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

[ewenice]

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?

Really? I live in Scotland and I can't remember anyone making a great big fuss at the time.

You were in Scotland TheNavigator. You wouldn't have known what the atmosphere was like in London and I don't expect you to. The OP is asking for people's memories of being in London at that time and you weren't there. It was very intense in a very small part of London, but as I said, I don't expect you to know that.

My friend was in London at the time abs did go to Kensington palace out of curiosity. He said it stank of rotting flowers, and the atmosphere was very strange.

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

I don't remember this at all. Lots of people weren't that fussed. Most people said it was sad and those poor boys and then just carried on as usual.

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

In exactly the same place they were before the death. You just weren't paying attention, hardly surprising as you seem to believe that "the country was grieving". Wot - ALL of us? Nope, but clearly you were only perceiving your fellow-grievers.

I'm also laughing at your use of the term "dissenter". It's hardly dissent to be uninterested in a woman you do not know, & to be more concerned with your own family & friends than a media circus.

No and I find people who turn up at public funerals weird

You were in Scotland TheNavigator. You wouldn't have known what the atmosphere was like in London and I don't expect you to. The OP is asking for people's memories of being in London at that time and you weren't there.

Nope, the OP asked if anyone had travelled to London for Diana's funeral. No one I know in Scotland travelled to London, that is for sure!

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

Getting on with their lives with the occasional eye roll when they heard a newsreader say 'the nation is in mourning' - oh no it wasn't.

No and I find people who turn up at public funerals weird You'd find us very weird in rural Scotland. We all go to the same funerals.

Nope wasn't interested. I lived in London at the time too and thought the out pouring of grief was OTT. I remember someone at work crying inconsolably and I told her to go and wipe her face and sort her self out.

I didn't go on the day of the funeral but I did visit Kensington Palace Gardens to see the sea of flowers. I didn't queue to sign the book of condolences as don't really understand that.
It was a great experience. Even seeing it on TV does not prepare you for the sight of all those flowers. They were piled on top of each other and were 2-2.5' deep in places. It was heartening to see so many people cared.

I found the chucking of flowers at the car very strange. Why would you do that?

I remember thinking that everyone who bought flowers/candles/balloons/teddies to leave on the ground at Kensington Palace had donated the money to one of Diana's charities instead what a difference that would have made.

Not the funeral but travelled to lay some flowers. It was a very moving sight but I didn't cry or anything. I was moved by the tragedy of her death and the loss to the causes she was shedding light on. Think any young death is extremely sad and shocking.

No. Instead I was trying to do a long drive and getting very stressed as all the petrol stations were closed as a mark of respect. Was on the fumes by the time I found somewhere.

Lots of people picking up on my earlier comment.

I’m a couple of years younger than Diana. I have a distinct memory of sitting in O level physics and us all chatting about how crazy it was she was marrying an unattractive old bloke like Charles. I’m not a royalist: I was sitting on the beach with my extended family when her royal wedding was on.

But Diana was the biggest celebrity in Britain for years and years. The interest shown in Kate or Meghan or the princes doesn’t even come close. And lots of people did really love her, because her image was kind and caring pretty girl next door. She was interested in people in a way none of the royals had been before. Even non royalists loved her because it was generally though she’d been treated pretty shabbily.

Her death was pretty shocking. And then, initially seemed to be being a bit minimised by the royals, her being out of the club and all. Apparently Blair stepped in and told them to up their game and give her a state funeral or it would all be a PR disaster.

I was living up north at the time. Most people I knew thought it was tragic because she was a pretty young mum with everything to live for and even then there were the beginnings of the conspiracy theories. Most people watched the funeral on the telly (3.1 million according to google). Like I said, I’m not a royalist but I thought it was sad and shocking and somehow a bit disturbing. The mood was very strange; somehow quite anti establishment.

No one said publicly, “Oh I’m not interested in this, I didn’t know her.” No one, not the most outrageous social commentator or goady person down the pub. Yet apparently vast swathes of mumsnet were thinking just this.

If MN had existed in 1997 I am sure there would have been threads where people said they weren't interested. Perhaps we should be glad it didn't thinking about it.

I found it all very bizarre. My friend in work spent all weekend crying and I couldn't understand it.
Then when Prince died I cried, on and off, for weeks days and if I could have got to Paisley Park I would have went, so I presume it's the same sort of thing.

You cannot understand what it was like TheNavigator because you weren't here. It was truly something to behold. That's nothing to do with being Scottish or English. You just had to be here. If I hadn't been here, I would find it hard to comprehend too.

Probably vast swathes of the country really @TinklyLittleLaugh but it was not acceptable to say so at the time.

Nope. Why would I? I didn't know her. Nothing in her life meant anything to me. Didn't think she was anything other than a spoilt little rich girl - probably none too bright - used as a brood mare by the Windsor family to keep the blood line going. Sickened by the whole pathetic hypocritical public grief thing.

I was on an Air Canada flight back from Toronto when Diana died. I remember being bored and swapping magazines with a fellow traveller. It had an article in it saying how William wasn't happy about Diana's relationahipwith Dodi.

Nothing was said/announced on the plane which is astonishing for a country that belongs to the commonwealth. We heard nothing at Heathrow and nothing on the flights link coach to our home town.

When we picked up our car, we turned the radio on and it was just classical music. I instinctively knew someone important had died.

I didnt go but worked in a hotel in Kensington at the time. The tube smelled of flowers, and we were berated repeatedly in reception for the window boxes not having flowers to pick by people who arrived later than those who did pick them.

Ohh just had a moment!!! Can you imagine if facebook had of been around then... Shudder!!!

BeenThereDone
Let alone Twitter and Instagram

I remember reading a magazine story entitled 'why I'll never mourn for Diana' turned out her son died that day. And she had so her friends phoning weeping and wailing over Diana.

No. Didn’t know the woman, why would I?