More than 25 years ago, millions of people around the world mourned the death of Princess Diana when she died in a car crash in Paris.
The Princess of Wales’s funeral took place a week later, on September 6, 1997. A global audience of over a billion tuned in to watch from the comfort of their own homes as thousands lined the streets of London to say a final goodbye to the people’s princess. Another 2,000 people, including many A-list celebrities, attended the service at Westminster Abbey. Here are some photos of those who attended the princess’s funeral.
Princess Diana | Anwar Hussein/Getty Images
Princess Diana’s close friends George Michael and Elton John
Elton John, who has been friends with Princess Diana for several years, provided a touching moment during the service when he sang a revised version of “Candle in the Wind”. The lyrics of the song were about Marilyn Monroe but were changed as a dedication to the late princess.
John attended the funeral that day with colleague George Michael. The “Faith” singer was also close to Diana and she is said to have confided in him after her divorce from Prince Charles.
George Michael and Elton John at Westminster Abbey for Princess Diana’s funeral | JOHNNY EGGITT/AFP via Getty Images
Many other musicians were present
But it wasn’t just John and Michael who were on hand on that emotional September morning.
Several other musicians, including Sting and his wife Mariah Carey, Luciano Pavarotti and Bryan Adams, also gathered at the abbey that day.
Sting and his wife Trudie Styler among mourners at Princess Diana’s funeral | Princess Diana Archives/Hulton Archives/Getty Images
It has long been rumored that Diana and Adams were having an affair.
The “Please Forgive Me” singer’s then-girlfriend Cecilie Thomsen accompanied him to the funeral. However, she later told the Daily Mail that she believed Adams was having an affair with the princess and admitted to “sitting in church with mixed feelings”.
A legendary director and first class actors
Director Steven Spielberg and actors Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman arrive at Princess Diana’s memorial service | PAUL HACKETT/AFP/Getty Images
Hollywood A-listers also paid their respects, including Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise along with his then-wife Nicole Kidman.
Princess Diana and Cruise met at the 1992 premiere of Far and Away, and according to Judy Wade, author of Diana: The Intimate Portrait, Kidman was a little jealous of the royal.
“This explains why Nicole Kidman always turned down roles with Diana and wasn’t happy that her best friend Naomi accepted Watts,” Wade wrote. “Nicole continues to hold grudges even though she divorced Tom and the woman who posed a threat died.”
Dignitaries from around the world also paid their respects
Then-First Lady Hillary Clinton at Princess Diana’s funeral Anwar Hussein/WireImage
Dignitaries and the wives of Presidents from various countries were also present at the funeral service for Princess Diana. These included Hillary Clinton, French President Jacques Chirac’s wife, Bernadette Chirac, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s wife, Suzanne Mubarak. South African President Nelson Mandela, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his predecessors John Major, Margaret Thatcher, James Callaghan and Edward Heath were invited.
Present as representatives of the royal family were Princess Margriet of the Netherlands and Infanta Pilar de Borbon, sister of King Juan Carlos of Spain.
RELATED: Why the Royal Family didn’t want Elton John to sing ‘Candle in the Wind’ at Princess Diana’s funeral
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