The death of Princess Diana in 1997 shocked the world. While everyone was affected by what happened to her, Queen Elizabeth's "off-putting" attitude during the loss was more surprising. As a result, the public seemingly blamed her and Prince Charles, as well as the prince's then-girlfriend, Camilla.
A year after Princess Diana and Prince Charles officially divorced each other, the Princess of Wales started to date Dodi Al-Fayed, who was the son of Harrod's owner, Mohammed Al-Fayed. The two were "photographed" spending the holiday together before the fatal accident.
Sadly, on August 31, 1997, the rumored couple was followed by paparazzi in Paris, which caused the car crash. During that period, the Queen, along with Prince Philip and Prince Charles, was staying at Balmoral. Upon learning the shocking news, royal expert and author Ingrid Seward revealed the Queen's first reaction and response.
In her book titled, My Husband and I: The Inside Story of 70 Years of the Royal Marriage, Seward iterated the "heartbreaking" moment in Balmoral. As per her narrative, the family's first reaction was "one of dazed bewilderment."
She also emphasized that the Queen's first response was even more shocking. It was "extraordinary" as Queen Elizabeth claimed that "someone must have greased the breaks."
According to Express UK, this statement of the Queen was a shocking revelation to the world. Considering that she's "usually reserved," making these remarks "astounded" the staff who heard her.
It is also worth noting that her response somehow contradicted all the apparent conspiracy theories that she, along with Prince Charles and Camilla, spearheaded the accident. So, the whole situation became nothing but totally shocking.
Ingrid Seward also emphasized Prince Charles' reaction when he learned about Princess Diana's unfortunate death. As told in the narrative, the Prince of Wales felt sad and worried. He also immediately called Camilla to share his worries about the accident. As per his statements, he was worried that the public might put all the blame on him, which was exactly what happened after.
Even so, recent reports from Refinery29 revealed that the royal family was more deeply affected than what it seemed during those years. The publication released a copy of the Queen's letter to one of her closest "aides," Lady Henriette Abel Smith.
In the letter, Queen Elizabeth wrote that losing Princess Diana was "dreadfully sad." Also, she pointed out that she is a huge loss to the country. But, how the public reacted to the tragic event is rather "inspiring."
