The Queen’s First Words When Told Of Princess Diana’s Death Left Royal Staff ‘Astonished’ In New Report

The conspiracy theories ran rampant in the media following the death of Princess Diana, thrusting the Royal Family into the headlines that were often dark and accusatory. Much of what went on behind the scenes among the Royal Family remained private, but a new book reveals the alleged reactions and behaviors of the Queen in the hours and days following the death of her former daughter-in-law.

The book titled, My Husband and I: The Inside Story of 70 Years of the Royal Marriage is written by Ingrid Seward, who is described as a “royal expert” by Stuff.co.nz. As the title suggests, the book covers the life of the Queen and her relationship with her husband of 70 years. There are many different aspects and events of the Queen’s life covered in this new book, but the one making headlines today reports what the Queen allegedly said upon hearing about the death of Diana.

This book was released around the same time that “puff pieces” were popping up in the headlines as the couple celebrated their milestone of 70 years of marriage on their anniversary this year, according to Elite Daily. One of the events described in the book is the night Queen Elizabeth was told that Princess Diana is dead.

According to Stuff.nz.co, an excerpt from this new book describes the moments following the Queen being informed of Diana’s death. Her alleged first words were, “Someone must have greased the brakes.” This was a reaction so unexpected from the Queen, that it left the Royal staff “astounded” to hear her talk like that, which is what the book conveys about the incident. Stuff nz.co reports:

“It was an extraordinary remark for the Queen to make and it astounded her staff when they came to hear of it, which most had by the time the dawn broke over Balmoral’s wooded hills.”

That was the last heard about that alleged comment from the Queen. She reportedly never spoke about it again and she never gave an explanation for her response, according to Stuff. The next order of business was also described in this book as a “royal command” made by the Queen following Diana’s death. This was to include all members of the Royal Family, with the only exception being the two young princes, William and Harry.

Queen Elizabeth asked that everyone head to church at nearby Crathie that morning, exempting Diana’s two young sons from that request. Elite Daily suggests that Seward, who they call a “royal watcher,” is reiterating rumors and assuming at least some of them [rumors] are true” in her new book. The video above shows Queen Elizabeth addressing Princess Diana’s death to the people of the U.K. in a statement she made on TV.

Princess Diana died on August 31, 1997, when riding in a car in Paris that crashed into a pillar inside a tunnel, reports the Telegraph. She was with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, who also perished in the crash, as did their driver, Henri Paul. Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was the only one in the car to make it out of the crash alive. According to USA Today, two decades after Diana’s death conspiracy theories are still spinning today and through the years these conspiracy theories have pointed fingers at everyone from the Royal Family to the French Police.