There was a general feeling after Diana's death that the queen wasn't mourning enough publicly. This was a moment of mass outpouring of emotion from the British people. To take any political position was anathema to her because her role in her eyes was to unify her country, not to divide it. I hope that tomorrow we can all join in expressing our grief at Diana's loss and gratitude for her all too short life.
From Pelé, the “king of football”, to Britain’s longest-reigning queen, our editors and correspondents reflected on the accomplishments of many notable figures who died this year. But our obituaries editor shone a light also on the lives and legacies of lesser-known figures.
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