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Queen Elizabeth broke royal protocol at Princess Diana’s funeral and bowed reverently for the first time since her reign. The British royal family has some of the most bizarre traditions, with rules and protocols guiding their daily lives and activities. Among the more down-to-earth rules in the royal family is the one against having the monarch bow to anyone. For 70 years as the Queen of England and the Common Wealth, the late monarch never compromised on this standard, except for that one time.
During Princess Diana’s funeral on September 6, 1997, Queen Elizabeth, clad in her black regalia and a somber look shocked the world when she bowed her head as the cortege passed. This humble last honor to Princess Diana goes down in history as the only time she bowed to someone, and has been depicted in various historical works.
Why Did Queen Elizabeth Break Her Rule At Diana’s Funeral
Royal experts believe that Queen Elizabeth’s bow was more than just a show of last respects to the late Princess Diana. According to Daily Mail, the Queen made the gesture to “recognize the wishes of her heartbroken subjects.” Notably, the monarch sparked ire among her people in the wake of Princess Diana’s Death when she and the royal family failed to address the public after the devastating loss.
Rather than address her subjects, the monarch chose to stick to the “keep calm and carry on” policy for days, remaining shut away within the walls of Balmoral, 500 miles north of London. Just a year prior to her death, the People’s Princess had famously divorced the then Prince Charles, lost her HRH title and ultimately ceased being a member of the royal family. Hence, the public deemed this deafening silence from the royal forte as a lack of compassion for someone they no longer considered their own.
As the world continued protesting the Queen’s silence, it became apparent that was the one time her subjects wanted the crown to rule with the heart and not the head. Queen Elizabeth eventually yielded to the people’s request, returning to London to pay a public tribute to Princess Diana.
A Message to The People
Despite her initial silence, her grief was palpable as the monarch accompanied by her husband Prince Philip explored the millions of tributes laid outside Kensington Palace in honor of the late Princess a day before her funeral. And then on her funeral, Queen Elizabeth dropped all restraint as she infamously bowed her head in respect to Princess Diana as the cortege passed. Thus the monarch won back the hearts of her people.
Almost three decades later, the clip from the iconic moment still evokes emotions from royal fans of all generations, who continue to praise the gesture. For them, the monarch not only showed she cared for Diana in her own way, but also honored her grandsons, Prince William and Prince Harry who would have found some level of comfort in the knowledge that the monarch did something so grand in their mom’s honor.
