World reaction - Germany

More than 20 million Germans watched the funeral live on eight TV stations

More than 20 million Germans watched the funeral live on eight TV stations. Many shops closed as streets emptied on Saturday morning, leaving city centres quiet for hours.

More than six million Germans watched the queen's televised address on Friday evening, and angry viewers jammed the switchboard of ARD, the first German public service TV channel, to complain when a commentator suggested that the reaction to the princess's death was overblown.

German newspapers have been dominated by news of Diana's death for a week and the mass-circulation Bild am Sonntag yesterday devoted 11 pages to funeral reports.

The daily Bild was criticised last week when it published a photograph of the wrecked car with a caption suggesting that Princess Diana and Dodi al-Fayed were still inside when it was taken.

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Much of the coverage in the popular press has been critical of the queen and the Prince of Wales, accusing them of heartlessness and suggesting that the future of the British monarchy now rests on the shoulders of Prince William.

Chat shows on TV and radio have been preoccupied with the issues of privacy and press freedom following the tragedy.

Denis Staunton

Denis Staunton

Denis Staunton is China Correspondent of The Irish Times