Remembering Princess Diana: The People’s Princess

The Royal Funeral

The entire world expressed massive outpourings of grief over the death of Princess Diana. Her funeral was held at Westminster Abbey and 3 million people in London alone gathered. The funeral was also televised and reportedly 2.5 billion people watched the coverage, in over 200 different countries.

Diana’s friend and music legend re-wrote a version of his song Candle in the Wind and performed it at her funeral service. Diana was buried holding a rosary that had been a gift from Mother Teresa. Shockingly, Mother Teresa herself passed away only one day before the Princess’ funeral was held.

The World’s Reaction

Some have said that the reaction, particularly in London, was in response to Diana representing a different kind of royal family than had been seen in the past. Many criticized the royal family for adhering to a strict presentation instead of showing emotion and grief over Diana’s death. Especially because of her two sons, who were still quite young when she passed away.

Over one million bouquets were left at Diana’s home, and ultimately, they had to ask people to stop bringing them as the flowers were already 5 foot deep. Multiple celebrities and other notable people attended her funeral. Including the United States First Lady at the time, Hillary Clinton, Bernadette Chirac, the wife of the French President, Elton John, and the recently departed George Michael.