Queen Elizabeth Made Monarchy ‘So Unpopular’ After She ‘Went Into Hiding’ Post-Diana’s Death

Queen Elizabeth may have destroyed the reputation of the monarchy after the death of Princess Diana.

In the book “The Firm,” royal author Penny Junor said that Her Majesty made the monarchy so unpopular after she went into hiding at Balmoral. The Queen’s decision to wait for a couple of days before she released a statement on behalf of the royal family angered Princess Diana’s fans.

“The present Queen stayed away from London after the death of the Princess of Wales – she was also at Balmoral – and the public was again furious. They wanted their Queen… The Queen provides the focus for the nation’s emotion… When the nation is in mourning, it looks to the monarch to lead the process… The magic of the monarchy is in the seeing… And it is magic – despite what cynics might say,” Junor said.

According to Junor, the Queen’s decision to keep a low-profile after Princess Diana’s death was similar to what Queen Victoria did years earlier. Following the death of Prince Albert in 1861, Queen Victoria also went into hiding in Balmoral.

And even though the former Queen continued to carry out affairs of the state, it was only after three years that she made a public appearance again in London. Upon seeing Queen Victoria, the angry crowd threw stones at her carriage. For the public, it wasn’t enough that Queen Victoria did her royal duties because they also wanted to see her in the flesh.

Meanwhile, Junor said that the current Queen had two biggest regrets during her time as a monarch. The first was her decision to hide away in Balmoral after the Princess of Wales’ death and the second was when she delayed her visit after the Aberfan disaster.

The Queen realized that she should’ve gone to Aberfan immediately to show the public her support and to comfort the grieving. In 1966, 116 children and 28 adults were killed after a colliery spoil tip collapsed.