On September 6, 1997, the funeral of Diana Princess of Wales was broadcast to billions of people around the world. Celebrity funerals always attract the public’s attention, but this was different. In contrast to the staggering scope of the event, small details from Princess Diana’s funeral reveal the event for what it fundamentally was: a time to mourn one of the most beloved public figures in the world, a woman who was also a mother, friend, and compassionate global citizen.
Princess Diana tragically passed on August 31, 1997, at the age of 36. Though estranged from the British royal family – her disastrous marriage to Prince Charles officially ended in 1996 after years of pain, betrayal, and separation – she left behind two adored sons, Princes William and Harry, who deeply loved her. Diana’s passing was also a loss for people around the world who felt they connected with her vulnerability, compassion, and philanthropic spirit.
Behind the pomp and ceremony of the Princess Diana funeral – including her burial dress and the funeral music that stayed on the airwaves for months after the event – were small moments of heartbreak, tension, and poignancy from a family, nation, and world grieving the loss of the so-called “People’s Princess.”
