Royal Insider Speaks Out Says ‘No One Knew What to Do’ After Princess Diana’s Death

The news of Princess Diana‘s death more than 25 years ago shocked and saddened millions of people around the world. It was also uncharted territory for the royal family and members of their household. They had to figure out how to handle the reality that the ex-wife of the then-heir apparent and mother of another future king was dead.

Someone who lived through that time is speaking out now and revealing just what it was like in the days following the princess’s death when “no one knew what to do.”

Queen Elizabeth was criticized for how she handled Princess Diana’s death

In the early morning hours of Aug. 31, 1997, senior members of the royal family were awoken and informed that Princess Diana died following a car crash in Paris.

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As the reports of what happened spread in Britain and beyond, many were expecting a more lengthy statement from Buckingham Palace or the queen herself rather than just the family was “deeply shocked and distressed.” Members of the public also expected the royals to leave their holiday at Balmoral Castle right away and return to England, but they did not. Queen Elizabeth was then heavily criticized when she was photographed attending her normal Sunday church service with Prince William and Prince Harry just hours after their mother died.

It was later reported that the family chose to remain in Scotland for several days so William and Harry could grieve privately. On Sept. 5, the royals returned and the queen addressed the nation saying that she “admired and respected” her former daughter-in-law.

The princess’s former aide says ‘nobody knew what to do’ in the days after Diana’s death

As for the royal household’s staffers, a former employee revealed that the shock of Diana’s death left everyone in disbelief and “not knowing what to do.” Paul Burrell, who was Princess Diana’s butler when she died, said he was able to get a message out to Queen Elizabeth and got a response back.

Speaking on behalf of Slingo Burrell revealed: “Behind closed doors the atmosphere was tense; you could cut it with a knife. These were unprecedented times, everybody was looking through the rule book, but the page was missing. Nobody knew what to do so they made it up as they went along and sometimes they got it wrong … Everybody around me was confused and disorientated, but after the initial grief, I was focused. I knew what I had to do. It was such a surreal world to be in.

“I took control of my unit, which was Kensington Palace, and I knew I had to get to Diana as quickly as possible. I sent messages through the princess’ controller to the queen’s private secretary knowing that those messages would get to the queen. It was my concern that when the princess returned home to England she would be taken to the Chapel Royal, a place that she had never known (it was dark and dusty). I sent a message to say ‘Wouldn’t it be more appropriate if the princess came home to Kensington Palace to spend time in a place that she had spent most of her life.’ A message came back from the queen saying ‘I think that’s a wonderful idea.’”