How did the Queen feel about Princess Diana? Did Elizabeth II cry at Diana’s funeral, why did she bow her head

The Crown Season 5 is back on Netflix. This series could be the most gripping and emotional yet, with the relationship between Princess Diana and Prince Charles being a key focus for the new series.

Starring Elizabeth Debicki (Tenet), as Diana and Dominic West (The Wire) as Prince Charles, events such as the infamous tampongate scandal, which saw the press leak extracts from an intimate phone call between the then married Princes Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles will be included alongside the couples separation and divorce.

Nicknamed the “People’s Princess”, Diana is portrayed as having a complicated relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth, however was that the case?

Here’s everything you need to know about Princess Diana’s relationship with the Queen and how the late monarch reacted to her funeral.

When did Princess Diana die?

Princess Diana was killed in a high speed car chase in Paris on 31 August, 1997. During the week that followed the Royal Family was criticised for its response to the news.

The Queen and the rest of the Royals were holidaying at Balmoral Castle when the news broke, they did not release a statement or return to London immediately after the tragedy, which led to public outcry. Prime Minister Tony Blair had delivered a statement a day following the news, calling Diana the “People’s Princess.”

The Royal Family returned to London on 5 September, with the late monarch giving a live broadcast on the death of her daughter-in-law. In the statement Her Majesty said: “We have all been trying in our different ways to cope,” she said. “It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings: disbelief, incomprehension, anger — and concern for those who remain.”

The funeral for Princess Diana took place on 6 September, 1997. One of the most heart wrenching images from the service was that of her two young sons, William and Harry who were aged just 15-years-old and 12-years-old walking behind their mother’s coffin.

How did the Queen feel about Princess Diana?

Whilst in Netflix’s The Crown their relationship is pictured as complicated, in an interview with the Independent, Royal Correspondent Victoria Arbiter told a different story.

Arbiter said: “Diana and the Queen shared a warm relationship. The Queen found emotional problems difficult – that’s her generation.” She also explained that the Queen had asked the press to give Diana her space.

Adding: “All the meeting did was further galvanise the press, she certainly gave Diana support behind the scenes and felt very fondly towards Diana, whom she had known since she was a little girl. Diana had tremendous respect for the monarchy and, by extension, the Queen.”

Did Queen Elizabeth II cry at Diana’s funeral?

The Queen did not cry at Princess Diana’s funeral, the late British monarch has only cried in public on a number of occasions.

These events include the Aberfan Tragedy in 1966, where 144 people, 116 of whom were children died when a colliery spoil tip located directly above the village slid downhill, in 1997, when the Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned and at Remembrance service events in 2002, 2016 and 2019.

Why did she bow her head?

The Queen bowed her head as a sign of respect to her late daughter-in-law, Princess Diana. As the Head of State, Her Majesty was under no obligation to bow to anyone, making the gesture even more poignant.

However, there was one Royal who chose not to bow as the Princess’ coffin passed, the Queen’s sister Princess Margaret was the only member of the Royal family not to show the late Princess this sign of respect.

Reported by the Daily Express in 2020: “Apparently she gave a lazy salute to the casket that has been compared to shooing away a fly.” It is suggested that Princess Margaret never forgave Diana after her BBC Panorama interview with Martin Bashir.