The truth about the royal family’s reaction to the death of Princess Diana

Blair addressed reporters that morning from his home constituency in County Durham, saying he was “absolutely devastated” like the rest of the country. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Princess Diana’s family, particularly her two sons and two boys,” he said, clasping and unclasping his hands in front of him.

“Our hearts are with them. We are a nation today, in Britain, in a state of shock, in mourning, in grief that hurts so deeply for us.” Blair paused. “She was a wonderful and warm person. Although her own life was often touched with tragedy, she touched the lives of many others in Britain and around the world with joy and comfort. How many times should we remember her, in how many different ways? With the sick, the dying, with children, with the needy—when only with a look or a gesture that spoke much more than words, she revealed to all of us the depth of her compassion and her humanity.

“You know how difficult it was for her at times, I’m sure we could only guess, but people everywhere – not just here in Britain, everywhere – they kept faith in Princess Diana,” Blair concluded. “They loved her, they loved her, they considered her one of the people. She was a people’s princess. And she will remain like that, she will remain like that in our hearts and in our memories forever.”