public to mourn her loss. Per Town & Country, famous attendees included Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks, Donatella Versace, Karl Lagerfield, Anna Wintour, Richard Branson, Hillary Clinton, who was the first lady of the United States at the time, and more. pic.twitter.com/gBomaa15t1. "That was him as a grandfather." "I dont think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. The guardsmen got the job thanks to their height . From the time she married Prince Charles in 1981, Princess Diana was a beloved figure in Britain, but few could have imagined the outpouring of grief that followed her death at age 36. Her mother Frances Shand Kydd, as well as her two sisters Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, sadly had to attend her funeral. Diana, boyfriend Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul all died, but her bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived the horror smash. Here, photos from Princess Dianas funeral, the tragic day when the world came together to mourn her loss. When Will 'Jesus Revolution' Movie Be Streaming? Then, to my horror, I saw people climbing about on roofs. On Wednesday, members of the royal family processed behind Queen Elizabeth's casket as it made its journey from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. Elton John performing "Candle in the Wind" during the service. Diana was taken to hospital and later died from the injuries she sustained in the crash. PMT: NBA Insider Shams Charania, Wilder/Fury, The Browns Had An Open Casket Funeral . A haunting decision. log in. Uni Celebrity. The now 77-year-old was the first member of Diana's staff to . While the decision to have Diana's coffin be closed might have been influenced by British tradition, another factor might have also been at play: the tragic circumstances surrounding her August 1997 death. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class, Taking Vitamin D each day could cut your chances of getting dementia, study claims. Here, Sarah attends the funeral with her two young daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, William and Harrys first cousins. Tens of thousands of flowers were left at Kensington Palace, with the mass of bouquets extending 30 feet from the gates. The new lyrics repeated the phrase Goodbye Englands rose, and referenced Englands greenest hills and the wings of your compassion in Dianas honor. Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, with her daughters Eugenie and Beatrice. Operating for two hours, doctors tried, and failed, to get Diana's heart beating properly again. A haunting decision. Tebbutt said while the 36-year-old's face was barely marked from the crash, the hours in the swelteringly hot hospital room had taken their toll. Lead coffins preserve a body for up to a year, they can be sealed airtight and slow the decomposition of the body. (Decades after Diana's death, Harry revealed mixed emotions about their very public inclusion in the funeral.) Earl Spencer's eulogy during the service angered members of the royal family, a rift that has only begun to heal in recent years. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. Answer (1 of 22): In a special "letter of wishes" included in her will, Princess Diana wrote: "I would like to allocate all my jewellery to the share to be held by my sons, so that their wives may, in due course, have it or use it. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital a short while later. Bruce Lee 6. It wasn't an official state funeral, but the 'People's Princess' was so beloved the royals pulled out all the stops for the sombre occasion on September 6, 1997. They hired real surgeons for the scenes. In fact, the Royal Familys concern for the two boys was such that mentions of Diana were banned from the church service at Balmoral that day. Here, one such shrine in London. Both Prince William and Harry had eyes and faces full of tears, although they still tried to maintain composure. "There were no blinds so I ordered some blankets to be brought and hung them at the windows.. A week later, on September 6, 1997, her funeral in London was one of the most-watched TV events in history. The film states that the Queen also ordered all TVs and radios in her Balmoral residence to be moved or hidden, fearing the young princes may be traumatised by hearing the harrowing details of their mothers final moments. But it was a big. British Columbia Little Princess Charlotte, Prince George and their parents, Prince William and Kate, arrived in Canada on Saturday for their first official trip overseas as a family of four. Michael and Diana had formed a tight bond and he once said she was one of the only people who made him feel like an ordinary person. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. When Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in May 2018, they honored his late mother, Princess Diana, with small touches throughout the ceremony. When Princess Diana died in a car crash in August 1997, Queen Elizabeth 's slow public response to the tragedy made many question her judgment. As news spread of the accident that took her life on August 31, 1997, mourners flocked to Kensington and Buckingham Palaces to leave flowers, gifts, and cards. The Queen's undertaker told yesterday how Diana was made to look "peaceful" shortly before her sister and Prince Charles arrived to identify her body. Now we're remembering the unique, oftentimes . With crowds continuing to grow, officials set up lines to help control the flow as her casket went by. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. The. "We fastened the lid and I was in possession of a Royal Standard which I placed over the coffin.". Princess Diana's former chef has blasted The Crown's 'sick' decision to show the late royal lying in an open casket coffin in the upcoming series.. Darren McGrady - who worked as a personal chef . Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. However, when Diana died she was no longer . It is reported that Diana did not die on impact, and that she went into cardiac arrest after being put on a stretcher. What does the flag on top of Prince Philips coffin mean? Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. Read Full Story Among the 2,000 mourners at Princess Dianas funeral were several political figures, including then-First Lady Hillary Clinton. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. A new documentary has provided rare insight into the days after Princess Diana's death. 40 Famous People with Open Casket Funarals 1.Elvis Priestly 2.Marilyn Monroe 3. The two walked alongside their uncle Charles, Earl Spencer, with Prince Charles and Prince Philip flanking them for support. Please disable your ad blocker to view the video content. King Charles III deeply regrets making his sons Prince William and Prince Harry process behind Princess Diana 's casket during her 1997 funeral . The internationally-loved royal had a closed casket funeral, because the royal family felt that puting her on display in an open casket would be disrespectful. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. From left: Prince Philip, Prince William, Charles Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles walk behind Princess Diana's casket at her 1997 funeral. Reportedly, the Queen Mother and Diana were not on the best of terms, with the Queen Mother resolutely supportive of her grandson Charles and fearful that Diana was another Wallis Simpson with the power to tear down the monarchy. As her death was unprecedented, Buckingham Palace had just a week to organise her funeral, which took place on September 6, 1997. Princess Diana died in the early hours of August 31, 1997, after her car crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France, following a chase from the paparazzi. The people everywherenot just here in Britain, everywherethey kept faith with Princess Diana. 'It's about the boys,' he cried. Diana: 7 Days That Shook The Windsors, broadcast on Channel 5 in the UK, reveals how Dianas body was kept in a makeshift morgue and that Princes William and Harry only agreed to walk behind their mothers coffin at the eleventh hour. In the days following Prince Phillip's death on April 9, 2021, and leading up to his April 17 funeral, much has been made of how the preparations for the late husband of Queen Elizabeth II's funereal procession and ceremony have already deviated from the norm. The Peoples Princess Lady Diana Spencer was killed in a horrific car accident in the Pont de lAlma road tunnel that saw the driver, Henri Paul, and Dianas lover Dodi Fayed pronounced dead at the scene. "We were simply concentrating on getting the poor lady into the coffin and waiting until the Royal Family had been and gone and then we knew we had to get the coffin back to the hearse. A graduate of Barnard College, Nadine is also a TV/feature writer and the author of four books, including the award-winning novel "All-American Muslim Girl," a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults book of 2021. Earl Spencer touches Prince Harry as they follow the coffin of Diana, Princess of Wales at her funeral, Sept. 6, 1997 It gave everyone a chance to remember Diana in a way that upheld how she lived, rather than how she died. Even though he was grieving, he didnt forget to thank Graham Laurie. Michael Jackson 5. Because it was not an official state funeral, her husband President Bill Clinton did not attend. According to Lost in the Pond, though, it's highly unlikely Princess Diana would have ever had an open casket funeral because open casket funerals just aren't that common in England. Prince Harry Will Open Up About Walking Behind Mom Princess Diana's Coffin in New Memoir Prince Harry was 12 when his mother died and he processed through the streets of London as part of. The brother of JonBenet Ramsey remembers going to her funeral, and looking at her open coffin. Here, a poignant card addressed to Mummy on her coffin, carried by a gun carriage. At the height of Dianas animosity toward her stepmother, she reportedly pushed her down the stairs. "It wasn't an easy decision and it was a sort of collective family decision to do that," William said of the joint family decision to include him and his brother in the processional, per theBBC. 'Yellowstone' Return Date Info, Meghan McCain Calls Out Former 'View' Coworker Joy Behar for Her "Evil" East Palestine Comments, Where Is Hoda Kotb? The two were forced to set up a makeshift morgue as high August temperatures made the room where her body lay incredibly hot. Tebbutt added: Everyone was in shock I noticed that hair of the princess was moving, which was from fans I had put in the room, and just for that massive minuscule of a second I thought was she alive, which was a silly thing to think. Charlotte nibbled on her finger while being held by Kate as they were greeted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife. Philip famously joined Prince William, then 15, Prince Harry, then 12, Prince Charles and Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, on the walk from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey. Wondering why so many people felt compelled to leave notes and tributes in person? As soon as the news of her death broke, Mr Leverton had flown to Paris with two colleagues, a special coffin that could be hermetically sealed and a Royal Standard drape. Unlike Prince Michael, who was too busy chewing gum. Her driver, Henri Paul, and another passenger, her assumed boyfriend Dodi Fayed, were both pronounced dead at the scene. The Queen, then 71, found the monarchy being. By 3 a.m. her heart was kept pumping only by the injection of adrenaline and several electric. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. "There is that balance between duty and family and that's what we had to do." I dont think it would happen today.. He wore a blue suit to Dianas funeral, in contrast to the black suits William, Harry, Prince Philip, and Earl Spencer wore. RD.COM Arts & Entertainment Royal Family. The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, started on Saturday 6 September 1997 at 9:08 am in London, when the tenor bell of Westminster Abbey started tolling to signal the departure of the cortge from Kensington Palace.The coffin was carried from the palace on a gun carriage by riders of the King's Troop and escorted by mounted police along Hyde Park to St James's Palace, where Diana's body . Tens of thousands of flowers were left at Kensington Palace, with her young... 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