The usually bustling streets of the Egyptian capital were quiet on Saturday as many of the city's 16 million inhabitants watched the funeral of Princess Diana. Black-clad announcers, some of whom broke down in tears, narrated the proceedings on state television, which carried the funeral in its entirety. Work was interrupted as people went home to watch the event, while those who had no televisions of their own gathered in cafes or at friends' houses.
Many men and women openly wept. "Her heart was gentle and she was a good mother," said one black-clad domestic worker in central Cairo. "How can we not mourn her?"
The local press dubbed the princess Cinderella of the Century and compared the tragic end to her romance with the Egyptian-born Dodi al-Fayed to a Greek tragedy. Prior to the funeral, much of the press coverage of Diana's death focused on her relationship with Mr al-Fayed and the possibility that foul play was involved in the accident.
Certainly, her involvement with him was a factor the widespread interest in her funeral. The racist reaction to the romance by some members of the British press meant that Egyptians saw her as someone standing up for religious and racial tolerance. And it is for this reason that many remain firmly convinced that last week's car crash was planned.
They maintain that the royal family and the British establishment could not stand the idea of an Arab Muslim being related to the future heir. But it was more than conspiracy theories or racial politics that led to such an emotional outpouring here on Saturday and it is a measure of Diana's immeasurable appeal that she was able to win the hearts of a people who still remember the British as colonisers.