King Charles' coronation: Millions tune out as internet explodes with tributes to ‘real Queen' Diana

TV ratings revealed that the King’s Coronation had a much lower combined audience than Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 which became the nation’s second-most watched live broadcast of all time, behind only the 1966 Fifa World Cup final.

While the royal event caused a wave of anti-monarchist protests and sparked controversy, with people questioning its timing amid the cost of living crisis, many resented the historic event for completely different reasons.

In the days surrounding the Coronation, the internet exploded with sweet tributes to Princess Diana. People posted pictures, videos and fragments of interviews of the popular royal. Many called her ‘the only true Queen’ and expressed the belief that she ‘upstaged’ Queen Camilla.

Is Princess Diana still more popular than King Charles and Queen Camilla despite her tragic death?

Is King Charles less popular than the late Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana?

The Coronation of King Charles drew an average of 18.8m viewers across 11 channels and services, which is millions fewer than the funeral of the late Queen in September last year, according to TV rating agency Barb.

For comparison, the televised address by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in March 2020, during which he announced the first Covid-19 lockdown, which was watched by 28.2 million people.

The funeral of Queen Elizabeth was watched by an average of 26.2 million viewers and drew a peak viewership of 29.2 million.

But it was Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 that attracted the most viewers, with 32 million people tuning in in the UK, making it the nation’s second-most watched live broadcast of all time, behind only the 1966 Fifa World Cup final.

There are no reliable viewing figures from the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 when televisions were still a rare luxury for many and the population of the UK was lower, but it was claimed at the time that the majority of Britons tuned in either via TV or radio.

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Princess Diana remembered on Twitter: ‘You will always be our Queen’

Days leading up to the King Charles' Coronation people started to post pictures and videos of Princess Diana to pay tribute to how much she was still missed.

One used wrote:

Princess Diana is the only real queen today and everyday.

Another one chimed in:

Diana, you will always be our Queen.

One more user commented:

Funny how the weather is raining and miserable for King Charles's coronation. Princess Diana the rightful queen, laughing from above working her magic with the weather.

Some users couldn’t help it and compared Princess Diana with Queen Camilla.

Someone wrote:

Hard not to wonder what Diana would have made of this day… King Charles looking glum, Camilla a portrait of misery until sighting her crown, Prince Andrew disgraced but allowed full regalia, Harry hidden behind the helmet of Princess Anne. Remembering the real Queen.

Royal fans noticed that Kate Middleton, the current Princess of Wales, paid tribute to Princess Diana by wearing a pair of her late mother-in-law’s pearl and diamond earrings.

Many were quick to draw comparisons between Princess Charlotte and her late grandmother posting pictures of both.

One Twitter user wrote:

Her way of smile reminded me of her granny Princess Diana, she had the same shy smile. God bless our little princess and future Princess Royal.

Another one added:

Who looks like her grandmother? Princess Charlotte, much like her late grandmother Princess Diana, Prince William has passed his mother's genes on to his daughter.

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Sources used:

- iNews: 'Coronation TV ratings: Millions tuned out as Charles draws smaller audience than Queen’s funeral'