This Day in History: World mourns the loss of Princess Diana
In 1997, the world mourned the loss of Diana, Princess of Wales, after she was killed in a car crash.
Princess Diana died on Aug. 31 while in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her driver was trying to escape the paparazzi, who were chasing the vehicle that night. an Egyptian heir and film producer she was dating at the time, and the driver were also killed in the crash.
Diana was just 36 years old when she died.
Her body was returned to lie in the chapel at St. James’ Palace until the funeral could take place at Westminster Abbey. were left at the west gates of the Abbey, and heads of state from all over the world sent wreaths.
On Sept. 6, an estimated 2.5 billion people around the world watched the funeral on television. At least 2,000 attended the service in person, and thousands waited outside the Abbey to say goodbye to the woman known as the peoples’ princess. There were many famous faces in the crowd, including Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Elton John.
Princess Diana’s funeral procession included her ex-husband Prince Charles; her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, Prince Philip and her brother, Charles Spencer.
Prince Harry was just 12 years old at the time and recalled the horror of being in the procession.
"My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television. I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don’t think it would happen today," said Prince Harry.
Later, Prince William, who was 15 years old when his mother died, told Vanity Fair that he was angry after Diana’s death.
“Never being able to say the word ‘mummy’ again in your life sounds like a small thing. However, for many, including me, it’s now really just a word—hollow and evoking only memories,"
But their grandfather urged them both to walk, saying they would regret it later in life if they didn’t.
Elton John sang “Candle in the Wind” during the service. He originally wrote the song as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, but changed the lyrics for Princess Diana. The song has become an iconic symbol of Diana’s death.
Following the service, the coffin was taken to the Spencer family home at Althorp for a private interment on an island in a lake.
Princess Diana still rests there to this day, away from the public eye.
