A Funeral For A Queen That Never Was

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.

Can It Really Be Eleven Years?

It was hard enough last year to believe it had been a decade since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in a car accident in Paris on a hot, sticky August 1997 night. Last year we had a spectacular concert and moving memorial service to mark her 46th birthday and ten years since her death. Now, we are coming up to the eleventh anniversary of her death, and yet, strangely, somehow it only seems like yesterday.

Today, in Britain the weather is very similar to how it was the day before Diana died. And, the 31st will fall on a Sunday, the same day Diana died. It is amazing how much life changes in eleven years. How different, for instance, the monarchy is since Diana left us. So it's so hard not to think about to this time eleven years ago. And it's very sad to do so.

Quite often I wonder what we have missed out on in eleven years. What photographs we have missed, what video footage we will never see. What clothes would Diana have worn, what paths would she have taken in both her private and public life. What sort of mother would she be to two boy who have now grown into men and who are on the cusp of starting their own families and married life. How would Diana of aged physically, would she of had surgery? We'll sadly never know the answers to these questions.

What with the passing of years and the easing of grief, I fear, that though Diana will never be forgotten, her death is slowly year by year going unrecognised. Last year, being the first decade since her death was different, but it seems to be the rule and not the exception now that it barely gets a mention, outside the world of Diana fans.

Personally, I think about her death on the anniversary every year without fail. But then I think of Diana a lot on the whole. But aside from people like me, the world seems to have forgotten what happened on 31st August 1997. It's very saddening for me, but then that is life. Things move on, and they, unlike Dodi Fayed's Park Lane apartment, they also change. The world doesn't stop still when someone like Diana dies. It continues.

I would like to think that in the past eleven years, if she had survived that she would win the battles that seemed to drive her personal life. Maybe she'd of remarried, settling down with someone who really loved, cherished and protected her.

I would also like to think that she would of remained at the top of her 'profession', that being her work in the charitable field. I cannot of seen Diana being a lady who lunched. She tried that for a short while in the early 1990's and it neither made her happy or fulfilled her. I think Diana really realised that having nothing to do wasn't a option for her, as she was, friend's say, a ball of energy.

As a mother, I imagine her to be fair to her sons. She would, I feel, of allowed them to be themselves. 'Boys will be boys' she would often say to friends in reference to her sons. But, at the same time, she would of reigned them in also, showing them that yes, have fun, but they also have a serious role and a duty to serve their country.

It has been claimed in the year after their divorce, the relationship between Charles and Diana was not just cordial but friendly. Charles still sent her birthday gifts, and would often drop in to see Diana at Kensington Palace, still commenting on her nice long legs. On her desk, ready to be opened on her return to London, was a letter from Charles discussing their youngest son, Prince Harry who was struggling at school with his work. I think their friendship would of developed, not into love, but a working relationship. Diana, though, still held a torch for Charles, delighting even after their divorce, when he wore a particular sweater that she had brought for him. Maybe, they both would of mature and became two fantastic parents to two fantastic boys.

The Diana of 2008 would be a vastly different Diana to the one in 1997. But, even at the point of her death, she was maturing, morphing into a completely different woman. I feel she would of still been self absorbed, it was a characteristic of hers, but I don't think if she were alive today, she'd still be quite so at odds with herself. It is nice to think that the lessons she had learnt through life would of taught her more about herself. She was growing up, experiencing the world behind the guilt Palace gates. And it was changing her for the better, giving her a wider perspective on things.

How Diana would of reacted to the remarriage of Prince Charles to long term love Camilla Parker-Bowles would be a touchy subject as I truly believe Diana never really loved anyone else but Charles. I believe a lot of her public dating and romances were aimed at making him jealous. I think she would of been desperately hurt to see him remarry as she never really got over him at all. But, this subject is any one's guess and I'm sure many would disagree with me.

Diana would always continue to be seen as royal and I think she'd never really loose the title of Princess, even if she had remarried. She was Britain's Princess who was loved around the world. And she continues to be loved.

Many write now not gushing sentimental words, but words of criticism. Many journalists feel it's now 'safe' to tarnish the memory of Diana. Yes, she was not perfect, we know that, but it's quite astounding the rubbish that is printed about her. Paul Burrell her once loyal rock has hinted that he slept with her. People she considered friends such as guitarist Eric Clapton and George Michael both claim she wanted to be their lovers. Ten years ago this type of reporting would of not happened, and if stories had worked their way into print, would of been panned by the very papers they were published in. But, sadly, as Diana is no longer here to defend herself, it seems anything goes.


Diana herself said in her now famous Panorama interview that she wanted to be '......Queen of people's hearts'. On the day of her death the then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair said she 'was the People's Princess and will always remain so'. To me, as one person, she always will be H.R.H The Princess Of Wales, the Queen of People's Hearts and The People's Princess.

She was Britain's princess, and she was my Princess. And nothing will ever change that.

What It's Like To Visit The Royal Palaces.

Within the last few years I've been incredibly lucky to have visited three of the major Royal residences, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Kensington Palace. Also I've visited the grounds of Sandringham and of course Diana's ancestral home, Althorp House, in Northamptonshire.

Initially Buckingham Palace was first opened to help fund the renovation of Windsor Castle after part of it burnt down in a fire. Only a few rooms were open then and numbers were limited, but it seems now that a bigger part of Buckingham Palace is open and you can either pre-book or pay on the gate.

What interested me the most about visiting Buckingham Palace is you can see it from the inside out and the view is very different. Instead of having your nose up against the fence trying to peer inside, you can stand the other way and look out towards the crowds, St James's Park and down the Mall. On the royal wedding videos I have, for instance, you see the newlyweds arriving at the Palace and disappearing through a door and that's it. But when you visit the Palace you can see through that door and see what the Royal's see.

In a strange way, visiting a Royal residence is not unlike visiting a old relative. You get to see the best and worst. In Buckingham Palace I was surprised to see some really truly wonderful furniture that you'd be scared to sit on. And funnily, in the next room you may come across a tatty old chair, it's fabric fraying at the edges. And you realise that chair is worth thousands and yet, could do with a decent clean.

A lot of royal residences are cluttered, with the state apartments (the apartments that are open to the public) having ornaments and other things crammed on every service. In Kensington Palace recently I noticed that some room's had copious amounts of blue and white pottery on every surface, over every fire place and on every table available. I smiled to myself that this indeed, was the wishes of the former residence, Queen Mary and yes, she did clutter her state rooms with china almost everywhere.

There is something magical about visiting a residence. Buckingham Palace has wonderful grounds, and seeing the steps and grass that Charles and Diana walked on when their engagement was announced was excellent. At Windsor Castle you get to see views of some of the finest golf courses in Windsor, at Kensington Palace, on a sunny day, you get wonderful lighting, the red brick palace coming alive in the sunshine.

To walk where your hero's have walked is something else. To see what Diana saw with her own eyes stuns you. On the day Paul and I visited Windsor Castle Prince Edward and Sophie's youngest child, their son, James was being christened. You had a eerie feeling that maybe you were not that far from a royal. Looking out of a window to the grounds, I noticed expensive looking luggage being delivered to a small door. I wondered whose it was. Those moments are priceless.

When you visit these buildings that are hundreds of years old you can't fail to appreciate the history. These buildings were alive and bustling with people hundreds of years before I was born and hopefully will continue to thrive hundreds of years after I've gone. Buckingham Palace was a pensive place. I recall the glorious royal weddings of the 1980's and the now famous appearances on the balcony. But also, you can't help but remember the funeral of Diana, her coffin passing by Buckingham Palace and HM bowing her head in respect. I recall the days after Diana's death, when the row over whether the flag would fly half-mast, people angry with the media and shouting at reporters by the famous iron gates. Those gates alone could tell many a story.

It's nice that HM the Queen has opened up the gates to her residences, giving us the chance to look inside and appreciate our history. Those iconic buildings somehow change from the grey buildings on postcards to a real house where people work and live.

Understandably the palace that moves me the most is Kensington Palace, the residence of my idol, Diana, Princess of Wales. To look through the windows out onto the park and the lake you get to see the views that Diana saw day in, day out. The hustle of staff, the bustle of chauffeurs cleaning cars. Has Diana seen this part of the palace, you ask yourself constantly. Did she have any need to go here, or there. Is that where she parked her car? Was that her private garden? By opening up the doors and allowing us in HM The Queen has given us the chance to ask these questions. To feel close to those we admire.

If ever you have the chance to visit one, or all of these places then do so. You feel royal yourself if even for a few hours. And it gives you a chance for tranquility in an otherwise havoc filled, busy city.