Princess Diana: Farewell roses and a piper’s lament

I had been waiting for Princess Diana.

She arrived directly under my hotel room window at 9:08 Saturday morning.

It was just by chance my window had become an aerie, a perch overlooking Diana’s cortege as it clambered down a private road exiting Kensington Palace en route to her funeral.

Standing on the inside of my window ledge, I peered down on Diana’s coffin. It was so close I could almost smell the lilies and white roses placed there by her sons.

First came the clack of the horses’ hooves, and then the keening and wailing of the crowd when the cortege hit pavement at Kensington Road.

By the time the cortege arrived at Westminster Abbey, something new had been added to the flowers atop her bier. It was pink. And it had been tossed among Diana’s favorite white lilies. It was hard to tell what kind of flower it was, but I’d like to think someone with magic in their hands inserted a reminder of what she was: England’s rose.

A funeral sound . . . From out of nowhere came the skirl of a bagpipe. Although no music was planned for Diana’s cortege as it wended its way to Westminster Abbey, a lonely piper in a city park played a Scottish lament. . . .

Funeral scenes . . . Prince Charles was the only member of the five men walking behind the cortege wearing a blue suit.

Queen Elizabeth quietly brushing away a tear when Elton John sang.

A muffled tenor bell that rang every 60 seconds.

Earl Spencer lovingly placing his hands on the backs of Diana’s boys as they entered the cathedral.

Nicole Kidman’s funky hat; hubby Tom Cruise’s new haircut.

Steven Spielberg’s Hollywood sunglasses.

Prime Minister’s Tony Blair’s wife, Cherie, arriving hatless in a sea of chapeaus.

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton wearing a classic hat.

Policemen tossing flowers in the path of Diana’s hearse.

The windshield of Diana’s hearse becoming so loaded with tossed flowers that the driver stopped and carefully placed the flowers on the road.

Di’s gift . . .

The day she died, Princess Diana gave Dodi Fayed a gift: cuff links that had once belonged to her father, the late Earl Spencer.

Another gift, a cigar cutter, was inscribed, “With love, from Diana.”

The Elton factor . . .

Elton John, who sang a new version of his classic “Candle in the Wind” at Di’s funeral, confessed he and Di weren’t talking until recently.

The duo fell out when Di pulled out of a charity bash in February for Gianni Versace, who was launching a book called Rock and Royalty. She canceled after learning it included explicit photos, and asked that a forward she had written be removed. As a result, the designer was forced to cancel the event.

The singer says he and Di settled their differences at Versace’s funeral nearly two months ago.

The Hewitt affair . . .

It should come as no surprise that Maj. James Hewitt, the cad who kissed and told and broke Diana’s heart, was not at the funeral.

But he still has the 50 love letters Diana wrote to him lodged in a bank vault because he fears theft.

The king’s way . . .

Spain’s King Juan Carlos missed the funeral to attend a bullfight. Carlos, a relative of Prince Charles, had admired Princess Di so much he once gave her a $136,000 watch. It’s no secret that Charles’ relationship with the king was strained because of Carlos’ close relationship with Diana.

Big Mac matters . . .

Diana, who loved working out at the Royal Garden hotel gym next to Kensington Palace, also loved to take her boys to a nearby McDonald’s afterward. It was one of the things that made the public love her. The question now is will Charles take Prince Harry to get his Big Mac? The queen would frown on it for security reasons.

A Charles choice . . .

Charles broke tradition again last week by flying on the same plane as his boys. It’s a no-no due to the risk. Charles had boarded a different plane to London but changed his mind and rejoined his sons.

Prison patter . . .

Here’s another addition to the chest ribbon brigade: Prisoners across Britain are not only wearing black ribbons, but they are also signing books of condolences.

Di’s mum . . .

Frances Shand Kydd, who attended a special Catholic service for her daughter conducted by Basil Cardinal Hume, keeps a special photograph by her bedside that reads: “Darling Mum, love always, DianaX.”

The unexpected . . .

Fayed’s dad, who owns the famous Harrods department store, has decided to go ahead with a special project next spring. The younger Fayed had designed a new range of menswear called Black Label, which Harrods plans to launch.

The mouth cometh . . .

Princess Diana’s stepgrandmother, the novelist Barbara Cartland, claims Diana stood out from the other royals because she was English.

Quoth Cartland: “Forget about the monarchy. The royal family is a family of Germans. The princess of Wales was English. She’s the one who will be missed.” Oh well.