Why The Queen did not go to London when Diana died
Queen Elizabeth faced rare public criticism after the death of Princess Diana in 1997, when she didn’t immediately leave her Balmoral estate and return to London.
Charles Anson, former press secretary to the Queen reveals the reason why the monarch decided to stay:
That week of the Princess’s death, the Queen faced a dilemma. Do I go back to London? Do I speak now? Or do I, as a grandmother with a sudden terrible tragedy in my family with two young grandsons, do I stay with them?
It wasn’t that easy for the Queen. They did what any decent family would do. The first thing was to gather round those boys and give them as much protection and support as possible.
Mark Stewart, a photographer who was at Diana's funeral believed he captured 'the best' of The Queen that day:
I saw the Queen and the royal family, walking out of the palace down to the side of the road with the public. I pushed my way through the crowd, which was about 20 deep, and luckily the BBC had left a ladder against a tree.
I managed to climb the ladder, and I have the only shot of the Queen bowing her head at the coffin as it goes past. It showed the Queen ... The best of the Queen, really.
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