London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Dec 26, 2025

Diana memories made Queen's procession challenging - William

Diana memories made Queen's procession challenging - William

The Prince of Wales said walking behind the Queen's coffin "brought back a few memories" of his mother's funeral as he spoke to well-wishers in Norfolk.

Prince William said it had been "challenging", as he and the Princess of Wales viewed floral tributes left outside Sandringham House.

He and his brother walked behind the gun carriage in Wednesday's procession, echoing Princess Diana's funeral.

Members of the Royal Family conducted visits as official mourning continued.

After viewing some of the hundreds of tributes to the late monarch, who died last week, outside the gates at Sandringham, Prince William and Catherine spoke to those gathered there.

Speaking to one woman, Prince William said: "I mean the walk yesterday was challenging, it brought back a few memories..."

Among those he spoke to was receptionist Jane Wells, from Long Sutton in Lincolnshire, who said she had told the prince how proud his mother would have been of him.

"He said how hard it was yesterday because it brought back memories of his mother's funeral," she said.

Caroline Barwick-Walters, of Neath in Wales, said she told Prince William "thank you for sharing your grief with the nation", and that he replied "she was everybody's grandmother".

Prince William, then 15, and his brother, Prince Harry the Duke of Sussex, then 12, walked with their father, King Charles III, behind the coffin of their mother, Princess Diana, in September 1997.

They were side by side again as they solemnly escorted the Queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster on Wednesday.

Speaking in 2017, Prince Harry described walking behind his mother's coffin as a child as something that would not happen now.

He told Newsweek: "I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don't think it would happen today."

Princes William and Harry at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997

They joined their father King Charles in walking behind the Queen's coffin on Wednesday


Sandringham House has been a royal residence for four generations of British monarchs for a period of more than 150 years, and has traditionally been where the Queen spent her Christmas break.

She gifted Anmer Hall, a Georgian country house which is part of the Sandringham estate, to Prince William and Catherine after their wedding.

The couple made it their main home for several years while their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte were young.

Meanwhile, the King returned to Highgrove, his country home in Gloucestershire, where a spokesman said he was attending to state business.

Other members of the Royal Family have also been on visits on Thursday.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex - the Queen's youngest son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie - met well-wishers and viewed tributes in Manchester's St Ann's Square.

The couple were shown a book of condolence at Manchester's Central Library, before lighting a candle in memory of the Queen at Manchester Cathedral.

The Princess Royal - the Queen's only daughter Princess Anne - travelled to Glasgow to meet representatives of organisations of which the Queen was patron.

On Wednesday, members of the Royal Family marched behind the Queen's coffin as it travelled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, where she is lying-in-state.

Thousands have queued for hours to view the coffin, which people can visit 24 hours a day until 06:30 BST on 19 September - the day of her funeral.

At 20:00 on Thursday the queue was nearly five miles (8km) long, with queuing time estimated to be eight-and-a-half hours.

Many more people are expected to come to the capital to pay their respects over the next three days, as the country prepares to say a final farewell to its longest-reigning monarch.

Some details have been released for the Queen's state funeral, which will be held at Westminster Abbey and is likely to be one of the biggest single ceremonial events staged in Britain since World War Two.

Thousands of people have left flowers and tributes outside Sandringham House


Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, spoke to crowds in Glasgow

The Earl and Countess of Wessex lit a candle in memory of the Queen at Manchester Cathedral


Prince William: Procession was "challenging" and "brought back memories"

Prince and Princess of Wales meet Sandringham crowd


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Apple Moves to Appeal UK Ruling Ordering £1.5 Billion in Customer Overcharge Damages
King Charles’s 2025 Christmas Message Tops UK Television Ratings on Christmas Day
The Battle Over the Internet Explodes: The United States Bars European Officials and Ignites a Diplomatic Crisis
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Join Royal Family at Sandringham Christmas Service
Fine Wine Investors Find Little Cheer in Third Year of Falls
UK Mortgage Rates Edge Lower as Bank of England Base Rate Cut Filters Through Lending Market
U.S. Supermarket Gives Customers Free Groceries for Christmas After Computer Glitch
Air India ‘Finds’ a Plane That Vanished 13 Years Ago
Caviar and Foie Gras? China Is Becoming a Luxury Food Powerhouse
Hong Kong Climbs to Second Globally in 2025 Tourism Rankings Behind Bangkok
From Sunniest Year on Record to Terror Plots and Sports Triumphs: The UK’s Defining Stories of 2025
Greta Thunberg Released on Bail After Arrest at London Pro-Palestinian Demonstration
Banksy Unveils New Winter Mural in London Amid Festive Season Excitement
UK Households Face Rising Financial Strain as Tax Increases Bite and Growth Loses Momentum
UK Government Approves Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedford Poised to Rival Disneyland Paris
UK Gambling Shares Slide as Traders Respond to Steep Tax Rises and Sector Uncertainty
Starmer and Trump Coordinate on Ukraine Peace Efforts in Latest Diplomatic Call
The Pilot Barricaded Himself in the Cockpit and Refused to Take Off: "We Are Not Leaving Until I Receive My Salary"
UK Fashion Label LK Bennett Pursues Accelerated Sale Amid Financial Struggles
U.S. Government Warns UK Over Free Speech in Pro-Life Campaigner Prosecution
Newly Released Files Shed Light on Jeffrey Epstein’s Extensive Links to the United Kingdom
Prince William and Prince George Volunteer Together at UK Homelessness Charity
UK Police Arrest Protesters Chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’ as Authorities Recalibrate Free Speech Enforcement
Scambodia: The World Owes Thailand’s Military a Profound Debt of Gratitude
Women in Partial Nudity — and Bill Clinton in a Dress and Heels: The Images Revealed in the “Epstein Files”
US Envoy Witkoff to Convene Security Advisers from Ukraine, UK, France and Germany in Miami as Peace Efforts Intensify
UK Retailers Report Sharp Pre-Christmas Sales Decline and Weak Outlook, CBI Survey Shows
UK Government Rejects Use of Frozen Russian Assets to Fund Aid for Ukraine
UK Financial Conduct Authority Opens Formal Investigation into WH Smith After Accounting Errors
UK Issues Final Ultimatum to Roman Abramovich Over £2.5bn Chelsea Sale Funds for Ukraine
Rare Pink Fog Sweeps Across Parts of the UK as Met Office Warns of Poor Visibility
UK Police Pledge ‘More Assertive’ Enforcement to Tackle Antisemitism at Protests
UK Police Warn They Will Arrest Protesters Chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’
Trump Files $10 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against BBC as Broadcaster Pledges Legal Defence
UK Says U.S. Tech Deal Talks Still Active Despite Washington’s Suspension of Prosperity Pact
UK Mortgage Rules to Give Greater Flexibility to Borrowers With Irregular Incomes
UK Treasury Moves to Position Britain as Leading Global Hub for Crypto Firms
U.S. Freezes £31 Billion Tech Prosperity Deal With Britain Amid Trade Dispute
Prince Harry and Meghan’s Potential UK Return Gains New Momentum Amid Security Review and Royal Dialogue
Zelensky Opens High-Stakes Peace Talks in Berlin with Trump Envoy and European Leaders
Historical Reflections on Press Freedom Emerge Amid Debate Over Trump’s Media Policies
UK Boosts Protection for Jewish Communities After Sydney Hanukkah Attack
UK Government Declines to Comment After ICC Prosecutor Alleges Britain Threatened to Defund Court Over Israel Arrest Warrant
Apple Shutters All Retail Stores in the United Kingdom Under New National COVID-19 Lockdown
US–UK Technology Partnership Strains as Key Trade Disagreements Emerge
UK Police Confirm No Further Action Over Allegation That Andrew Asked Bodyguard to Investigate Virginia Giuffre
Giuffre Family Expresses Deep Disappointment as UK Police Decline New Inquiry Into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Claims
Transatlantic Trade Ambitions Hit a Snag as UK–US Deal Faces Emerging Challenges
Ex-ICC Prosecutor Alleges UK Threatened to Withdraw Funding Over Netanyahu Arrest Warrant Bid
UK Disciplinary Tribunal Clears Carter-Ruck Lawyer of Misconduct in OneCoin Case
×