Photos From Princess Diana’s Funeral and the A-List Celebrities Who Attended
More than 25 years ago millions of people around the globe mourned the death of Princess Diana when she was killed following a car crash in Paris.
The princess’s funeral took place a week later on Sept. 6, 1997. A global audience of over one billion people tuned in to watch from home while thousands lined the streets of London for a final goodbye to the People’s Princess. Another 2,000 people, including many A-list celebrities, were on hand for the service inside Westminster Abbey. Here are some photos of who attended Diana’s funeral.
Princess Diana’s close friends George Michael and Elton John
Elton John, who had been friends with Princess Diana for several years, provided a touching moment during service when he sang a revised version of “Candle in the Wind.” The lyrics of the song were about Marilyn Monroe but were changed as a dedication to the late princess.
John arrived for the funeral that day with fellow recording artist George Michael. The “Faith” singer was also close with Diana and she reportedly confided in him after her divorce from Prince Charles.
Several other musicians were in attendance
But it wasn’t just John and Michael who were on hand that emotional September morning.
Several other musicians including Sting and his wife, Mariah Carey, Luciano Pavarotti, and Bryan Adams gathered at the Abbey that day as well.
It had long been rumored that Diana and Adams had an affair.
The “Please Forgive Me” singer’s girlfriend at the time, Cecilie Thomsen, accompanied him to the funeral. However, she later told the Daily Mail that she believed Adams had an affair with the princess and confessed to “sitting in the church with mixed emotions.”
A legendary director and A-List actors
Many Hollywood A-listers paid their respects too including Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Tom Cruise along with his then-wife Nicole Kidman.
Princess Diana and Cruise met in 1992 at the premiere of Far and Away and according to Judy Wade, who authored the book Diana: The Intimate Portrait, Kidman was a bit jealous of the royal.
“That explains why Nicole Kidman turned down roles with Diana every time and wasn’t happy that her best friend Naomi Watts accepted,” Wade wrote. “Nicole continues to hold a grudge, even though she divorced Tom, and the woman who posed a threat died.”
Dignitaries from around the world also paid their respects
Politicians and the wives of presidents from different countries were also at Princess Diana’s funeral service. Those included U.S. President Bill Clinton’s wife Hillary Clinton, French President Jacques Chirac’s wife Bernadette Chirac, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s wife Suzanne Mubarak. South Africa’s President Nelson Mandela, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and his predecessors John Major, Margaret Thatcher, James Callaghan, and Edward Heath, were all invited.
And royal family representatives on hand were Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and the Infanta Pilar de Borbon, sister of Spain’s King Juan Carlos.
