🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Queen Elizabeth II's poignant tribute to Princess Diana on the day of her funeral has gone viral in a video uploaded to social media platform TikTok.
The video, uploaded by the account royalfamilysupporters, has been viewed more than 3.7 million times since its upload on June 29 and shows the Queen's unexpected reaction to Diana's coffin as it processed past Buckingham Palace on its way to Westminster Abbey, on September 6, 1997.
The opening of the video shows Diana on her wedding day to Prince Charles in 1981 as the new Princess of Wales honors her royal mother-in-law with a deep customary courtesy. A clip then follows of the monarch, dressed in black, outside Buckingham Palace in 1997 as Diana's coffin passes on its way to her royal ceremonial funeral. As a mark of respect for the princess the Queen bowed her head when the procession passed her.
This gesture by the Queen was seen as particularly significant given that in the hierarchy of the royal family, as the monarch, she is not required to bow or courtesy to anyone, being only the recipient of such marks of respect.
The video has received more than 300,000 likes on TikTok, with commentators praising the Queen for her public display of respect.
One user posted their response of: "I felt this was so appropriate watching it that day. She was the mother of [the Queen's] grandchildren and showed respect."
Another commenter said: "The Queen bows to nobody , period. But on that day she showed respect for [Diana]. No wonder we all love her."
The Queen's spontaneous display came at the culmination of a strenuous week in the relationship between the monarchy and the public.
When the news of Princess Diana's tragic death at the age of 36 in a high-speed Paris car crash reached Britain, the Queen was staying at her Balmoral estate in Scotland where Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry were also staying.
The Queen's immediate response was to keep her grandchildren at Balmoral to recover from the initial shock of the news and to begin to come to terms with the grief of losing their mother. However, a growing sense of resentment built from the public felt that the monarch's place was to lead the nation's mourning of the princess, who had been enormously popular.
After five days in which the monarchy was repeatedly criticized for showing a lack of compassion, the Queen and members of the royal family traveled to London ahead of Diana's funeral service.
When she arrived in London the Queen and Prince Philip broke with tradition by stopping their cars outside the gates of Buckingham Palace to view the floral tributes that had been left by mourners. The royal couple then spoke with members of the gathered crowd and expressed their sympathies before the Queen entered the palace to make a special live television broadcast to the nation.
During this broadcast the monarch paid her own personal tribute to the princess saying:
"I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being.
"In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness. I admired and respected her - for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys.
"This week at Balmoral, we have all been trying to help William and Harry come to terms with the devastating loss that they and the rest of us have suffered."
When, on the day of the funeral, the queen bowed her head as Diana's coffin passed Buckingham Palace other members of the royal family who were standing with her also followed suit. Princess Margaret, the queen's only sister, was criticized for apparently not taking part in the mark of respect.
The princess and Diana had been neighbors at Kensington Palace and despite being initially supportive of the young addition to the royal family, the pair's relationship reportedly cooled in the latter years of Diana's life.
This apparent lack of bowing has been commented on by TikTok users with one calling the princess "sour" and another pointing out: "Princess Margaret doesn't bow!"
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Diana's death and though no official public events commemorating this have been announced, on July 1, what would have been the princess' 61st birthday, both William and Harry honored their mother with messages at an awards ceremony baring her name.
In his speech Harry said: "there isn't a day during the past two and a half decades when I haven't thought about the mark she left, not only on me and my brother, but on all of our lives."
He continued to add: "I see her legacy every time I meet with families, young people and children from all corners of the world. And I see my mom's legacy when I look at my own children every single day.
"This is a special year and one where I hope we take extra time to not just remember her as she lived but to reflect on the life she continues to lead through so many."
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more