THE DIANA DEBACLE

Public criticism of the royal family intensified in the wake of Diana’s death in 1997. The queen had initially refused to allow the Union Jack to fly at half-mast over Buckingham Palace or address a grieving nation.

On the counsel of her advisers, she revised her stance on the flag, stepped outside to greet crowds of mourners and delivered a rare address to the nation.

“We have all been trying in our different ways to cope,” she said. “It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings: disbelief, incomprehension, anger and concern for those who remain.

“We have all felt those emotions in these last few days. So what I say to you now, as your queen and as a grandmother, I say from the heart.

“First, I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness.

“I admired and respected her – for her energy and commitment to others and especially for her devotion to her two boys. This week at Balmoral, we have all been trying to help William and Harry come to terms with the devastating loss that they and the rest of us have suffered.”

The speech helped appease the public but it did more than that: it showed the juggling act the queen often had to do – balancing her duties and the stiff-upper-lip attitude she believed she needed to convey with the importance of being a unifying figure.

The monarchy may be known as The Firm, but it is first and foremost a family and showing warmth and emotion at a time of tragedy was imperative.