Yes, Tom Cruise and his then-wife, Nicole Kidman, attended Princess Diana's funeral at Westminster Abbey in 1997, alongside other celebrities like Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. The couple had met Diana previously and were among the many prominent figures and mourners paying respects at the service.
In 1997, Tom Cruise attended the funeral for Diana, Princess of Wales. It makes his support for one of Prince William's patronages all the more meaningful.
However, one member of the Royal Family decided to skip Diana's funeral, fearing their attendance would upset too many people. According to the Daily Mail, biographer Sean Smith discussed Duchess Sophie's decision to not attend Princess Diana's funeral in a forthcoming book.
Crowe, French First Lady Bernadette Chirac, Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak, Queen Noor of Jordan, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Mariah Carey, Luciano Pavarotti, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Ruby Wax, Imran Khan and his then wife, Jemima Goldsmith.
Princess Diana's Funeral
Tragically, five years later, Cruise and Kidman attended Diana's funeral at Westminster Abbey in London, along with Tom Hanks and more of the royal's famous friends.
To comfort the public and honor the English rose, Queen Elizabeth made an exception and held a grand funeral for Diana even bowing deeply to her coffin, a rare gesture. However, standing next to the queen, Princess Margaret remained unmoved. Her face showing complete indifference.
Michael Jackson's Memorial: Up to 2.5 billion viewers
Though Diana's funeral is widely considered to be the most watched televised memorial in history, Michael Jackson's memorial rivalled (if not exceeded) these ratings, but it depends who you ask.
Diana's coffin was carried from the palace on a gun carriage by ridges of the King's Troop, and was escorted by mounted police. 🌹 Diana's was wearing a black long-sleeved, three- quarter length woollen wrap around cocktail dress, designed by Catherine Walker.
I omitted obey from my vows.
“It's clear that Charles never formally apologized to Diana for his conduct because he didn't believe that he had done anything wrong. In all his comments, he merely states that the two were incompatible,” McMahon says. “Charles did acknowledge the pain in their marriage but never claimed to be in the wrong.”
Princess Margaret didn't bow to Princess Diana's coffin at her funeral primarily due to a deep-seated resentment stemming from Diana's 1995 tell-all Panorama interview, which Margaret saw as a severe betrayal of the Royal Family and the Queen; Margaret never forgave Diana for publicly airing grievances and challenging royal decorum, viewing her as a disloyal figure, leading to her snub during the funeral procession despite their initially warm relationship.
Diana was wearing a ring given to her by Dodi Fayed when she died. It was a £3,000 Bulgari yellow gold band with diamonds. The diamond band set in yellow gold was not an engagement ring and was worn on the fourth finger of her right hand, where her butler Paul Burrell advised her to wear it.
In these moments, Diana would often keep her chin tucked and her head slightly down, making it harder for the photographers to get a clear shot. This subtle act helped her regain some control over her public image and shielded her from the overwhelming exposure that came with being part of the royal family.
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (then Sophie Rhys-Jones) did not attend Princess Diana's funeral in 1997, reportedly because her strong resemblance to Diana would have been too upsetting for the grieving crowds, a decision made thoughtfully by Sophie herself. At the time, she was dating Prince Edward, but they were not yet engaged or married.
Queen Camilla was diagnosed with a form of pneumonia following a chest infection in late 2024, which caused fatigue and led to her missing some public engagements, though she continued with indoor duties and worked towards recovery, managing lingering post-viral tiredness with rest. Her illness was initially described as a "nasty bug," but she later confirmed the pneumonia diagnosis herself, requiring a modified schedule for a period.
Investigation: While much was made of Diana's propensity to wear a seat belt, she was not wearing one on the evening of the fatal crash. Both French and British examinations of the Mercedes found no mechanical issues that could have caused or contributed to the crash.
The depictions of Diana's paranoia about her phone being bugged in The Crown season 5 do have a basis in reality. There is evidence that Diana's phone calls were recorded at least once, and some have suggested that her phone being bugged was a real fear of the Princess of Wales towards the end of her life.
Yes, Prince Charles (now King Charles III) was reportedly devastated and cried upon learning of Princess Diana's death, described by some as howling like a wounded animal, despite their difficult marriage, and later expressed deep grief, telling his sons "It's going to be OK" and writing of "unbearable emptiness".
She loved wearing brands, which included Chanel. However, the then Princess of Wales stopped wearing Chanel following her divorce. Apparently, the label's logo, the double interlocking C's, reminded her of the betrayal she had by Prince Charles because of his then-affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
First medical reports indicated that she was suffering from concussion, a broken arm and cuts to her thighs. It later emerged that the Princess had suffered massive chest injuries. At 4.53am it was announced that the Princess had died.
An 88-year-old woman was nearly buried alive after she 'woke up' while her presumed dead body was being prepared by funeral workers.
World's Most Expensive Funerals
If the human remains are properly preserved they can be stored for longer periods of time. In most cases, so long as the remains are properly refrigerated, funeral homes can store a body for a few days to a few weeks.