Today 23 years ago, Prince William and his younger brother Harry bid farewell to their mother Princess Diana who died in a car accident in a tunnel in Paris. The two brothers, then 15 and 13 years old, led the funeral procession together with their father Prince Charles and their paternal grandfather Prince Philip and their maternal uncle Earl Charles Spencer.

In what was one the most viewed televised events ever, the images of the young princes following their mother’s casket (draped in the royal standard) went around the world. Millions of people watched live the funeral service at Westminster Abbey. Thousands of people lined the streets in London and gathered in Hyde Park where the service was broadcasted on huge screens. People clapped inside and outside of Westminster Abbey for the late Princess when the entourage carrying her casket passed by.

Princess Diana’s sudden death resulted in a huge crisis for the British royal family. Especially Queen Elizabeth faced never before seen criticism for her rather cold reaction to her ex-daughter-in-law’s death. The majority of the British people wanted their Queen the come back to London from Balmoral and to publicly acknowledge Diana’s work for the Crown. The Queen traditionally spends her summer break in Balmoral in Scotland and stayed there together with William and Harry and the rest of her family until she finally gave in and returned to London. The Queen was also criticized for not having had the royal standard fly at half mast immediately after Diana had died. The reason for this was protocol since Diana was officially not part of the royal family anymore after her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996. Diana was 36 years old when she died.