From Tearful Tributes To Family Drama: Inside Princess Diana's Emotional Funeral
Aug. 29 2017, Updated 10:12 a.m. ET
It has been 20 years since Princess Diana passed away from a tragic car accident in Paris at the age of 36 on August 31, 1997 – but the images from her heartbreaking funeral continue to devastate those who loved her even today. Go inside the day the world said goodbye to the People's Princess.
The Princess of Wales' funeral took place on September 6, 1997. The casket was placed on a gun carriage and drawn by six black horses from her home of Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey in London. Three wreaths of white flowers, one from her two sons and one from her brother, were placed on top of the coffin.
Princess Diana's ex-husband Prince Charles, sons Prince William and Prince Harry, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and her brother Earl Charles Spencer walked behind the casket during the funeral procession.
In attendance for the sad day was Princess Diana's good friends Elton John and the now-late George Michael. John performed an emotional rendition of "Candle in the Wind" at the funeral. He revised the lyrics to honor Princess Diana and has only performed that version at her funeral despite multiple requests throughout the years.
The funeral wasn't without drama, as her brother criticized Queen Elizabeth II for getting rid of her royal title during her eulogy. "Someone with a natural nobility who was classless and who proved in the last year that she needed no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic," he said, adding, "I pledge that we, your blood family, will do all we can to continue the imaginative and loving way in which you were steering these two exceptional young men so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition, but can sing openly as you planned."
Princess Diana was at odds with the royal family at the time of her death. The Queen attended the funeral despite being criticized for waiting until the funeral to lower the Union Jack to half-staff and for waiting six days after her death to address the nation.
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Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, who was married to Prince Charles' brother Prince Andrew from 1986 to 1996, attended the service with their two children Eugenie and Beatrice.
Another famous face at the funeral was Hillary Clinton. Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and more attended the star-studded funeral.https://radaronline.com/videos/ex-princess-diana-butler-paul-burrell-admits-i-aided-her-bulimia/
Family and friends weren't the only ones who attended the funeral, as 19 million viewers watched the ceremony on TV.
Over 12 tons of bouquets were left outside Kensington Palace and around the city to honor the late Princess of Wales.
Prince William and Prince Harry, who were 15 and 12 at the time, opened up about walking in the funeral procession through London. "It wasn't an easy decision, and it was a collective family decision to do that," the Duke of Cambridge, 35, said in the documentary Diana, 7 Days. "It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But we were overwhelmed by how many people turned out, it was just incredible. There was that balance between duty and family and that's what we had to do."
Prince Harry, 32, added, "I think it was a group decision. But before I knew it, I found myself with a suit on with a black tie and a white shirt, I think, and I was part of it. Genuinely, I don't have an opinion on whether that was right or wrong. I am glad I was part of it. Looking back on it now, I am very glad I was part of it."
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