William Brangham:
Reports of the queen's contentious relationship with Princess Diana continued. Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, after having two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
One year later, Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris, leaving a nation in shock. Amid an outpouring of public grief, Elizabeth grew criticism for waiting a week before issuing a statement on the tragedy. She also objected to Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, but when they married in 2005, she held a reception for them at Windsor Castle.
Ultimately, the queen's popularity recovered, both at home and around the world. She became known as a devoted grandmother and later great-grandmother, and perhaps even better known for her colorful suits and hats and for her love of dogs, especially the corgis, who seemed never far away.
Britain celebrated the queen's diamond jubilee in 2012, marking the 60th anniversary of her rule with ceremonies, concerts and a maritime parade featuring more than 1,000 vessels riding down the Thames River.
Three years later, in September 2015, she officially became Britain's longest reigning monarch, surpassing her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who ruled for 63 years. And the weddings of her grandsons, William in 2011 and Harry in 2018, once again brought an outpouring of affection for the royal family.
Through it all, Elizabeth urged her people to aspire to the good and to practice kindness, as in her prerecorded Christmas message in 2016.
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