On
September 9, 1997, with the whole world watching on live TV, Sir Elton
John played “Candle In The Wind” with substituted lyirics called
“Goodbye England’s Rose” during the Anglican funeral service for the
late Princess.

The frequencies for the song, the way Sir Elton
played it at Westminster Abbey, a recording still available online and
beyond, were:
meanspeed=60.9 beats per minute
meanemotion=sincerity
meanbeat=1.015 beats per second
measpace=985 milliseconds per beat
measpace=3941 milliseconds per measure
meanpulse=1.015 cycles per second
meanpitch=519.68 Hertz 88 cents above B4=493.883 Hertz, 11 cents below C5=523.251 Hertz

This is the BBC account of the wedding, held 25 years ago today:

Crowds of 600,000 people filled the streets of London to catch a
glimpse of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on their wedding day.

The
couple were married at St Paul’s Cathedral before an invited
congregation of 3,500 and an estimated global TV audience of 750
million – making it the most popular programme ever broadcast.

Britons enjoyed a national holiday to mark the occasion.

Lady
Diana, 20, arrived almost on time for the 1120 BST ceremony after
making the journey from Clarence House in the Glass Coach with her
father, Earl Spencer.

She
made the three-and-a-half minute walk up the red-carpeted aisle with
the sumptuous 25 ft (7.62 m) train of her Emmanuel designed, ivory
taffeta and antique lace gown flowing behind her.

Archbishop
of Canterbury Dr Robert Runcie led the traditional Church of England
service, but he was assisted by clergymen from many denominations.

The
bride’s nerves showed briefly when she mixed up the Prince’s names -
calling him Philip Charles Arthur George, rather than Charles Philip.

Charles,
32, in the full dress uniform of a naval commander, slightly muddled
his vows too, referring to “thy goods” rather than “my worldly goods”.

After
a brief private signing ceremony the Prince and Princess of Wales
walked back down the aisle to the refrain of Elgar’s Pomp and
Circumstance.

Balcony embrace

The
newlyweds took the open-topped state landau to Buckingham Palace where
they emerged on the balcony at 1310 BST to give the crowds the kiss
they had been longing to see.

Afterwards Charles and Diana retired from the public gaze to enjoy toasts and a wedding breakfast with 120 family guests.

A
“just married” sign attached to the landau by Princes Andrew and Edward
raised smiles as the married couple were driven over Westminster Bridge
to get the train to Romsey in Hampshire to begin their honeymoon.”

Here is how the BBC reported Dina Spencer’s funeral, 25 years ago to the day:

“1997: Diana’s funeral watched by millions
Britain and the world have said farewell to Diana, Princess of Wales, at the end of an unprecedented week of mourning.

A
four mile procession brought her coffin to Westminster Abbey, where
politicians and celebrities joined the Royal Family in a subdued
congregation.

Over a million people lined the route of the
funeral cortege to the abbey and along her final journey to the Spencer
family home in Northamptonshire.

The day began at 0908 BST, when the coffin left Kensington Palace on a gun carriage.

Some of the crowd wept, some applauded quietly, but most watched in silence.

On
top of the coffin was a poignant reminder that this woman loved by
millions was also a mother – a card to “Mummy” from one of her sons.

The two princes, William and Harry, joined their father, grandfather and the princess’s brother walking behind the coffin.

She was the very essence of compassion

Earl Spencer
Other members of the Royal Family watched the funeral cortege pass from the gates of Buckingham Palace.

The union jack on top of the palace was lowered to half mast for the first time ever.

Both
Diana’s sisters read tributes to her at the funeral service and Elton
John played his re-worked version of Candle in the Wind.

Her
brother, Lord Spencer, made a funeral address in which he described as
Diana the “very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty”.

He used the speech to blame the media for her death, calling her the “most hunted person of the modern age”.

The grieving earl also pledged to protect William and Harry and prevent them suffering a similar fate.

The sometimes controversial oration was greeted with spontaneous applause.

A
very public day of mourning ended with a private ceremony when Diana
was finally buried on an island in the heart of her family estate at
Althorp.”

Best
Ian Andrew Schneider
29 July 2008