Public split over royals’ response to Diana death

Almost a third of the British public feel the royal family has shown Diana, Princess of Wales’s memory too little respect.

But more than 40 per cent believe the Windsors have “got the balance about right”, a poll revealed ahead of the 20th anniversary of the car crash which killed the Princess.

Yougov research commissioned by the Press Association showed that 30 per cent thought the royals showed too little respect to Diana’s memory, 44 per cent felt the balance was about right, 4 per cent felt there was too much respect and 22 per cent were unsure.

More than two-fifths of British adults (44 per cent) also believe the royal family changed for the better because of Diana.

Only 5 per cent felt the Windsors had changed for the worse, while nearly a third (32 per cent) said the royals had not changed at all.

The monarchy faced one of its most turbulent times in the aftermath of Diana’s tragic death in a Paris underpass on 31 August 1997. The Queen, who was comforting her grandsons in Balmoral, was criticised for failing to return to London quickly enough, and for keeping the Buckingham Palace flagpole bare, as was protocol when she was away.