Over 20 years ago, the world came together
to grieve Princess Diana at her funeral. Approximately 60 million flowers were left
in front of Buckingham Palace and around London in her honor, as reported by Town & Country. Prince William and Prince Harry, who were
15 and 12 years old at the time, walked behind their mother's coffin in the funeral's one-mile
procession. Princess Diana's sons were joined by their
father, Prince Charles; Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer; and Prince Philip. In light of the Duke of Edinburgh's recent
passing, mourners are reflecting on Princess Diana's funeral and how similar or different
it may be from Prince Philip's, which will take place on April 17th, 2021. Insider pointed out, for example, that Prince
Philip walked with the two princes at their mother's funeral. Princess Anne told ITV that the Duke of Edinburgh
had done so to support his grandsons. Anne recalled, "I seem to remember him saying that, in fact,
it was a question of 'if you'll do it, I'll do it.'" Similarly, Prince William, Prince Harry, and
the late Duke's son, Prince Charles, will walk behind Prince Philip's coffin, according
to ET. An important difference between the two royal
funerals, however, will be an open casket versus a closed casket. At Prince Philip's request, his body will
not lie in state. Instead, the late Duke will lie at rest in
Windsor Castle's private chapel with an open casket, per BBC News. Princess Diana, in contrast, had laid in state
in the Chapel Royal at St. James' Palace with a closed casket. As explained by Celeb Answers, the Princess
of Wales did not have an open casket because the royal family felt it would be disrespectful. Most of the world remembers that the princess
was killed in a car accident in Paris. She and her assumed boyfriend "Dodi" Fayed
were both in the vehicle when the driver, Henri Paul, crashed the car after trying to
escape paparazzi, via Oprah Daily. Both Fayed and Paul were pronounced dead at
the scene. Princess Diana was found still alive, and
authorities rushed her to the Hospital. Unfortunately, she suffered horrific chest
injuries and died after two hours of operation. Because of the circumstances surrounding her
death, Princess Diana was subject to an autopsy. Taking this and her severe injuries into account,
the royal family opted to keep her casket closed. In the days that followed Princess Diana's
funeral in 1997, more details came out about her coffin, including a tragic reminder that
her sons had lost their mother. CNN reported that a card addressed to "Mummy"
was placed on top of the coffin, along with three wreaths of white roses. The wreaths were from Prince William, Prince
Harry, and Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer. Though Princess Diana did not have an open
casket, Parade states that she was reportedly dressed in a black woolen long-sleeve cocktail
dress, designed by Catherine Walker. Apparently, she had ordered the dress mere
weeks before she died. According to the Daily Express, rosary beads
and a photograph of Prince William and Prince Harry were placed in Diana's hands. The rosary was allegedly a gift from Mother
Teresa, who sent it to the Hospital for Diana as soon as she learned about the tragic accident. Incidentally, Mother Teresa passed away the
day before Diana’s funeral. The photograph was one that Princess Diana
reportedly carried with her everywhere she went. Paul Burrell, a former servant of the royal
family and a butler to Diana, told Good Morning America that he stowed pictures of Prince
William and Prince Harry inside Princess Diana's coffin. He allegedly took the pictures from under
Diana's glass dressing table. Burrell said, "She adored her boys. And those pictures, which she looked at every
morning, I thought, should travel with her to another place." Just as the royal family decided on a closed
casket, they also decided to close Princess Diana's grave to the public. Earl Spencer in particular wanted to protect
his sister's legacy and privacy in death. As explained by Town & Country, he shared
the belief with his family that a grave open to the public would attract vandalization. As such, the royal family chose Althorp, Princess
Diana's childhood home, as her final resting place. Earl Spencer, who owns the estate, is convinced
that this was the right decision. He reported in 2017 that "ghouls" attempted
to break into Diana's grave four times, via The Sun. Fortunately, all four break-ins were stopped. According to Town & Country, the Althorp Estate
is open to the public in the summer months. However, Princess Diana's grave remains closed. If visitors wish to pay their respects to
the late Princess of Wales, they may visit the memorial temple across from the lake. Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus, even more List videos about your favorite
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