How Queen Elizabeth broke Royal protocol to honour Princess Diana in 'remarkable' moment
Queen Elizabeth once broke royal protocol to show her respects to Princess Diana, and royal fans are still talking about the sweet gesture.
The Queen made a 'remarkable' break from Royal protocol to honour the late Princess Diana at her funeral, a gesture that continues to be fondly remembered by royal enthusiasts.
Princess Diana's untimely death in August 1997 sparked a global wave of grief and mourning. An estimated 60 million bouquets were laid in her memory at locations including Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace and Althorp House, where she was buried.
At the time of Diana's death, the Royal family was holidaying at Balmoral Estate in Scotland.
They chose to remain there following the tragic news to care for Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
But that did not stop Her Majesty from paying her respects to the late People's Princess at her funeral. The late Queen Elizabeth –who herself passed away in 2022 – broke a Royal protocol which had "never been done before".
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As explained in a TikTok video shared by @royalnewsdaily, the Queen "slightly tilted her head" as Princess Diana's coffin passed Buckingham Palace. This act broke tradition as the monarch is not supposed to bow her head to anyone of lower rank.
The video revealed: "As the days went by after Diana died, Buckingham Palace was dead silent. Queen Elizabeth didn't make an official statement and the flag wasn't lowered in grief.
"But everyone in Britain and the rest of the world was in grief. It was natural to feel the pain and dissatisfaction of the people, and because of this, Queen Elizabeth felt she had to break the rules and do something that had never been done before.
"Diana was buried with all the honours that a Princess should have. The most moving moment, though, was when Diana's coffin passed in front of Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth did something that no one saw coming – she slightly tilted her head to show that she recognised [Diana] for one last time.
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"This meant that the Queen broke one of the most important rules which indicates she should never bow her head to someone lower in rank than her. The Queen showed in this moment that she deeply understood how people in Britain and around the world felt."
Viewers were quick to commend the late Queen for her actions, with many hailing it as a "remarkable act". And this wasn't the only Royal protocol broken for Diana. Indeed, Diana's passing is the reason why a flag can be seen flying at Buckingham Palace even when the monarch isn't in residence.
From the time the first monarch resided at Buckingham Palace until Princess Diana's funeral on September 6, 1997, it was tradition for the Royal Standard to fly over the palace when the monarch was in residence.
When Diana passed away, the Queen was at Balmoral Castle, which is why there was no flag flying over Buckingham Palace. However, many argued a flag should be flown at half-mast as a mark of respect for the late princess.
This was an unprecedented move, but the Queen eventually conceded and allowed the Union Flag to be flown at half-mast over Buckingham Palace on the day of Diana's funeral.
Nowadays, the Union Flag is always flown at Buckingham Palace and is replaced by the Royal Standard when the monarch - currently King Charles III - is in residence. The flag is now lowered to half-mast during periods of mourning.
