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Tony : Good
morning, Your Majesty.
Elizabeth : Prime Minister.
Tony : May I say, by the way, how very sorry I am. The
thoughts and prayers of my family are with you at this
terrible time, and with the Princess in particular.
Elizabeth : Thank you.
Tony : Is it your intention to make some kind of
appearance or statement?
Elizabeth : No. No, certainly not. No member in the
royal family will speak publicly about this. This is a
private matter. We would all appreciate it if it could
be respected as such.
Tony : I see. I don't suppose anyone has had time to
think about the funeral yet?
Elizabeth : Well. We've spoken with the Spencer
family, and it is their wish, it is their express wish
that this should be a private funeral with a memorial
service to follow in a month.
Tony : Right.
Elizabeth : Given that Diana was no longer a member of
the royal family, we have no other choice but to respect
their wishes.
Tony : I see. You, you don't feel that in view of her
high profile and popularity, it might be an idea to
pay tribute to
her life and achievements, or even just to her as a
mother?
Elizabeth : Well, as I said, it's her family's wish.
Tony : And the public, ma'am, the British people? You
don't think a private funeral might be denying them a
chance...
Elizabeth : A chance to what?
Tony : To share in the grief?
Elizabeth : This is a family funeral, Mr Blair, not a
fairground attraction. I think the Princess has already
paid a high enough price for exposure to the press,
don't you? Now, if there's nothing else, I have to get
on. The children have to be looked after.
Tony : Of course. Well. Goodbye, Your Maj...
Anchorperson : And we're going, we're going in fact, I
believe, to Sedgefield, the Prime Minister's
constituency, where he is about to make a statement.
Yes, the Prime Minister coming now with his wife,
Cherie.
Man : Yeah, well, apart from that?
Woman : He's on. Alastair, he's on! Come on!
Tony : Though her own life was often sadly touched by
tragedy, she touched the lives of so many others in
Britain and throughout the world with joy and with
comfort. The people everywhere, not just here in
Britain, everywhere, they
kept faith with Princess Diana. They
liked her. They loved her. They regarded her as one of
the people. She was the people's princess and that's how
she will... stay, how she will remain... in our hearts
and in our memories... forever.
Man : A bit over the top,
don't you think?
Anchorperson : The Prime Minister, paying his own
tribute to the Princess of Wales. The people of Britain,
he said, kept faith with Princess Diana. They loved her.
She was the people's princess.
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