Billions tuned in to watch tragic Diana’s funeral
SEP 6, 1997
THE funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, was one of the most-watched events in history.
More than 32 million British TV viewers tuned in to watch the day unfold, and they were joined by two billion people around the world.
And there were more than a million people lining the streets of London as her coffin was driven away from the city for burial, the car bearing it covered with floral tributes thrown by bystanders.
During the week following Diana’s death in a road accident in Paris, anticipation as to what the occasion would be like had been building.
Thousands of people who felt a connection with her left bouquets and tributes outside Kensington Palace.
Although the event was not a state funeral, as a royal ceremonial funeral, it included much pageantry.
At 9.08am, the tolling of a bell signalled the departure of the cortege from Kensington Palace.
The coffin, accompanied by eight members of The Welsh Guards, was draped in the royal standard with an ermine border on which sat three wreaths – one from her brother Earl Spencer, and one each from her sons, Princes William and Harry.
As the funeral procession passed St James’s Palace, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, her sons, and her brother joined to walk behind.
They were joined by 500 representatives of charities the Princess had links with.
As it passed Buckingham Palace, other members of the Royal Family were waiting outside and the Queen bowed her head as it went by.
Among the congregation were many of the famous people who’d encountered Diana during her life.
Members of the Royal Family placed wreaths alongside Diana’s coffin in the presence of former Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher, James Callaghan and Edward Heath.
Others present included Sir Cliff Richard, Hillary Clinton, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, George Michael and Richard Branson.
The then Prime Minister, Tony Blair, gave a reading and Elton John sang with a rewritten version of his song Candle In the Wind.
Later the same day, Diana was buried in a small private ceremony on an island in a lake in the grounds of Althorp House, which was the Spencer family home.
She was dressed in a black long-sleeved dress designed by Catherine Walker, which she had chosen some weeks before. and held a set of rosary beads which had been a present from Mother Theresa, who herself died that same week.
The Queen bowed her head as the procession passed