Of a life.. of an era Diana, Princess of Wales
THEY are occasions of huge public emotion at landmark moments in our country’s history.
Royal funerals are not just about mourning a monarch or member of the Royal Family, they often signal the end of an era too. Prince
Philip’s funeral on Saturday looks set to be just as memorable, as the Queen’s husband is sent off according to his wishes, in a specially modified Land Rover.
How will it compare to other royal funerals down the centuries? Here we look at a few...
HEARTFELT Kensington Palace after Di’s funeral
IT took place after one of the greatest outpourings of grief the country has ever seen.
After Princess Diana died aged 36 in a car crash in Paris a week earlier, more than a million people poured on to the streets of London on the day of her funeral.
A further 2.5 billion people watched on TV around the world.
Thousands sobbed openly as the coffin passed them on its one-hour, 47-minute journey through London to Westminster Abbey, draped in the Royal Standard and three white wreaths.
There was also a letter from a 12-year-old Prince Harry addressed to “Mummy”.
At St James’s Palace, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and her sons William and Harry joined Di’s
brother Earl
September 6, 1997
Spencer to walk behind, followed by 500 representatives of the charities Diana supported.
Guests at the funeral included many celebrities who had been friends of the princess, including Sir Cliff Richard, George Michael, Chris de Burgh, Mariah Carey, Tom Cruise and Luciano Pavarotti.
Elton John performed a quickly re-written version of his emotional song Candle in the Wind.
After the funeral, Diana’s body was driven to Althorp, her family’s Northamptonshire estate, where she was buried on an island set in an ornamental lake.
Her brother, Charles, later revealed that, moments before the princess was buried, he removed the Royal Standard from the coffin and replaced it with the Spencer family flag, saying: “She is a Spencer now.”