THE FUNERAL OF LADY DI, IN DATA: TEARS, FAINTINGS AND THE ABSENCE OF THE ROYAL SPANISH FAMILY
A million Londoners took to the streets, 2,000 people followed him on television and there were blackouts, misunderstandings and many stars dressed in mourning.
Lady Di passed away on August 31, 1997, and her funeral was held in London a week later, on September 6. It was probably the most widely broadcast and crowded funeral that our generation remembers. And a source of figures, anecdotes and images that we continue to talk about 23 years later. Here are some.
1.
The event brought London to a standstill, where approximately one million people came to witness the funeral procession, which went from Hyde Park to St. James's Palace. The following day's newspapers included not only images of devastated Englishmen, but also of the health services attending dozens of faints.
2.
Through television it was followed by 32 million people in England and by more than two billion people globally. To establish a comparison with the funeral of another absolute star: that of Michael Jackson was followed in the United States, with a population five times that of England, by 31 million people.
3.
Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, George Michael, Luciano Pavarotti, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were among the celebrity guests.
4.
Politicians such as Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair or Nelson Mandela, royals such as Noor of Jordan, Princess Margarita or Masako and Naruhito of Japan also attended. Curiously, no one came as a representative of the Spanish Royal House, despite the fact that Juan Carlos' relationship with the marriage formed by Carlos and Diana had been close in the eighties.
5.
The world of fashion was represented by Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld and Donatella Versace. Donatella had buried her brother Gianni just a month earlier. And next to her, in the front row, had been Diana.
6.
Elton John, a personal friend of Diana, sang a version of her song Candle in the wind, originally dedicated to Marilyn Monroe, with the lyrics updated by him and his lyricist Bernie Taupin. The lyrics of the original, which began as "Goodbye, Norma Jean, even though I never got to know you" was changed to "Goodbye, rose of England, maybe you will grow in our hearts." This version became the best-selling song of all time in England, remained 14 weeks at number one in the United States and is today the second best-selling single in history, well, dry.
7.
Diana's body was buried in a long black dress designed by Catherine Walker, one of Diana's bedside designers. Walker died of cancer in 2010.
8.
Shortly before the burial, the royal standard of the British monarchy that rested on Diana's coffin was removed by her brother, James, and replaced by the Spencer family ensign. "She is a Spencer," he stated. The children of Diana and Prince Charles were in favor of this change, but the move raised criticism among many British royalists.
9.
Diana is buried at Althorp, the Spencer family residence in Northhampshire, England. The residence has an artificial lake with an island on which her remains rest. Between July and September, the public can (or could) visit the monument that stands near the Island, but the island itself cannot be accessed. The Spencer family has a pantheon in Great Brington, but they feared that the massive influx of visitors and onlookers into a cemetery could end up damaging the facilities and would not allow the family to visit Diana in peace.
