It was one of the darkest moments in royal history, public opinion of the royals was already at an all-time low, and then Queen Elizabeth made a decision that would continue to haunt her to this day.
Why didn’t she go to London after news of Princess Diana’s death on August 31, 1997?
The Queen, then 71, was staying at Balmoral Castle, Scotland and was joined by grandsons William, then 15, and Harry, then 12 when news reached them of the tragic accident.
According to Charles Anson, former press secretary to the Queen, has revealed why she made that controversial decision.
“It wasn’t that easy for the Queen,” Anson told People. “They did what any decent family would do. The first thing was to gather round those boys and give them as much protection and support as possible.”
Mark Stewart, a photographer who was at Diana’s funeral recalled the moment that the Queen paid subtle tribute to Diana.
“I saw the Queen and the royal family, walking out of the palace down to the side of the road with the public. I pushed my way through the crowd, which was about 20 deep, and luckily the BBC had left a ladder against a tree.”
“ managed to climb the ladder, and I have the only shot of the Queen bowing her head at the coffin as it goes past. It showed the Queen…the best of the Queen, really.”
