Following Princess Diana’s tragic death in August 1997, Queen Elizabeth II‘s slow response garnered a huge outpour of questioning from the British public.
The Queen, then aged 71, found the monarchy being questioned like never before.
Since then, royal experts have examined in what ways the Queen might have acted differently.
Should she have spoken publicly at in Scotland, where she and Diana’s two young sons – Prince William, 15, and Prince Harry, 12 – were staying? Should she have immediately returned back to London?
When Her Majesty finally did arrive in London, the monarch walked among mourners, collecting flowers and personal cards. She then gave her first address to the public on the eve of Diana’s funeral.
On the morning of the funeral, just six days after Diana’s tragic death, the Queen made a subtle gesture that many royal commentators thought changed the public’s opinion.
As the funeral cortege passed the palace, the monarch led her family out to the gates.
