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?

I used to wonder how much the charities Diana was a patron of would have benefitted if people had sent money instead of spending it on flowers?

No. I was in New York and my cousin went up to sign the book at the embassy. I travelled home on the day of her funeral. I was in the airport waiting on dh (was the Df) when there was a minutes silence and he had it on his flight from Heathrow.

No. I never met her and thought the 'field of flowers' thing was a mess which has since left a legacy of leaving flowers at the scenes of accidents etc (can't remember that happening before)

Honestly don't understand this public weeping at famous people dying a bit creepy and embarrassing.

@WithAllIntenseAndPurposes I think that in these days of SM one just can't imagine the coverage that she had. There was a documentary about how much she was hounded by the press. She literally couldn't walk anywhere without a journalist sticking a microphone in front of her face. She was shamefully treated by the RF. She was used as a brood mare to provide heirs. She was so much younger than Charles, had to be checked she was still a virgin before they married.

I lived in Europe at the time of her wedding. If anything she had more covers on their magazines than UK ones.

Her death and funeral were an event. I wanted my DS to be able to say he'd been there. He didn't suffer. The crowds were very subdued and not at all mob-like. I've never been in a crowd like it.

No I did not (lived outside London in the 1990s) and did not watch the funeral on tv. It was a sunny day and I spent a pleasant morning walking along a local beach.

We went to see the flowers, we rarely ever went to London but did to see them. I will always remembered them and the hushed atmosphere

No but my dad was filming part of the funeral procession for the bbc. All the camera men had to wear dark suits .
I saw the plane carrying her body land at Northolt airfield , was quite young but remember really well

No but I was only 16. Same age as William and my mum is/was same age as Diana. I didn't really think much of it til I watched the funeral. Watching the boys walk behind the coffin really hit me, as alI could think was (selfishly I suppose) how horrific it would be to lose my mum at that age. I know they live in a different world but each milestone he has hit (marriage, children etc.) I've just felt so sad for him not having her there. It just makes me very grateful for having my mum be there for me through everything

We were on holiday on Majorca and a local British pub was advertising that they were showing the funeral with free food and drink. So we turned up and it was rammed.

We felt duty bound to watch the funeral ( as we we're accepting their hospitality) but it was bizarre the number of people sobbing and wailing while watching the telly. I did wonder if the large amounts of free booze consumed had anything to do with it!

*we were accepting

I'm even more aghast someone would take a young kid to a funeral of a stranger what had you been on?

Oh get over yourself WithAllIntenseAndPurposes. You might not want to do it and neither would I but I doesn't make it wrong.

It was very warm that week and I guess IloveJudgeJudy wrapped her toddler up well. I expect they had a nice time on the Mall and it was a moment of history.

I live nearby. If I'd have known, I might have invited her and the little one and her mum in for tea or something stronger. Not you, though because you sound like a miserable bugger

I drove down to London that day to see my bf. m1 was deserted. Parked on hard shoulder...crossed carriageway, sat on central reservation to see the funeral cars on way to Althorpe. Bizarre day

I lived and worked in London so I was there but didn't go specifically to London and didn't sign any of the books though I did see all the flowers when passing by.

The outpouring of grief was self indulgent nonsense.
I walked through George Square in Glasgow every day after she died and it was full of bunches of flowers. I didn't lay any. I felt sorry for her family, especially the boys, but I didn't grieve her as I didn't know her.
It was a pretty weird time.

I was 20 and on holiday in the US with my boyfriend when she died. We arrived in London a couple of days before the funeral and couldn't believe the hooha. It was like the entire nation had been hypnotised...mass hysteria.

We went to see the flowers at Kensington gate - kind of felt we should experience the atmosphere because we happened to be there at the time. We were respectful but I didn't feel moved to tears or anything.

Didn't even watch the funeral on tv though. No idea what I was doing.

I lived and worked in London at the time but hell no. We were actually, believe it or not, in Paris the very weekend she died. We were getting the Eurostar back on the Sunday and I remember it starting there - everyone looked shell shocked. The rest of it though, the wailing, flowers, people travelling down from miles away etc I found utterly pathetic. Unless anyone knew her personally it was just silly group hysteria imo and grief vampires with empty lives.

Someone made a three year old sleep outside to listen to the funeral of a stranger? A funeral that was televised if you were inclined to watch it??

That’s not normal.

There is something distinctively English about it. As a Classicist, I see parallels in Ancient Rome! How far have we moved on? Not at all.

You wanted your son to be able to say he’d been in a crowd outside someone’s funeral??

Seriously, that’s unhinged 😂😂😂

“When I was three I was one of millions of people who watched Diana’s funeral. Except I was outside with a sleeping bag.”

WTAF?? Sorry, that’s hilariously bizarre!

See my post above princeps

Yes but we lived very close to Hyde Park so wasn't a trek to get to

Lol at most people didn't care/notice/were indifferent.

A quick google tells you that 31 million people in the UK watched the funeral on TV. And 2.5 billion around the world.

Oh yes, totally indifferent or weird obsessed grief tourist.

or something inbetween, like me, who was shocked, watched the funeral, shed a tear, felt sad for the boys, but didn't mistake it for deep grief.

That era of celebrity is gone, though.

When I was three I was one of millions people who watched Diana’s funeral. Except I was outside with a sleeping bag.” WTAF?? Sorry, that’s hilariously bizarre!

You're so terribly sophisticated IvanaPee

I dont think there was much indifference. The people who didn't care about Diana per se and were weirded out by it all often still had quite strong feelings about the whole situation.

There was nothing else on telly was there?

Those poor people HAD NO CHOICE!