The reign of the queen Elizabeth II was marked not only by successes and joyful events. The documentary Elizabeth II, 70 years of reign, secrets and scandals broadcast on C8 looks back on the best as well as the worst moments of his long decades spent on the throne. Among them, the death of Lady Diana, ex-wife of Prince Charles who died of her injuries after being the victim of a serious car accident in the Alma tunnel in Paris. A tragedy that occurred on August 31, 1997 which plunged the British into deep disarray but above all into immense anger.
Elizabeth II was at Balmoral in Scotland with her two grandsons, Princes Harry and William, children of Prince Charles and Diana, when the Princess of Wales breathed her last. If Tony Blair, then Prime Minister, had taken the floor to react to this terrible tragedy, the Sovereign was satisfied with a long silence. It didn’t take long for the British to go after the queen, whose lack of reaction was seen as a lack of respect. However, if Elizabeth II did not speak directly, she had a good reason.
Ingrid Steward lifted the veil on this mystery in her book The Queen’s Speech: An Intimate Portrait of the Queen in her Own Words published in 2015. She reveals that Prince Philip’s wife had only one priority at that time: to protect her grandsons. A fact confirmed by Antoine Michelland, journalist at Point of viewspecializing in the monarchy: “It was the queen’s will to protect her grandsons above all and for her it was the absolute priority, therefore, to preserve them, to keep them in this cocoon of Balmoral for as long as possible, hence the lack of reaction in the first days.”
Elizabeth II ended up speaking in a televised address on September 5, the day before Princess Diana’s funeral: “She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her ability to smile, laugh or inspire others with her warmth and kindness. I admired and respected her, especially for her devotion to her two boys..” Two men who, nearly 25 years after the death of their mother, continue to honor her commitments and pass on the values she instilled. The best tribute they could pay her.