The queen and the princess: A royal dream gone sour?

It was perhaps the lowest point in Queen Elizabeth’s 70-year reign: the death of Princess Diana in a car crash on August 31, 1997, in Paris. The death and their relationship spawned an industry in the form of books and documentaries — even conspiracy theories. Two strong women, who were different but also alike in some respects; both gave their lives to service, devoted to families and the public, but had different persona: one silent, strictly following tradition, and the other, spontaneous, even impulsive, and modern. If all had gone well, together they could have taken the monarchy to new heights.

There was an outpouring of public grief over Princess Diana’s death in Britain and across the world, but for many, the defining memory of those teary days was the behaviour of the queen, who instead of rushing to London to join the mourning, remained in seclusion in Scotland for days, reportedly to attend to her grieving grandchildren, William and Harry. The queen’s absence angered her subjects and gave rise to conspiracy theories, and to many, she came across as cold and heartless. After a week and the night before Princess Diana’s funeral, the queen returned to Buckingham Palace (at the urging of the then prime minister, Tony Blair), and made a rare address on live television, paying tributes to the princess.

Royal watchers and historians have noted how the queen initially approved of the princess, but things changed after her marriage to Prince Charles. Much about the queen-princess relationship is known from what Diana freely said to the press and aides. Also noted is Diana’s impact on the queen and the royal family since there is a little bit more spontaneity, more emotion, some informality, better messaging with the subjects, more openness to difference — even fun: remember the queen’s James Bond skit during the 2012 London Olympics.