There is no doubt that the burial of Queen Elizabeth II was an emotionally draining event for ardent royalists, international leaders, and, of course, the royal family themselves. However, there are many who believe that the royal family made a mistake by including an element that was reminiscent of Princess Diana’s burial in 1997.
It is important to note that despite the fact that the funerals for Princess Diana and the late queen were both enormous occasions, there are important distinctions between the two funerals. To begin, since Her Majesty had previously served as head of state, a formal burial was held for her when she passed away. On the other hand, the memorial ceremony for Princess Diana, who had passed away, was not. This was published by the Washington Post at the time. As a result, the funeral for the queen was conducted on a considerably bigger scale. According to Metro, the funeral for the deceased king is expected to have the most number of viewers of any televised event in the history of television. Over 400,000 people were watching the BBC live stream for the funeral on YouTube at the time this article was being written, while an additional 438,000 viewers were tuning in to see Sky News’ broadcast on YouTube.
The presence of a large number of dignitaries during Her Majesty’s burial lends an air of solemnity to the occasion. According to CBS News, there would be an expected attendance of 500 royals and other heads of state from across the globe. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, talked to AP News about the “extraordinary” hazards that are now present. In view of the many ways in which Princess Diana and the queen are distinct from one another, what aspect of the procedures has caused people to talk? And why does it bring royal observers back to the burial of Princess Diana even after all these years?
Some people have been quick to point out that there is, in fact, an unsettling likeness between the funerals of Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II, despite the fact that their funerals were different from one another. This would refer to the participation of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who are both children of Prince William, the Prince of Wales, in the funeral procession.
As the casket of Queen Elizabeth II made her way inside Westminster Abbey, her grandchildren, Prince George of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales, marched behind it. It was too real for some people, especially those who remembered the glum expressions on the faces of little Prince William and Prince Harry as they followed behind the coffin of their mother decades before. A fan on another social media platform took to Twitter and commented that their inclusion was, “It brought back too many memories of Prince William and Prince Harry marching behind Princess Diana’s (coffin) casket. Have they not retained any of what they learned?” It is important to note that in the documentary “Diana, 7 Days,” which was released in 2017, the boys mentioned how hard it was for them to follow behind their mother’s coffin. The Prince of Wales, William, was quoted as saying that it was “one of the toughest things I’ve ever done” (via Us Weekly). In addition, he reflected on how it had been “a long trek all by myself.” The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, said in an interview with Newsweek, “I don’t believe any youngster should be expected to do that, under any circumstances.”
During the same interview, Harry expressed his thoughts on the matter, saying, “I don’t believe that would happen now.” Evidently, the aforementioned Twitter user had the same sentiment; this begs the question, though, as to why Prince George and Princess Charlotte were involved in the funeral procession.
In spite of the fact that Princess Diana’s funeral and the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II were very similar in many ways, it is important to note that at the funeral of Her Majesty, the presence of Prince George and Princess Charlotte brought with it an additional source of solace in the form of their parents.
According to Hello!, the younger children were supposed to follow behind their parents throughout the procession at first, but this plan was amended only a few minutes before the ceremony was about to start. Instead, they strolled between their parents, William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales. William is the eldest, while Catherine is the younger. Both were spotted sitting near their parents in Westminster Abbey during the actual service, as seen on the live feed that was broadcast by the BBC. Another essential component? According to the report from the Daily Mail, the youngsters did not participate in the events taking place in the church until their mother and Camilla, the Queen Consort, were there together. It stands in sharp contrast to the “long and lonely trek” that their father, Prince William, had recounted to them many years before (via Us Weekly).
In the end, Prince George of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales are going to be very saddened by the passing of their great-grandmother, regardless of whether they are royal or not. Time will tell whether or not they will enjoy being included in the parade, but for now, all we can do is wait. On the other hand, we have a feeling that the fact that both of their parents will be nearby will be of great assistance to them as they work through their loss in the days, months, and maybe even years to come.
