In this exclusive excerpt from Katie’s memoir, find out what Diana revealed to Katie about her personal life.
In honor of the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana‘s death, we’re sharing this excerpt from Katie’s memoir, Going There, in which she recalls meeting Diana in Chicago just 15 months before her death, and how covering the funeral prepared her for losing her husband Jay.
“This must be an exhausting trip,” I said, “with so many people to meet, shaking hands with all those strangers. Are you excited to go home?”
“I would be,” Princess Diana responded, “but I’m going home to an empty house.”
As we all knew, she was in the process of finalizing her divorce from Prince Charles. I was surprised by her openness and sensed a deep sadness. “Why don’t you invite some friends over for a slumber party?” I asked, half joking.
Princess Diana cocked her head quizzically at the idea of it, like a dog hearing a high-pitched whistle. At the time, I had no idea how miserable she really was.
Now, 15 months later, I was flying to London to broadcast her funeral live from Buckingham Palace. Bereft Londoners and tourists were leaving bouquets outside the gates; by midweek, they’d cover acres.
The service was on Saturday at Westminster Abbey. NBC had built a platform directly across from the entrance where Tom Brokaw and I sat, along with Tina Brown. After an hour, the cortege came into view; the casket, laden with lilies, had a simple white card on top that said Mummy — handwritten and placed there by Harry. Mourners wailed at the sight of the princes walking behind the casket, heads bowed. And I realized that what I was seeing was not the passing of the most famous woman in the world; it was two boys who’d lost a parent. And I thought of my girls.
Tears started to flow. I leaned over to Tom and whispered, “I’m having a really hard time.” He put his hand on my back and nodded — he understood. So did the control room, which instructed the cameraman to get a two-shot of Tom and Tina while I wiped my face and tried to pull myself together. Diana and Jay — I was mourning them both.
Excerpt(s) from GOING THERE by Katie Couric, copyright © 2021 by Katie Couric. Used by permission of Little, Brown, an imprint and division of Hachette Book Group. All rights reserved.
