MILLIONS watched around the world as the Queen gave a moving speech following the death of Princess Diana in 1997.
Legendary royal photographer Arthur Edwards has revealed how he spoke to the monarch following the poignant broadcast and shared what she revealed about it.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, Arthur shared how he had spoken to the Queen at a briefing in the November following the September message.
The photographer recalled: “I said ‘ma’am you know your amazing speech to the nation over Diana, and the fact you did it live”.
“I said I was in a pub in Westminster and the whole pub went quiet.
“And she said ‘in a pub?’
“I said ‘yes ma’am in a pub watching and everybody watched’ and she started to tell me about it.
“She said ‘well it wasn’t quite live but you know we had microphones in the geraniums outside the window’ and she started explaining all what they did to get it done.”
In the moving speech, the Queen spoke of how there was an “an overwhelming expression of sadness” at Diana’s death “throughout Britain and around the world.”
Her Majesty added: “We have all been trying in our different ways to cope.
“It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings: disbelief, incomprehension, anger – and concern for those who remain.”
She then praised Diana for being an “exceptional and gifted human being” and her “devotion to her two boys”, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Charles in a ‘terrible state’
Arthur added how the speech came at the right time, and added: “At the time there was questions in the papers wasn’t it?
“Where are the royals? Where are the Queen? Why is the flag not a half mast at Buckingham Palace?
“And she came back with the Duke and I remember looking at the flowers outside the front of Buckingham Palace and there were thousands and thousands .
“And then she made this amazing speech and I remember afterwards I talked to people here and they said you know that just stopped it all straight away.
“Everybody forgave her and quite honestly I didn’t think she should come back.
“She had Prince Charles up there in a terrible state.
“She had the children, Diana’s children, William and Harry, they were mourning their mother and she was comforting them and she was helping them and I thought she should have been there.
“But of course people were sort of screaming saying they should be in London.”
The Queen spoke to the nation live on Friday September 5, from the Chinese Dining Room at Buckingham Palace.
What did the Queen say in her speech following Princess Diana's death?
Since last Sunday’s dreadful news we have seen, throughout Britain and around the world, an overwhelming expression of sadness at Diana’s death.
We have all been trying in our different ways to cope. It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings: disbelief, incomprehension, anger – and concern for those who remain. We have all felt those emotions in these last few days. So what I say to you now, as your Queen and as a grandmother, I say from my heart.
First, 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.
No-one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew her, will remember her. I for one believe there are lessons to be drawn from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death. I share in your determination to cherish her memory.
This is also an opportunity for me, on behalf of my family, and especially Prince Charles and William and Harry, to thank all of you who have brought flowers, sent messages and paid your respects in so many ways to a remarkable person. These acts of kindness have been a huge source of help and comfort.
Our thoughts are also with Diana’s family and the families of those who died with her. I know that they too have drawn strength from what has happened since last weekend, as they seek to heal their sorrow and then to face the future without a loved one.
I hope that tomorrow we can all, wherever we are, join in expressing our grief at Diana’s loss, and gratitude for her all-too-short life. It is a chance to show to the whole world the British nation united in grief and respect.
May those who died rest in peace and may we, each and every one of us, thank God for someone who made many, many people happy.
Diana’s shock death
Princess Diana died on August 31, 1997, after suffering fatal injuries in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel in Paris.
She was known to many as the People’s Princess, and since her death a number of poignant tributes have been placed around London to honour the life and work of Diana.
Her companion Dodi Fayed and driver and security guard Henri Paul were also killed in the devastating crash.
Diana’s funeral was held on September 6, 1997, at Westminster Abbey and was shown on British television– attracting an audience of 32.1million viewers.
In 2008, an inquest held in London concluded that the Princess had been unlawfully killed.
The inquest found Diana’s driver, Henri Paul’s driving to be grossly negligent, as well as the pursuing of paparazzi vehicles.