Royal funerals as dark events

Royal funerals are arguably the largest-scale and most logistically complex category of dark events. They contribute to national identity and social cohesion and are a symbolic mechanism to assist the smooth transition from one monarch to the next. These events, however, may be challenging due to their immense cost and the spotlight they shine on the relevance of the institution of monarchy. In this chapter, we argue that the organisation of a royal funeral requires a delicate balance. It is both a public and private affair, with a grieving family at the centre, but must also cater to subjects spread across the world and across different ethnicities and religions. There is a tendency to view royal funerals as tradition-bound and unchanging, replete with arcane rituals. The reality, we argue, is that royal funerals have and must evolve as society and technology change. Maintaining continuity of these traditional events can be understood through the theoretical lens of four major processes: preservation, adaptation, appropriation and invention. We examine the funerals of Diana, Princess of Wales (1997), and Queen Elizabeth II (2022) as case studies of this development and discuss the future of royal funerals.