Why Prince Charles Almost Didn’t Walk Behind Princess Diana’s Coffin During Funeral Service

Prince Charles almost didn’t walk behind Princess Diana’s coffin during her funeral service in 1997.

In the Netflix documentary “The Royals,” biographer Andrew Morton said that the future King received death threats following the death of the Princess of Wales because everyone blamed him for the accident.

“During the arrangements for the funeral, there were conversations between Downing Street and the Buckingham Palace and at one of these meetings, they said, ‘Well, look if William and Harry decide not to follow the funeral cortege, Prince Charles cannot do that on his own,’” Morton said.

Since there was too much bitterness surrounding the future king’s divorce from Princess Diana, royal protection officers became concerned that someone might lunge at the heir to the throne from the crowd.

But in the end, Prince Charles walked behind his ex-wife’s coffin in his suit and black tie. He was joined by Prince Philip, Prince William, Prince Harry, and Princess Diana’s brother, Charles, Earl Spencer.

In the book “Tony’s Ten Years: Memoirs of the Blair Administration,” Sky’s political editor Adam Boulton revealed that Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth II wanted Princess Diana’s funeral service to be a private event but Prince Charles thought otherwise.

“The events of that week in September 1997 were very sad, but as the spinners from Downing Street came to Buckingham Palace and started to kick around what roles Harry and William should play in the funeral, the Queen had relished the moment when Philip bellowed over the speakerphone from Balmoral: ‘[expletive] off,’” he said.

But despite the Duke of Edinburgh’s desire to keep Princess Diana’s funeral private, he eventually came around with the different plan. He also helped in encouraging Prince William to walk behind his mom’s coffin because the second in line to the throne felt that he couldn’t do it.

Princess Diana passed away on Aug. 31, 1997, following a fatal car crash in Paris.