Look Back at 25 Sad and Poignant Photos from Princess Diana's Funeral
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The queen's death brings back so many sad memories.
The queen's death on Sept. 8 at the age of 96 brings back so many sad memories of Princess Diana's high-profile funeral. August 31, 2022 was the 25th anniversary of her death (Aug. 31, 1997) following a car crash in Paris, France. She was 36 years old at the time of her death, and if she had lived she would have celebrated her 61st birthday in July.
The Princess of Wales' funeral was held seven days after she was killed. The ceremony had one of the biggest viewing audiences of all time—an approximate 2.5 billion people tuned in around the world to watch the final farewell to the People's Princess, with more than one million people lining the streets of London to watch her coffin pass by.
In what was regarded as a startling departure from the notion of a British "stiff upper lip", there was an outpouring of emotion from members of the public as Diana's coffin passed on its 1 hour, 47 min procession through the city. The audio of people sobbing and wailing in the streets has become infamous, as has the image of 11-year-old Prince Harry and 15-year-old Prince William walking behind their mother's coffin.
Diana's brother, Charles, the Earl Spencer, gave a dramatic eulogy in which he said, "Today is our chance to say thank you for the way you brightened our lives, even though God granted you but half a life.
Related: How Old Princess Diana Would Be Today?
"We will all feel cheated always that you were taken from us so young and yet we must learn to be grateful that you came along at all."
He also castigated the press and the royal family for their treatment of Diana while she was alive: "It is a point to remember that of all the ironies about Diana, perhaps the greatest was this—a girl given the name of the ancient goddess of hunting was, in the end, the most hunted person of the modern age."
At the time, a poll said 77 percent of British people 'agreed strongly that Charles Spencer's tribute had reflected the mood of the nation."
Related: Princess Diana Quotes
Diana was buried later that day in a private ceremony in Althorp Park on the Spencer family estate. She was wearing a black woolen long-sleeved cocktail dress by Catherine Walker that she had ordered only weeks before she died, and holding a set of rosary beads that were a gift from Mother Theresa.
Today, Diana's grave is marked by a simple white urn on an overgrown island in the middle of a lake. The path leading to the lake is lined with 36 oak trees, each of which represents a year of her life.
Below, we answer the questions around Diana's funeral and show emotional photos from Princess Diana's funeral.
Related: Can You Visit Princess Diana’s Grave—And What Dress Was She Buried In?
Did Diana have a state funeral?
Diana didn't have an official state funeral, rather a lavish ceremonial one much like the one held several years later for the Queen Mother (in fact, because Diana's death was so unexpected, her funeral plans were modeled on Tay Bridge, a codename for the funeral plan that had been in place for Queen Mother since 1979.)
Where did Diana's coffin travel during its procession to the funeral?
When Diana's body was brought back from Paris, she lay in the Chapel Royal at St James Palace for five nights before being brought to her former home of Kensington Palace. Her coffin remained there for one night before being brought to the funeral at Westminster Abbey.
Who walked behind Diana's coffin?
The funeral procession included William and Harry,Prince Charles andPrince Philip, as well as hundreds of representatives of the charities Diana had been involved with.
Related: Before She Died in August 1997, These Were Princess Diana’s Final Words
Who was at Diana's funeral?
There were 2,000 people at the funeral in Westminster Abbey, including former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, US First Lady Hillary Clinton, South Africa President Nelson Mandela, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Mariah Carey, Richard Branson, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
What music was played at Diana's funeral?
The ceremony opened with a rendition of 'God Save the Queen' and hymns sung during the ceremony included 'Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer', while Elton John sang 'Candle in the Wind', a previous song that he and his writing partner Bernie Taupin reworked to refer specifically to Diana.
As Diana's coffin was taken from Westminster Abbey, John Taverner's 'Song for Athene' was performed by the choir.
Click through the gallery to see memorable pics from Princess Diana's funeral.
Next, learn about the children in the Princess Diana statue.
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Prince Charles takes Prince Harry to view the floral tributes left for Princess Diana at Balmoral in Scotland. This photo was taken in the first week of September 1997. When Diana died, Queen Elizabeth II chose to remain at Balmoral Castle with her bereaved grandchildren rather than come down to London, a decision that was so controversial it severely damaged the public's perception of the monarchy.
Charles and his sons view floral tributes outside Diana's former home of Kensington Palace, where after separating from Charles she continued living up until her death.
William was 15 when his mother died and Harry was 11.
In the week leading up to Diana's funeral, the sea of flowers outside Kensington Palace grew so deep that it reached 30 feet from the gates.
Diana's coffin is carried through the streets of London in a procession that would take 1 hour 47 minutes.
Harry, William, Charles, Prince Philip and Diana's brother Earl Spencer joined the procession a mile before it reached Westminster Abbey.
Looking on as Diana's coffin is carried up the steps to the cathedral in which her funeral will take place.
Earl Spencer paid tribute to his sister in a eulogy that described her as "the very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty."
William, Harry, and Charles.
Tributes to Diana also lined the railings of Westminster Abbey.
In his eulogy, Earl Spencer directly addressed his sister in saying, "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."
Diana's funeral plans were based on those of 'Tay Bridge', which was the plan in place for when the Queen Mother died.
Three wreaths of white roses—from William, Harry, and the Earl—were placed on Diana's coffin, including a letter from Harry addressed to 'Mummy.'
Diana's coffin is carried into Westminster Abbey.
Queen Elizabeth II arrives at Diana's funeral.
Diana's mother Frances Shand Kydd and her sisters Jane Fellowes and Sarah McCorquodale arrive at Westminster Abbey.
Diana's mother and sisters were accompanied by other members of the Spencer family.
Sarah Ferguson (a.k.a Fergie, the Duchess of York) and her daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie arrive at the funeral.
Princess Eugenie was 7 when Diana died.
Princess Margaret with her son Lord Linley and his wife Lady Serena Linley leaving the funeral.
Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg were among those at the funeral ceremony.
Also at Diana's funeral were Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld.
Elton John sings 'Candle in the Wind' at Diana's funeral service.
Adorned with white lilies, Diana's coffin leaves Westminster Abbey.
The sea of flowers left in front of Kensington Palace was eventually used as compost in the gardens of Diana's former home.
Diana's coffin is taken from Westminster Abbey. She is later buried in a private ceremony on the Spencers' estate.
