On the day of Diana, Princess of Wales's funeral, London was a warm but not oppressively so city. The sun shone brightly, the sky a light blue, the foliage a lush green. At the end of the saddest week in recent times, Diana was finally due to be buried.
We had first seen her coffin when her body was returned to England from Paris on the Sunday of her death. We had last seen it late on the Friday night when it was removed from St James's Palace to the place where Diana had lived for sixteen years, Kensington Palace.
While her coffin was being prepared to leave Kensington Palace, family and friends were gathering at Westminster Abbey to attend her service. Among the guests were David and Elizabeth Emanuel who had made her wedding gown. Elton John, his partner David Furnish and George Micheal. British television personality Michael Barrymore mixed with Hollywood types such as Richard Attenbrough, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Steven Speilberg and Tom Hanks.
More personal friends were also in attendance, such as her ex-flatmates, her 'rock' Paul Burrell and his family and the last love of her life, Hasnat Khan, who sat hidden behind dark glasses. One of Diana's favourite tenors, Luciano Pavarotti was escorted, and propped up, by his partner Nicole. Dodi Fayed's father Mohammed and his wife were also there.
For us who watched the whole moving ceremony on television, we saw the first sight of Diana's coffin emerging from her home, Kensington Palace. As it made it's way up the long drive I could feel a lump in my throat, not believing that I was sitting here, watching the funeral of the worlds famous woman. A woman who was only thirty six, a woman who had two children, one not even a teenager. Only seven days before we had seen pictures of a healthy, tanned Diana looking gloriously happy as she enjoyed a extended holiday in France. Shock cannot describe how I felt. It went beyond that. How could this be?
During that week there had been a controversy at Buckingham Palace. HM The Queen had refused to fly the flag at half mast, claiming it was tradition to fly it fully when she was in residence, but on the day of the funeral she bowed down and it was flown at half mast. When Diana's coffin reached Buckingham Palace, the principle members of the family stood as the coffin passed. HM bowed her head in respect, as did Princess Anne. Margaret stood and watched, not deferring to a woman who had shared Kensington Palace with her for sixteen years.
When the coffin reached Buckingham Palace it was joined by five walkers. These men were the most important men in Diana's life and had remained so. Along with her son's William, 15 and Harry, 12, were her brother, Charles Spencer, her ex-husband, Prince Charles and his father Prince Phillip, who went along to support his grandchildren. Charles Spencer, before walking behind the coffin of his sister made the sign of the cross. William walked with his head down as did Harry. But every so often both Prince Charles and Prince Phillip would whisper words of encouragement or place a hand on their shoulder, for this was the bravest thing I'd seen any royal do. Two boys determined to pay tribute to their mother at what most of been the most hardest time in their young lives.
All the way along it's journey the crowds were either respectively quiet, or obsessively shouting and wailing, though I'm glad to say, for the boys sake at least, the latter was very rare. When the coffin reached Westminster Abbey it was removed from the gun carrier by soilders from the Welsh guards. The coffin, which was lead lined and reportedly weighed fifty stone, although heavy and cumbersome to carry, was carried into the Abbey and up the aisle delicately like it was a flower. The tenderness the coffin was handled with was amazing, considering the strain on the guards faces as they made their slow procession up the aisle. The guards then walked to a side room to watch the funeral. And then it started.
Readings were made by both of Diana's sisters, Sarah and Jane. Her brother, Charles, made a passionate speech, criticising both the media and the Royal Family's treatment of Diana claiming sarcastically, that Diana needed no royal title to create her magic, a aside to HM The Queen who after the Wales's divorce the year before removed Diana's H.R.H status. At first I thought the speech passionate and daring for a funeral. Now, on reflection, I thought it bitter and awful. Awful that he used his sisters funeral to make swipes at the family of his nephew's who were sitting opposite him. Although he was applauded after his speech, the sound of clapping filling the abbey like thunder claps, it's now generally thought of as inappropriate, his hero status only being temporary.
For me though, the most moving moment was Elton John singing 'Candle In The Wind' a song rewritten from the original song about movie star Marilyn Monroe. Elton desperately wanted to write a new song for Diana, but there was not enough time, and his lyricist, Bernie Taupin took the words from the original song and altered them for Diana, using emotive lines such as 'goodbye England's rose' and 'you footsteps will always fall here, amongst Englands greenest hills'. The song titled 'Candle In The Wind '97' was released on a single and remains Britain's top selling single and the fastest selling. Elton John vowed though never to sing it publicly again. It's never appeared on his albums, compilation albums, and despite rumours he would sing it at last years Concert For Diana, he never did.
After the service, which included Diana's favourite hymn 'I Vow To Thy My Country' which she had chosen for her wedding service sixteen years before in St Pauls Cathedral, Diana's coffin was placed in a car and it made it's slow journey down the motorway from London to Northhamptonshire, where on her family's estate, Althorp, she was to be buried on a island.
Her brother, Charles Spencer, unsure what to do and where to bury his sister had chosen the lake which was man made, as it was a place that Diana spent much time as a child, rowing her rowing boat across to the island where some of her pets had been buried. On that day a small bridge had been constructed so that guests could gain access to the island. Diana has no headstone as Charles does not want to mark out the grave. Random pieces of metal are also buried on the island in case a intruder gets on and decides to try and dig up the late Princess.
While the Spencer family and Prince Charles were making their way to Northamptonshire by train, Diana's coffin made it's slow progress up the motorway, having to stop almost constantly to removed flowers which had been thrown at the hearse. One poignant moment was one of the undertakers getting out of the car and placing the flowers tenderly and with respect at the side of the road. He had to though as the driver could not see where he was going. All the way to Althorp people lined the motorway paying respect to the People's Princess.
Then as the hearse reached the iron gates of Althorp, the crowd gave one last quiet cheer as it turned up the pathway onto the drive, and it was lost behind the trees of the Althorp estate. This was the last time we'd see Diana, this was our goodbye. And as we saw the last of the hearse, this was when Diana really could rest in peace.
The only people attending Diana's internment on the Oval was her mother, brother, sisters and 'rock' Paul Burrell.
Earl Spencer has never allowed any filming on the island. But it's said to be a place of tranquility and privacy. Something that Diana had never really had all her adult life.
Saturday 6th September 1997 was the saddest day. It was the end of the saddest week. We had lost Diana and she was gone forever. But, as the bright English sun set on the city and on the Oval, we all knew that much like her wedding, England had produced a tasteful ceremony, something that was watched all over the world and was remembered forever. Moving, emotive and fitting for our Princess. Britain's Princess of Wales.
God bless you Diana.
We all miss you so very much.
