Having reigned for more than 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II experienced a plethora of triumphs and tragedies during her time on the throne. But according to a royal historian, there was one particular "tragedy" that altered the way the late Queen behaved in public, pushing her into a new "era."
In the book Queen Elizabeth II: A Concise Biography of an Exceptional Sovereign, royal historian David Cannadine revealed that the death of Princess Diana on August 31, 1997 had a massive impact on the monarch. Per the author, "Such a sudden, appalling, and unexpected tragedy caught The Queen, the Royal Family, and the royal household completely unawares, as indicated by the terse statement issued following the announcement of Diana's death: 'The Queen and the Prince of Wales are deeply shocked and distressed at this terrible news.'"
