Queen's criticism after Di's death had left Queen Mother hugely upset

London, September 28 (ANI): If reports are to be believed, the Queen Mother was left very upset by the criticism of the Queen following Princess of Wales Diana's death.

Lady Angela Oswald, one of the Queen Mother's ladies-in-waiting for 21 years, has revealed that the royal matriarch felt widespread public anger at her elder daughter's reaction to the tragedy was ­misplaced and unfair.

She was also said to be deeply shocked when Diana made a statement about her failed marriage to Prince Charles in a TV interview for Panorama.

The Queen Mother felt that such things should remain private.

Lady Angela was speaking with the knowledge of Buckingham Palace about her decades of royal service.

Her husband Sir Michael Oswald, presently 75, was the Queen Mother's racing manager from 1970 until her death in March 2002, aged 101.

Describing her distress after the 1997 car crash that claimed Diana's life, Lady Angela said: "The Queen was criticised for two things. One was taking Princes William and Harry to church on the day the Princess died."

The Daily Express quoted her as adding: "But they wanted to go to church. If you are a Christian and your mother has been killed, it is a ­comfort going to church. The other thing was that people expected the Queen to abandon her two grandsons - whose mother had just been killed - and go to London to mourn with people who had never even met the Princess. It was such a cruel criticism and unfair."

Speaking at their Norfolk home, Lady Angela went on: "The Queen Mother's life was full of laughter and sparkle. The one time I remember her losing her smile for any length of time was for a fortnight after she had been informed the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales was effectively over. She was so sad, so tense and so obviously unhappy."

The couple also revealed that the Queen Mother was not a heavy drinker, and that despite her love for horse riding, she never had a bet.

Lady Angela said: "I feel so privileged to have spent so much time with her. At a reception, I sometimes lost her because of her lack of height but could always tell where she was because of the joyful expressions of people talking to her. The wave of affection was tangible and it went both ways. People loved Queen Elizabeth and she really did love them."

An official biography of her was criticised for devoting just two pages to Princess Diana's death. (ANI)