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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To ask if any of you went to London for Princess Diana's funeral?

479 replies

ewenice · 14/04/2019 13:34

Just watching a documentary about the week following Princess Diana's death and the overwhelming outpouring of grief that crossed the country. We were living overseas at the time so had no idea of the effect it had.

Did anyone on here go down to London during that week for the funeral or to sign the condolence books?

OP posts:

DrDreReturns · 14/04/2019 17:21

I'm afraid I was unmoved by it. That's how I felt, you couldn't really say so at the time because there was such an intense atmosphere. I get that other people were upset, but not me.

WillGymForPizza · 14/04/2019 17:21

No, but we knew people who drove down to leave flowers at Kensington Palace, then drove straight back. We live 150 miles away from London.. Even then I thought they were bonkers.

Sweetpea55 · 14/04/2019 17:23

Good god no.. Why would anyone want to..?

GabrielleNelson · 14/04/2019 17:25

I was living in London, by the way. Fortunately a good long way from Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace. I steered clear of central London as big hysterical crowds are not my thing at all.

StoneofDestiny · 14/04/2019 17:27

No. Never knew her, why would I? (Would she have come to any of our funerals?)

Darkbendis · 14/04/2019 17:27

I was living abroad at that time ( and could have never imagined that a few years later I would be living in Scotland as a naturalized Brit) so I watched some of the funeral on TV as it was news and something totally out of the ordinary for my country. I remember feeling awfully sorry for her two boys, walking behind her coffin, paraded in front of so many people instead of being allowed to grieve, and yes, I remember being in tears at the "Mummy" wreath.

sue51 · 14/04/2019 17:28

I lived in West London and it never occured to me that I should place flowers at the home of a woman I had never met. At DD's school much more was made of the passing of Mother Teresa than Diana's death. Not everyone lost their reason over it.

BoneyBackJefferson · 14/04/2019 17:33

TinklyLittleLaugh
Mumsnet is so weird about Diana. Where were all these dissenters when the country was grieving?

anybody that said anything negative about diana was turned on and a serious amount of vitriol thrown at them.

DrMidgeryMargery · 14/04/2019 17:36

I’m the same age as William, so would have been 14ish? I remember thinking how weird it all was, the television was completely taken over for what seemed like forever and my mum wanted to watch all of it. I wasn’t interested. But what struck me, and still strikes me as weird, was the Elton John song. Recycling an old song and changing some words seems really, hmm I can’t think of the word...cheap? Particularly given the subject of the original. And it sold by the million. But I have a friend who still loves it now and is very defensive of it. Who the hell bought it? (Besides my mum and my friend)

derxa · 14/04/2019 17:36

Mumsnet is so weird about Diana Probably all these people who never answer the doorbell or answer the telephone.

TalkinPaece · 14/04/2019 17:39

I remember phoning up Radio 4 comedy desk with some Diana jokes and the lovely chap on the other end telling me that satire about her was banned

WillGymForPizza · 14/04/2019 17:42

It was a very odd time though wasn't it? I think if you'd have told people before it happened that British people could ever behave like that they'd never have believed you.

poorbuthappy · 14/04/2019 17:47

We stood on the bridge over the M1 at junction 12 as the funeral procession went past. It was a very very odd atmosphere and feeling. Watching people walk on the motorway was also very weird!

limitedperiodonly · 14/04/2019 18:00

Mumsnet is so weird about Diana Probably all these people who never answer the doorbell or answer the telephone

I'm sniggering Derxa.

TalkinPaece · 14/04/2019 18:02

Derxa
They did not answer the door because Diana wold not have taken her shoes off in their houses

Badtasteflump · 14/04/2019 18:04

DrMidgery absolutely agree. The song was absolutely awful, and so cheesy. And even if it had been a decent song, why buy it? Who would actually want to sit at home playing a funeral song?

Honestly, my overriding memory of that time is of the world going nuts - and all the attention seekers claiming it as their tragedy.

derxa · 14/04/2019 18:05

They did not answer the door because Diana wold not have taken her shoes off in their houses She might have wanted to do a dump in their loo.

limitedperiodonly · 14/04/2019 18:10

I was living in London, by the way. Fortunately a good long way from Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace. I steered clear of central London as big hysterical crowds are not my thing at all.

Oh give over GabrielleNelson. I live a mile from Buckingham Palace. It was a strange time but I didn't have to hack my way though wailing crowds like the scramble for the last helicopter out of Saigon.

As a brave little soldier, I battled through people who were a bit sad and weepy with tea lights and teddies. I'm confident you would have been up to it too.

HumansCannotEverChangeSex · 14/04/2019 18:10

I remember seeing poor William & Harry having to get out the car & speak to people. I thought it was horrible these 2 wee boys being expected to speak to all these awful crying people when it was them whod suffered the loss.

That’s just awful. Sickening actually.

Helmetbymidnight · 14/04/2019 18:13

They did not answer the door because Diana wold not have taken her shoes off in their houses grin She might have wanted to do a dump in their loo.

HumansCannotEverChangeSex · 14/04/2019 18:15

We went to Alton Towers for the day because we knew that the queues would be tiny compared to a normal day.

It was lovely and peaceful and we got on the rides without having to queue at all

That’s brilliant lol

TheNavigator · 14/04/2019 18:18

It was a weird time and some people got carried away but I find the people insisting they were unmoved weirder.

Really? I live in Scotland and I can't remember anyone making a great big fuss at the time. I remember when I went to get my baby weighed, one other mum was saying she felt she should pay her respects somehow. The rest of us just looking at her a bit surprised and politely moved the conversation on. I don't watch much TV, so pretty easy to avoid.

It really wasn't 'national hysteria' as far as I am aware, the garment rending was largely confined to the south of England and as per usual that is taken to represent the feelings of the entire nation. Nope.

Vole3 · 14/04/2019 18:19

I travelled from Sussex to Norfolk via London on the day. Underground was deserted 😀

Puzzledandpissedoff · 14/04/2019 18:21

anybody that said anything negative about diana was turned on and a serious amount of vitriol thrown at them

Not just the negative comments, Boney - even "sad but neutral" met with rage

Ditto "I hope they're doing the right thing / will be happy" when she and Charles got married

TalkinPaece · 14/04/2019 18:25

I got grief from colleagues about not signing the condolence book
I ended up pretending I'd signed a different one
it was very pressured competitive grieving

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