The Queen

On May 2, 1997, the Labour Party, led by the newly elected Prime Minister Tony Blair, defeated John Major's Conservative Party. Less than four months later, the untimely demise of Princess Diana in a horrible car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, plunged the United Kingdom into grief, shaking the very foundation of the political system. And while refusing to accept England's spontaneous outpourings of affection and support, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip retreated to Balmoral Castle, regarding Diana's death as a private affair. This decision caused the Royal Family's popularity to plummet. However, as Tony Blair found himself between the hammer and the anvil, he enlisted the help of the then Prince Charles, now King Charles III, The King of the United Kingdom, to convince Queen Elizabeth II to recognise the significance of the People's Princess and acknowledge the public's demand for an overt display of mourning.