A SCOTTISH brigadier who courted controversy by draping Princess Diana’s coffin in the Royal Standard instead of the Union flag has died.
Brigadier Charles David Maciver Ritchie, CBE, was the military officer serving the British Embassy in Paris and helped with the repatriation of her body after the tragedy in August 1997, a year after she finalised her divorce from Prince Charles.
Normally the Royal Standard is used only for members of the royal family.
However, Ritchie said later his instinct was to use it rather than the Union flag.
Speaking in 2017 he recalled: “Her body was in a coffin, there was never a mark on her face, she was beautifully made up, she looked as though she was sleeping.
“The RAF sergeant as I recall said, ‘Which flag shall we put on the coffin sir?’ And I said, ‘What flag have you got?’ And he said the Union Flag and the Royal Standard.
“I said, ‘Well my head says the Union [flag], my heart says the Royal Standard’.
“And I said ‘put on the Royal Standard I will take responsibility’”.
Despite the protocol breach, Ritchie was not reprimanded. He said: “I was merely told technically I was wrong, but when you saw the reaction of the public ...
“An official communication then arrived to the ambassador informing him to thank me for the unconventional decision I had taken, full stop.”
The reaction was so positive the flag was used for the funeral too.
Late of the Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment), Brigadier Ritchie died suddenly on Wednesday, aged 79.
There will be a private family cremation followed by a memorial service in Edinburgh when permitted next year.
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