DEATH OF DIANA: PM Tony Blair's 'People's Princess' Speech (1997)
Written by Joanne Leyland
Saturday, 10 March 2007
Event: British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Reaction To The Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
Date: Sunday 31st August 1997
"Like everyone else in this country today I am utterly devastated. We are a nation in a state of mourning — in grief that is so deeply painful for us."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Princess Diana's family, particularly her two sons. Our heart goes out to them."
"Diana was a wonderful and warm human being, although her life was often touched by tragedy. She touched the lives of so many others in Britain and throughout the world with joy and with comfort."
"How many times shall we remember her, in how many different ways...with the sick, the dying, with children, with the needy. With just a look or a gesture that spoke so much more than words, she would reveal to all of us the depth of her compassion and her humanity."
"We know how difficult things were for her from time to time. I am sure we can only guess that. But people everywhere, not just here in Britain, kept faith with Princess Diana."
"They loved her and regarded her as one of the people."
"She was the People's Princess and that is how she will stay, how she will remain in our hearts and our memories for ever."
