Princess Diana’s Funeral: Everything to Know

After Princess Diana‘s death on Aug. 31, 1997, she received a ceremonial funeral one week later on Sept. 6, 1997 — which was watched by 2 billion people worldwide.

Diana died alongside her partner, Dodi Fayed, in Paris. While traveling with a driver and bodyguard, their car, pursued by paparazzi, crashed into a support column, flipped and landed in front of oncoming traffic. Dodi and the driver were killed instantly. Medical workers tried for hours to save Diana, but she was pronounced dead around 4 a.m. that morning.

Her death was met with widespread public mourning in the United Kingdom and worldwide. As people paid their respects to Diana, it’s said that over one million bouquets were left at her London residence, Kensington Palace. 

Roughly 2,000 people attended Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey in London, while an estimated 2 billion viewers around the world watched the event on TV.

Here’s everything to know about Princess Diana’s funeral, 28 years later.

When was Princess Diana’s funeral?

Following her death on Aug. 31, 1997, Princess Diana’s funeral was held on Saturday, Sept. 6, 1997. The funeral procession began at 9:08 a.m. and the ceremony started at 11:00 a.m., lasting an hour and 10 minutes.

Where did Princess Diana’s funeral take place? 

Princess Diana’s funeral took place at Westminster Abbey in London.

Later that day, she was buried at her childhood home of Althorp, her final resting place. The private burial was only attended by close friends and family.

Who walked behind Princess Diana’s coffin at the funeral? 

During her funeral procession, Prince Philip, King Charles, Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, and her two children, Prince William and Prince Harry, walked behind her coffin. At the time, William and Harry were just 15 and 12 years old, respectively. 

The decision to have Prince William and Prince Harry walk behind the coffin was a topic of contention. William confirmed this in the 2017 BBC documentary Diana, 7 Days.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, and it was a collective family decision to do that,” he said. “It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But we were overwhelmed by how many people turned out; it was just incredible. There was that balance between duty and family, and that’s what we had to do.”

Harry recalled, “I think it was a group decision. But before I knew it, I found myself with a suit on with a black tie and a white shirt, I think, and I was part of it. Genuinely, I don’t have an opinion on whether that was right or wrong. I am glad I was part of it. Looking back on it now, I am very glad I was part of it.”

Who attended Princess Diana’s funeral? 

The Westminster Abbey ceremony was attended by 2,000 people, including members of the royal family, Princess Diana’s relatives, political figures and her close celebrity friends.

Among the attendees were Hillary Clinton, Steven Spielberg, Mariah Carey, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Elton John, the latter of whom sang a rendition of “Candle in the Wind” during the service, with new lyrics written as a tribute to Diana. 

How many people watched Princess Diana’s funeral? 

The funeral drew massive attention both in person and on screen. More than 32 million viewers in the U.K. watched on television, and over 2 billion people worldwide tuned in, making it one of the largest televised events in history.