Last Hours, Death, Transfer from France, Funeral and Interment

[Zonk]

It wouldn't surprise me.

Although Diana wasn't the love of Charles's life...at one time he did love her. I have read that by the time of her death...Charles and Diana had reached a level of peace and friendship. And she is/was the mother of his children.

 

[Osipi]

Coincidentally, I was just reading Christopher Anderson's "Diana's Boys"; and he writes that witnesses said that Charles head "snapped back" and he emitted a terrible noise.

There is no question about it that Charles was very deeply affected by the sudden death of his ex-wife. This showed me that no matter what garbage was in the media and rumors and scandals about the Waleses marriage and divorce, there was no real animosity between them at the time of Diana's death. Being an ex-husband, Charles didn't even have an obligation to fly to Paris at that time but he chose to out of respect for Diana and for his sons. This really raised my opinion of Charles a bit higher in my book and has grown ever since.

 

[ChantalC]

I have heard (read somewhere) that he didn't faint...but kind of gasped in shock. More like a realization that she was dead when he say the body.

I read about this story too. It was in "The day Diana died" by Christopher Anderson.

I didn't know Charles wore Diana's band until he got married again. Do you know where this source is from? Does anyone read about this in a book?

 

[QEII]

I know the Queen bowed when Diana's coffin passed, but did Princess Margaret bow?

 

[Iluvbertie]

I read about this story too. It was in "The day Diana died" by Christopher Anderson.

I didn't know Charles wore Diana's band until he got married again. Do you know where this source is from? Does anyone read about this in a book?

Have read it in books and seen photos of his hand clearly showing the wedding band on the same finger as his signet ring and behind that ring. The signet ring has the Prince of Wales crest on it and next to that ring is where he wore his wedding band to Diana.

 

[Duchessmary]

I don't think Princess Margaret bowed, from what I can remember.

 

[wbenson]

I can't be certain, but I think she did. It was a few seconds after the Queen, not very deep, and the camera angle was partially blocked by one of the King's Troop riders.

 

[ChantalC]

Have read it in books and seen photos of his hand clearly showing the wedding band on the same finger as his signet ring and behind that ring. The signet ring has the Prince of Wales crest on it and next to that ring is where he wore his wedding band to Diana.

Thank you for your information about Charles wearing Diana's band, Iluvbertie. I will find the old pictures of him wearing her band.

 

[scooter]

I believe that Bertie is saying that CHarles wore his own band, not Diana's. He wore his wedding band on his pinky below the signet ring during the years of his first marriage.

 

[Charlotte1]

I read about this story too. It was in "The day Diana died" by Christopher Anderson.

I didn't know Charles wore Diana's band until he got married again. Do you know where this source is from? Does anyone read about this in a book?

Hello magazine had photos of Charles's finger with both his signet ring and the wedding ring from his wedding to Diana. He removed the wedding ring after his engagement to Camilla, as did Camilla remove her wedding ring from Andrew. There were pictures and an article in early 2005.

There were also articles in various newspapers about Charles wearing his wedding ring to Diana after she died.

 

[AnnEliza]

Coincidentally, I was just reading Christopher Anderson's "Diana's Boys"; and he writes that witnesses said that Charles head "snapped back" and he emitted a terrible noise.

Not surprising, it must have been a terrible shock.

 

[Mirabel]

I will never understand why Diana was buried at Althorp, in the middle of nowhere!
I know Earl Spencer opined that she'd have wanted it that way, but I don't believe it for a moment. She was really a city girl and I think if she'd had a preference, she would have preferred to be in the heart of London.

I have always thought Diana should have been buried in Westminster Abbey; it's nonsense to say there wasn't room! (They made room for Olivier, after all).

 

[Osipi]

I will never understand why Diana was buried at Althorp, in the middle of nowhere!

Not only an island in the middle of nowhere, but an island that had also been used as a pet cemetary for family pets. I suppose it is peaceful and serene there and perhaps gives a semblance of Diana finally at peace.

 

[scooter]

There was some speculation at the time that The Oval burial sight was a decoy and that she was burried with her father and other ancestors in the church in the village by Althorp. By saying it was the oval, she would be undisturbed (if the dead can be 'disturbed') in the church.

 

[Iluvbertie]

I will never understand why Diana was buried at Althorp, in the middle of nowhere!
I know Earl Spencer opined that she'd have wanted it that way, but I don't believe it for a moment. She was really a city girl and I think if she'd had a preference, she would have preferred to be in the heart of London.

I have always thought Diana should have been buried in Westminster Abbey; it's nonsense to say there wasn't room! (They made room for Olivier, after all).

Olivier died in 1989 and was one of the last to be buried there. He also was cremated and Diana's will clearly insisted that she be buried and not cremated.

 

[Mirabel]

Olivier died in 1989 and was one of the last to be buried there. He also was cremated and Diana's will clearly insisted that she be buried and not cremated.

Even so, there's plenty of room if they cared to bury her there.
Anyone who's visited the Abbey knows that so why say there isn't room?

They could have made a tomb in the Cloisters, for instance, where visitors could leave flowers. I suspect Diana would have liked that.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Did she ever say she wanted to be buried in such a "royal place"?

 

[Mirabel]

Did she ever say she wanted to be buried in such a "royal place"?

I don't know that she ever said anything specific one way or another; I guess I was going by her comment that she wanted to be known as a "People's Princess."
Well, that seems in keeping with being buried in a more accessible place.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Can people visit her where she is buried?

 

[Mirabel]

Can people visit her where she is buried?

I understand it's possible at limited times of the year, for those willing to make the time and effort to trek out there to Althrop (though I think her grave can only be viewed at a distance).

It isn't easy or convenient, though.

Just think of all the visitors there would be, if she'd been buried in London!

 

[Osipi]

Can people visit her where she is buried?

As her grave site is at Allthorp, a private estate, I don't think so unless they are still opening up for the tours and it includes a visit to the island. Haven't heard anything in a long time but didn't they close the tours/museum at Allthorp?

 

[Osipi]

I don't know that she ever said anything specific one way or another; I guess I was going by her comment that she wanted to be known as a "People's Princess."
Well, that seems in keeping with being buried in a more accessible place.

Maybe in time they do plan on moving her off that island to either the Spencer burial plot or perhaps somewhere more accessible. At the time of her death, I really think it made a lot of sense to inter her on the Spencer private estate of Allthorp. With the mass hysteria going on around that time, can you imagine if she was buried somewhere public? We would probably have seen chunks of Diana's gravestone and other such things going for high prices on Ebay and who knows where else.

 

[Lady Ann]

I really hope the just leave her there, I could not think of them exuming her body to be moved somewhere else. Not to metion the stess it would cause her two sons.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Her will clearly says 'I wish to be buried' as Point 2 of her will. Point 1 appoints the executors of the will.

At the time of her death the original plan was for her to be buried with her father at the Althorp village church but the locals felt, rightly so I believe, that the consequent fanatical visitors would spoil their lifestyles and that the village simply wouldn't cope.

Lord Althorp agree and they decided on the island.

As for Westminster Abbey, I have been there and the place is packed with tombs etc. The authorities there have declared it full and they are the ones who know.

I am pleased that she is on an island away from the public who would never let her rest in piece if her tomb was accessible.

 

[Mirabel]

The Abbey has lots of tombs, of course, but there's also plenty of space; that's evident if you just walk around the place. However, for some reason they did say there's no more room, so I suppose we'll have to wait and see if they change their minds in the future.

As for Diana resting in peace, I don't see why a more accessible burial place would prevent that. Naturally no one wants ghouls ripping away chunks of the masonry for souvenirs, but that wouldn't happen in a place like the Abbey anyway.

Still, what's done is done, and I don't foresee any changes in future. It just seems to me as if everyone wanted her tucked away out of sight and out of mind.

 

[Iluvbertie]

The Abbey has lots of tombs, of course, but there's also plenty of space; that's evident if you just walk around the place. However, for some reason they did say there's no more room, so I suppose we'll have to wait and see if they change their minds in the future.

On this we will have to disagree.

Having walked around it a number of times with 1000s of others and would like them to get rid of some of the tombs so that you can see the really important ones. The place is packed with them and you can't turn around for walking into tombs.

The primary purpose of the Abbey is as a place of worship and more tombs would mean fewer people could actually worship there.

 

[MRSJ]

Since at her death she was technically not a member of BRF could she even be buried at the Abbey? I thought only Kings and Queens and RF members could be but I may be way wrong about this-

 

[KittyAtlanta]

It is said that in 1892 there were, perhaps, 90 to 95 burial spaces left in the Abbey.
(From:
The Tombs in Westminster Abbey
Henry W. Lucy
The North American Review
Vol. 154, No. 423 (Feb., 1892), pp. 245-249

 

[Iluvbertie]

Since at her death she was technically not a member of BRF could she even be buried at the Abbey? I thought only Kings and Queens and RF members could be but I may be way wrong about this-

Lots of other people have been buried there - writers and the like as well as people who have served the Abbey in some way e.g. Chaucer (no he isn't there as a writer but due to the position he held at the Abbey).

They offered Churchill a space there but he turned them down as he wanted to be buried with his wife at Bladon - and he is.

 

[MRSJ]

Lots of other people have been buried there - writers and the like as well as people who have served the Abbey in some way e.g. Chaucer (no he isn't there as a writer but due to the position he held at the Abbey).

They offered Churchill a space there but he turned them down as he wanted to be buried with his wife at Bladon - and he is.

Oh wow! Thanks for the info, I was way off.... I've only visited the Abbey once in 1998 so it's hard to remember everything- Thanks