ITV News Special- Princess Diana's Body Returns To Britain

detail about Trevor ree Jones he's a bodyguard employed by the ALF fired family who is traveling in the front of that vehicle he has as you say serious injuries serious facial injuries he's in intensive care is fam with him but now he's not on the danger list he may be able to give more detail about what has become a rather confused incident we've got these reports as you've heard of press photographers on motorbikes either behind or around that car other Witnesses say they saw no bikes we may not know anymore until the French police either prefer charges or issue a further statement Robert what about those people who we understand earlier today were arrested and uh and are still being held in connection with this incident those photographers on motorbikes well that's right there were seven photographers Al together six French photographers one Macedonian they were questioned throughout the day reports this afternoon suggested that three of them had been released four were still being held even if the French don't prefer charges of either involuntary manslaughter or manslaughter there is a charge under a sort of so-called Good Samaritan law where people can actually be indicted for failing to help people in danger so they may not be out of the fire out of the wood out of the um out of danger yet Robert Halland Paris thank you very much Princess Diana's most recent high-profile cause was of course her crusade to rid the world of landmines it was a role which sometimes brought her into conflict with politicians but the princess always insisted that her interest was purely humanitarian o Africa correspondent Steve Scott was in Angola when the princess visited that country dressed down and ready for work a princess swapping glamour for a new Hands-On approach to her charity work in January she chose War ravaged Angola to launch this Fresh Image and put her face behind the Red Cross landmines campaign the victim she met had no idea who she was they were just glad somebody was taking notice they found her visit uplifting and where others would have been embarrassed the princess was completely at ease with the serious injuries confronting her she was though quite clearly moved by many of the tragic story she listened to at the time the princess described the trip as humbling with the effect of hardening her stance against antipersonnel minds her visit made headlines worldwide but also sparked criticism from some British MPS who blamed her for meddling in politics somewhat annoyed the princess replied she was not a politician but a humanitarian always had been always would be three barring the man who accompanied her in Angola said today her magic had an extraordinary effect when uh the Princess of Wales became involved suddenly the interest escalated journalists who wrote articles about things nothing to do with landmines had to suddenly SWAT up on landmine issues and learn about the subject get to know it and report it and we saw the reporting of landmines in some of the most obscure journals in the world earlier this month she took her campaign to Bosnia taking time to talk to those many of them children whose lives have been Shattered by the war there as always focusing on the youngsters to help publicize the devastation Minds have caused and the threat they still pose the princess knew she'd be followed wherever she went so she decided to turn that to the advantage of tens of thousands across the world who are in no position to help themselves Steve Scott ITN our correspondent Harry Smith is at Buckingham Palace Harry as we said the body of the princess is on its way back to Britain now what information can you give us about the funeral arrangements well there's been no announcement as yet I'm told that there might be an announcement later tonight more likely tomorrow the main question of course is what kind of funeral the princess will be given normally members of the royal family would have a full State funeral but of course the Princess of Wales lost her title her Royal Highness uh but the royal family must be acutely aware as most people in this country that many many people will want to pay their tribute to to the princess I'm told that the thinking at the moment seems to be that she will be given a national funeral which might be a state funeral in allit name uh of course then that could happen towards the end of next week perhaps Friday more likely however I'm told the week after that there is still of course the question of uh where she'll be buried normally members of the royal family would be interred at St George's Chapel Windsor she could however be buried at the the family home in northamptonshire but I think we've been given a very strong signal it was a Royal Standard which was draped over her coffin as uh as it left as it left France I think that's a clear indication that uh she will be given the full the full dignitary of a of a member of the royal family so Harry as you said the possibility now of a funeral next week any indication of what happens between the arrival of the princess's body and then and the funeral it I'm told it will arrive shortly at ARF northal it'll then be taken it'll arrive by plane it'll then be taken to a private Chapel uh thereafter we've been given no indication of what will happen as I say we are waiting for word from Buckingham Palace there is as yet no official announcement Harry Smith Buckingham Palace thank you very much and that's the early evening news on the day the nation Mourns the death of the Princess of Wales I'll be back at 9:00 this evening with a special program and we'll be going back to the continuous news team for more live coverage shortly but first Lauren Taylor looks back at the life of Diana Princess of Wales it was in February 1981 that a shy Lady Diana Spencer was officially engaged to Prince Charles it was the start of a royal career that turned her into one of the most famous women in the world although she was the daughter of an aristocrat her marriage to Prince Charles transformed her life there was even the prospect she might one day be queen during a ceremony that was watched all over the world Diana's Youth and Beauty Shone out capturing the hearts of the nation and Beyond her marriage appeared initially to be going well with her first son Prince William born in 1982 but the pressure of such a high profile role was beginning to show and there were rumors she was suffering from anorexia nervosa rumors at that time denied by the palace in 1984 a second son Prince Harry was born always under the public eye Diana immersed herself in charity work notably with AIDS victims helping to destigmatize the illness but her marriage was beginning to fall apart and the couple separated although Diana vowed to continue her charity work a series of scandals followed the final straw came when a paper published pictures of her working out in a gym she'd had enough but I was not aware of how overwhelming that attention would become nor the extent to which it would affect both my public duties and my personal life in a manner that's been hard to Bear the last few years of the marriage were marred by very public admissions of marital unhappiness first Prince Charles admitted on television he'd been unfaithful then came Diana's Panorama program well there were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded the interview also allowed her to explain what she wanted to be I'd like to be a queen of people's hearts in people's hearts but I don't see myself being queen of this country I'd like to be an ambassador for this country I'd like to represent this country AB broad as I have all this media interest let's not just sit in this country and be battered by it let's take them these people out and to represent this country and the good qualities of it abroad since her divorce in August 9 96 Diana had increasingly succeeded in that role of international Ambassador for good causes here she walked through a field of landmines in Angola to publicize their dangers leading humanitarian figures recognized her ability to generate support for previously obscure issues her recent friendship with DOD aled brought her companionship but kept her in the headlines too in recent months Diana appeared to have found happiness again her charm and Charisma as ever winning over those who met her Lauren Taylor ITN good evening Nicholas Owen our Royal correspondent and I are staying on the air in place of the schedule programs to bring you live coverage of the return to Britain of the body of Diana Princess of Wales Prince Charles who's accompanying the body is expected to touch down in his aircraft at London's RAF northal within the next half an hour our reporter Eric McKinnis is there now Eric I understand that the Prime Minister Mr Blair has already arrived there yes the prime minister just arrived here about half an hour ago dermit in fact he's actually over on the apron there uh talking to some of the press I believe he's waiting for uh the princess's aircraft to arrive I spoke to Buckingham Palace officials earlier and they gave us the schedule of what'll happen here at 7:00 Bae 146 aircraft of called The Royal Scott of the Queen's flight will touch down carry carrying the body of Diana Princess of Wales on board will be her two sisters and of course her former husband the Prince of Wales the prime minister will meet the group with uh the defense secretary will also be with them uh then the coffin will be brought off by eight coffin bearers and three escorts of the Queen's color Squadron they will move silently towards the front of the plane where the coffin will be placed into the hearse uh Buckingham Palace officials are saying that Princess Diana is being afforded the full ceremonials here as is befitting a member a full member of the royal family she no longer has the hrh Monica but they're saying that she will have the full ceremonials here they will be small ceremony on the apron before the body is taken away in the Hearst to a private Mory somewhere in London Eric quite uh quite a gathering there behind you any idea who else is there sorry I didn't hear you there any idea who else is in that crowd behind you well there's the all the media the uh assembled media there the prime minister is there the defense secretary is there uh the the Lord Chamberlain is there uh the Lord leftenant of London is there they are the official welcoming committee uh and they'll be waiting for their aircraft as I said it should be landing here at about 7:00 this evening okay Eric thank you very much indeed we will of course be returning to northel to bring you live coverage of that event well the plane carrying the body of the Princess of Wales is in the air at the moment it took off from Paris with Prince Charles on board a short while ago we will bring be bringing you some pictures of that very shortly but first let's uh go to our roal correspondent Nicholas Owen Nicholas I suppose um a sense of expectation sense of dreaded expectation yeah yes absolutely this plane is going to uh bring back just about the saddest cargo that's imaginable to this country and um then uh you know what what what would everybody's feelings I don't think anybody's quite prepared for how this is going to turn out Michael Brunson our political editor he's with us too here and he was saying earlier wasn't he that you know these occasions are always extremely somber is the word we mustn't overuse that word everything's going to be a bit like that today but certainly this will be in the next next hour let's just have a look now we can now see that uh ba 146 from the Royal flight taking off from Paris yes that's from v v KU is the name of the military air base and away she goes containing it that's half an hour ago containing the body of the princess away it goes back to Britain what a sad sad amazing picture there as it goes past the Setting Sun yes and as Eric mckinness was telling us on board uh Prince Charles and Lady Jane fellow and SED madale the uh the Princess of Wales sisters and of course the coffin draped with the Royal Standard as Eric McKinnis over at North hold saying this is being treated as a full Royal occasion for the lady who no longer hrh that title she lost but the queen said she was to be regarded as a member of the royal family and the events of the next week or so are going to prove I think that that is absolutely fully the case the plane almost suspended in the air there well about half an hour ago the Prime Minister Tony Blair as we heard flew into RAF northal to await the arrival of Prince Charles with the body of the Princess of Wales there we have the prime minister's flight he came down this afternoon from his uh constituency in Sedgefield caught a flight from tside airport I believe there is you can just see in the distance there Mr Blair being greeted by a uh senior member of the RAF uh the defense secretary George Robertson to Mr Blair's right this uh as I say happened about half an hour ago Mr Blair now waiting on the runway with the uh the rest of the assembled party there for the arrival of the flight containing the coffin of the Princess of Wales we are expecting that flight as you heard to arrive in at about 7:00 give will take a few minutes very honorous task this is for this new prime minister could never imag I wanted to bring in Michael Brunson our political editor is uh sitting with us in the studio here um as Nick was saying there Mike four months into his Premiership what a job for the Prime Minister yes it's truly terrible we've already seen and heard Mr Blair expressing in very emotional terms this morning not just his thoughts but speaking as of course the leader of Her Majesty's government in a sense he he does have to speak for everybody in this country and he was saying that he was devastated but what is uppermost in his thoughts I can tell you is the is the terrible loss of the promise that there was in what Princess Diana Mike we're just getting some live pictures in from North there is the uh guard of Honor assembling for the arrival of that of the Prince of Wales flight from Paris ARF men who I think will be the pole bearers will they not bareheaded they taking it yes there was a eight pole bearers were in RF memory in Paris to load the coffin onto the purse from which it was taken loaded it onto that airplane for that sad sad journey to northal and there is the northal contingent the their opposite numbers if you like being marched out and they will perform the the Dreadful Dreadful task of carrying that coffin these are of course Li pigs yes Li PS we from RAF North as we were saying earlier this this this this base is specially equipped to deal with royal flights special security and so forth It's a a place that um Prince Charles is very familiar with okay Mike we uh we interrupted you there to to take those well I was just saying that what is uppermost in Mr Blair's uh private thoughts I'm told with those that he's been speaking with during the day is his sense of this awful awful loss of a woman who just perhaps was beginning to find a role for herself of course there was a great empathy between Mr Blair and the princess over this question of landmines one of the very first things that the government did was to bring in the ban on landmines which the previous government decided that it didn't want to go quite that far and so between the two of them there was this empathy but Mr Blair has been talking to friends and sort of saying look this woman could if that kind of thing had gone on have been such an asset to Britain and of course the other thing that goes through one's mind is that Mr Blair is a young man too in his coming up to his mid-40s Princess Diana at 36 the two of them if you like represented did they not a a different kind of Generation Mr Blair taking over the start of a younger generation of politicians Princess Diana the young figurehead if you like for so many people and all of those aspirations Mr Blair felt were coming forward and so he felt that after they'd had a meeting at Checkers not so very far from North out of course that things would go forward both of course with two young Sons pretty close in age and we understand that when there had been those Gatherings at Checkers and of course at one of them um what Prince William I think it was accompanied his mother to Checkers there was a game of football I think that went on Nick perhaps knows a little bit more about this than I do and the kids were getting on like a h oner I think I think the the young Blair and young Royals were there was a bit of a kick about and the Word was that the uh the Blair boys won but they're they're fanatic football fans aren't they but it just shows of the the generational thing there Mr Blair and the princess very much of of that generation who could get on get on easily without any great formality now what about the um the issue arising out of this privacy much discussion now a huge amount of discussion going on the problem is a Privacy Law can only restrict what is published and this is the problem in France France has the most de Draconian privacy laws which are very restrictive about what you can publish about people's private and indeed about their public lives but still you see it doesn't deal with the problem of people who gather the news and these Paparazzi very often foreign people who are operating in different countries who are publishing in all kinds of of magazines how do you deal with that and the government's feeling is that we've got to wait we've got to think this through yes it will be at the top of a lot of private agendas if if You' like no rush to sudden legislation okay Mike well let's um return now to uh RAF northal where we are of course expecting uh within about the next 10 or 15 minutes the uh the arrival of uh Prince Charles's flight from Paris containing the of his former wife the Princess of Wales sorry d i we no one in this country needs telling what that vehicle in the front is that's the hearse that will take her coffin to undisclosed private Mory somewhere behind that will be the car that will contain the Prince of Wales and possibly the princess's two sisters and behind that I would guess a uh you know the security people again of course evident all the time and Beyond them I imagine those those are press people being lined up there so they will be able to see and the plane will I imagine from that that situation that we was the aircraft we will eventually see the aircraft drawing up short distance away and as we were saying there will be um eight eight RAF Paul bearers those young men bareheaded performing that task of carrying the coffin down from the plane the only recent parallel I can think of is when the Duke of Windsor's body was brought back home at a similar ceremony on the Airfield at Raf Benson also a bleak afternoon rather like this afternoon but of course in a sense you see there's no comparison because there was the Duke he was an elderly man now we're seeing others moving moving forward there is the Paul bearing party ready the Duke was an elderly man had come back after a long life this is a young woman cut down at 36 years old which those men that we're now seeing there are going to have to pick up her coffin and carry it across that Airfield yes we tell there'll be five wreath bearers eight coffin bearers and three escorts and all of them will be from the Queen's color Squadron there they are standing silently in stock still awaiting the arrival of the the Royal Scott the ba 146 aircraft at Prince Charles's those young back home with started their military career this is one job I don't think any of them could conceive in a million years who would have who would have imagined that we would be seeing that and we're just moving along now to just going around and seeing what else you know everybody awaiting there's another airplane sitting there more RAF men I think that's there's the out riders that will accompan near the coffin the Metropolitan Police out Riders everybody waiting we've got about 11 minutes or so before that plane is due to and a flag at half mast as flags all over the country have been at half M today as Mike was saying there North the whole country never really seen anything like this no I don't think so shock and shock and grief all those words but on an unparalleled scale okay well let's um catch up with developments perhaps away from RAF North mark Webster has been monitoring what's going on in the ITN Newsroom let's join him now yes what's extraordinary about having looked at the tributes coming in throughout the day is the extraordinary depth and range obviously Diana Princess of Wales touched so many people's lives I was just talk looking at some material coming in from Wales where there was a great deal of affection for her there back out Tony pendy the former common speaker George Thomas I think summed up the great sense of loss when he said close to tears I'm heartbroken as the rest of the country is she was held in great affection by everyone in Wales we have suffered a grievous loss because she was unique no one ever contained so much compassion and Care in one body it's also true that people have been traveling all the way from Cardiff bearing little posies in order to go to Kensington Palace I presume that people have been coming from all over the country to do the same top Ral rugby Stars paid their own personal Tribute to The People's princess who certainly heavly supported Wales in the five nations Championship uh ex- Wales Captain Robert Jones recalling how she brought Prince William and Prince Harry to cardi hars Park said she took on the role of Princess of Wales very fiercely and took a great interest in all achievements in Wales The Lads and the team always had great affection for her and people used to say we played better when she was watching us it'll take the world a long time to recover from this disaster understand just what it's missed very much indeed well I can tell you now that we uh have pictures of the plane carrying the princess of wales's body making its Final Approach into RAF northal it is making its slow descent it's gone through the clouds a few hundred feet from the ground now British ARS Place 146 of the Queen's flight Roy Scott indeed one can only imagine the atmosphere on board that plane there a shot of the awaiting press 8 minutes to Seven 8 minutes to seven She down the Princess of Wales returns home we're about to see the plane is about to um be lost to view in a moment we're advised it will go out of sight I'm not sure it's behind a building or what right at the end of the runway there then taxi back into position yes to hardly seems worth saying but a perfect Perfect Landing with such a precious and awful load we were talking just a few moments ago about the happy meetings that had taken place at Checkers and of course this Airfield is is quite close to Checkers a matter of what some 10 miles I suppose or something of that sort the airport is north out is to the west of London Checkers of course out in the buckinghamshire countryside you see the bit of that kind of Countryside there so all kinds of thoughts will be going through no doubt Tony Blair's mind as he stands on the Tate there of how it was that he was out in the country home that he he met the princess and now he like everybody else in the country is having to go through this awful moment Nick's Mike was saying they practically all Royal and VIP flights use RAF noral a lot of them never seen anything sorer than this no indeed not it's um it's a just a frightful business isn't it seeing that plane coming in there just just frightful as we said we don't know quite where the body are it's going be the control to control tower yes an Associated building well then presumably turn around there's the tail plane yeah we don't quite know where the body is headed we've not been told that for the moment and indeed of course be beyond that funeral arrangements are yet to be made it's being stressed incidentally by Buckingham Palace that members of the family will be consulted and we're not just talking about the royal family we are of course talking about her grieving family a brother or Spencer who spoke so passionately and now we now just on that we know that uh the princess's two sisters are on board the plane um Earl Spencer is in South Africa presumably making his way back now yes that's right well he indeed and he said today you know I believe the Press would kill her in the end those words are going to ring down the ears aren't they and the plane stopped there just a little bit out of view over that Ridge and we're talking about this funeral as I say the consultation with the family whether that means that there's a possibility that it won't be quite the major national event that might have been foreseen I really can't say I can't imagine frankly that it won't be you remember we saw the coffin in Paris covered with the Royal Standard that said it all it is to be a full Royal occasion uh and that's likely to involve Westminster Abbey it's likely to involve uh I think burial St George's Windsor but when you put that point to Royal officials I said to one of them just now just before he came on here what's happening and they say quite honestly we don't know they do not know where they're going at the moment it's not surprising this devastating unexpected loss Mike as we're talking there about the potential Arrangements the period of morning what happens to political life politics seem totally irrelevant after an event like this well it does seem totally irrelevant doesn't it and of course it is that sense that has led all the poit iCal leaders to announce that they are going to suspend campaigning in the Scottish and Welsh referendum we are in a sense aren't we into an election type atmosphere at the moment but none of them obviously feel that they can possibly go ahead with normal political life and so there's been an official announcement by Donald duer the Scottish secretary that he will cease his campaign activities Mr ha uh is also ceasing his activities and Mr Ashdown too and the other political leaders in Scotland and Wales I'm sure will do exactly the same and in Northern Ireland as well princess of course much loved in Northern Ireland she made visits there and so on WE mustn't forget that and of course talking about the funeral as think it was just now the political leaders will be there wherever it is even if it were in a small country Church which I can't imagine it would be they would want to be there because they are representing us at this particular moment in the sort of things that they are saying and by what they are doing the House of Commons of course in recess at the moment is there any discussion of MP's reassembly no not at the moment there is a great feeling as uh over the matter too of this whole business of legislation over possible privacy and the Press there is a a a great feeling I asked Mr Blair for example this morning a little bit or try to and he said Michael just let's leave things for the moment let us as it were get through this there's there's no great feeling that the cabinet wants to rush together people just want to be quiet I think Mr Blair for example will be going back to check us this evening just to be quiet with his family to be available to anybody who wants to talk to him he will come into Downing Street early tomorrow morning and he will simply be available as things unfold one thing we do know is that the Prince of Wales the Prince of Wales is going to be going back to Bal moral immediately tonight once the uh once that body is um the coffin is unloaded Comfort yeah he's going straight back to his sons uh who've needless to say the most Dreadful day of their young lives and he's extremely anxious to be back with them they at the moment are at Balmoral with the queen Duke of Edinburgh the Queen Mother um on on what was a holiday I mean no one's going to call it a holiday at the moment but um we are now going back to AR northal there it is making its slow and some would say stately progress towards the party containing the the Prime Minister amongst them waiting to suppose welcome is in the right word for some reason the plane stopped I don't quite know if any any of us know well the RAF do these things by the book uh they would for any flight they follow the procedures to the letter and of course in a sense it makes it all the worse for us now doesn't it they go through the procedures there will be this pause the plane will come very slowly to a stop and then we shall see the steps taken up and then the arrangements for the very dignified removal of the coffin and it will be quiet dignity but it will be done with a great deal of dignity a very simple moment in a sense but it will be D with dignity and an image I suspect that will haunt the nation for many years to come indeed who could think that Diana Princess of Wales at the age of 36 would be coming back to this country in a coffin draped with the Royal Standard it is a truly awful moment Nicholas do we have um any information on what the the queen and Prince Philip are going to do we don't at all the the only thing we've heard about them we've seen them of course going to to the Cy Church me our people were there and we we did see that see them all going in their cars and all we heard was the the announcement very early on this morning that they were obviously deeply distressed there is no more to say is there I mean what else can they add at the moment uh I I did say much earlier on in the day I I asked a a man who's very close indeed to the royal family has served them for many years oh we're going back now back to the plane to the plane moving round I asking him about the relations between the real relations between Diana and the the queen he said well no no matter what else the queen always maintained what he called an open door to Diana she was always available and I I think that whatever the ups and downs of that family's life uh yeah the plane just going past the coffin bear is standing Rock Steady whatever the up and downs ups and downs of life um you know the affection between the queen and the basic affection between the queen and the princess of Wes was always there right the way through the bad times and I think the party containing the prime minister is slightly to the right of the plane you can see a few people just edging their way forward there that presumably the spot where the plane is going to come to its final halt apart from the uh the F dignitaries that are there of course the Prime Minister were also told that we have seen there George Robertson the defense secretary is there the Lord Chamberlain is the head of the Queen's household and the Lord leftenant of London as part of Royal protocol he will be there too and now there that that that is a long shot there's Mr Blair the Prime Minister standing in the middle of that group containing the people I just mentioned they they're coming forward now we can just I don't know if you just heard it there the plan's engines were just cut there's the very sad sight of the hearse moving forward that cut of engines Michael was talking about the Precision precisely 10 minutes after landing and you can see the white gloves of the three escorts moving forward now shortly the steps will be brought up to the plane the doors will open and of course presumably we shall see Prince Charles standing on the TAC having to watch this we've been talking about what's going through Mr Blair's mind he's been waiting at northal but we no doubt will now see in a minute or two Prince Charles coming from the plane Paul Bear advancing now that very slow deliberate March taking them towards the cargo part I have to say that's what it is of the plane it's a closer shot approaching the back of the plane the saddest Duty that has ever been performed at Raf North those young RAF men will remember this for the rest of their lives we will too don't absolutely just shuffling up there absolute precision as you were describing Mike yes I think what we're seeing there is what I was saying earlier about the quiet Dignity of this there is the Prince of Wales now and with him behind ah we've moved away from it but that was the prince of Wales obviously with the sisters of the the princess the coffin being unloaded from another part of the plane and here it com have a glimpse of it just saw a wreath there I think caught a glimpse of some White Lies being carried past such beautiful flowers such a beautiful Aroma always from them coffin lifted onto those broad shoulders carried the short distance to the awaiting hearse down smartly and the slow March about to begin again all this in ceremony that Michael Branson talked of this is all planned to The Last Detail this sort of thing could be I suppose for any dignitary but in this case it's for the most important dignitary of all ever I would say to be carried from a British plane on British soil the awful homecoming of Diana Princess of Wales her coffin covered by the Royal Standard now on its way way across the tarmac towards the hearse and the coffin bear is just going out of side of that camera or other camera at the scene just picking them up now as they approach the H carried out in almost complete silence just a light Breeze Rippling the flag there on the coffin yes I suppose if you were there you'd hear just that faint scraping of the boots across the TAC I don't think we hear much at all about from the distant hum of traffic reminding us that London is not far away Busy World still going on somewhere they the party containing the Prime Minister I didn't catch sight of uh the Prince of Wales there Nick I don't know if he he standing beside him he is I'm totally his there something yes so to the back of the horse ah yes there is Prince Charles the very far right of that group standing beside one of Princessa his sisters yes Mr Blair roughly in the middle a contra could hardly be greater could it of the between this and the recent pictures that we've been seeing of the princess and her various holidays for various cruises whatever the problems with the paparazzi and the press and they started several days several weeks ago there was a woman who seemed just to be having some fun and some enjoyment in life and we have to contrast that now with with these incredibly somber pictures The Silence of it making it in a sense worse I think indeed an unbelievable sight I'm 19 hours now after the Dreadful car accident in Paris which claimed the life both of the princess a new friend do fired driver of the car an accident being blamed by many people on the activities of Paparazzi unofficial cameramen desperate for one picture which they could sell for so much money clearly the events of last night are going to be gone over again and again and again until we get to the bottom of exactly what happened but right now our thoughts clearly with those people standing there particularly the Prince of Wales particularly the young princes indeed the young prin in b and we should perhaps mention they're also the Two Sisters of the Princess of Wales who we can also see in that lineup yes Lady Jane fellows and Sarah mccale Sarah McDale it was who first went out with the Prince of Wales and introduced him to the woman who was to be his bride marriage which as we all know lasted 15 years and ended in divorce she just began starting starting a new life as far as we could tell with DOD fired it did seem whatever the controvers is about it a happy life it's every sign that she was enjoying herself the smile definitely there the the princess's sister's coming forward going in the car immediately behind the her to follow on in a a grim cage that is one of the royal cars as it not Nick yes one of the fleet of Royal cars which shows that from the very beginning from her return to this country she's been treated as a member of the royal family now Nick do we suspect that the prince will actually stay at North Elden and fly on up now to balm to be with his sons I presume so D I have to say I can't quite see him in that group now but whether he's moved slightly seem to get into that car that car with Diana's sisters the plan is for him to go straight back to balm moral now to comfort his sons William 15 Harry 12 seeing their mother taken away and snatched away from and where is that hearse head it we don't know D we don't know private Mory is all we've been told it now leaves RAF northal the police out Riders clearing the way as if anybody would want to get in the way everybody in that group just peering out over the tarmac of the airport as it they drive off somewhere into the British Countryside we often wonder how people must be feeling but uh I think we wouldn't be too far wide of the Mark if we said they're clearly stunned there's the Prince of Wales he's moving along I think the line if I'm not much mistaken oh no is it him yes I think he is talking to the people in in the line yes there he is yes yes he was just obscured there by he's one of the heads yes wind that I think in the red cath is probably one of the Queen's Chaplin is it imagine yes probably afraid we can only see backs of heads it's a little difficult to Iden now you can see the Prince of Wales they're right in the middle of our shot his face looking you know he's had a couple of weeks up in Balmar he's relaxed holiday there things were going well for him as far as one could tell and with the his sons and and of course things were going well in her own terms with Diana enjoying the holidays that Michael talked about a lot of holidays lately a lot of people will now say well she did deserve them what dignity he's carrying out his duties with with that Prospect of going home now to to talk to his sons to comfort them to offer them soless to try to explain what's happened and there'll be a word of thanks there I think to the RAF that's the obviously the commanding officer I would imagine from northal as Charles just stopping to have a word yes no doubt to say thank you for the dignified way in which that bringing forward of the coffin and transferring to the hearse was carried out back to your Precision Michael I made that 20 minutes exactly from Landing to the H leaving the gates and there the Prince of Wales walks away back back on to the plane which will head back to abedine another word for ARF man whether he will get straight or no I imagine he will there's no point very to back then swiftly on to Bal how long does it take to get uh in that aircraft about I would think I'm trying to work it out about an hour and a half I probably proved completely wrong by aeronautical experts but I think it's about an hour and a half it's quite a long way up to abine you know I went up there the other day it's a it's a long old Hall and from abine he will transfer to a car he drove himself to the airport in abine this morning uh with a police escort behind of course but drove himself down the twisting winding road that goes through the village of ballata down Royal D side such a beautiful part of Scotland no just the young Paul bearers the honor guard marching off I was struck by that news that he drove himself it sometimes is therapy isn't it in cases like this to do something get on to feel that you're you're going that he's going to Paris that he's doing something I imagine that was perhaps the thought it would have been easy enough for someone to drive in but just that feeling in moments like this I think people always want to say I'm going to do something I'll drive myself indeed so we shall shortly hear those jet engines start up again and the plane will then turn to carry the Prince of Wales back to his beloved balmor a play St I never liked she never enjoyed it up there in Scotland I'm afraid more more to her taste the Mediterranean Sunshine but they've had a lot of sun at bmal I have to say the weather when I was up there a couple of weeks ago was positively Med Anan there's the whole door still open on the plane that dislike of Bal moral Nick part surely of what she referred to in the in the Panorama interview wasn't it that as far as the establishment was concerned it struck home today didn't it the difficulties that there were we've talked about the happiness but the difficulties that there were that she felt that the establishment never accepted her politicians somehow could get on with her but there were grave difficulties with the what she called The Establishment and the courters and there we see Mr Blair George Robertson George Robertson the defense secretary waiting for the departure of the prince's flight back to Bal model there will obviously be consultation between number 10 and the palace and many other people besides uh starting already I'm sure tonight and above all tomorrow about the steps forward now and above all of course about the arrangements for the funerals and who will go which politicians will be there the leaders will obviously be there but what does the cabinet do how does the cabinet show its respect how do other members of other parties show their respect as well well we're also hearing that there are obviously many many world figures who want to attend Hillary Clinton amongst them so a huge logistical and organizational task ahead that's why I think it's the chances are that that funeral will not be this week if we regard Sunday as the first day of the week uh I fancy it will probably push into the week after uh the amount of organization as you say is absolutely vast but we mustn't take anything for granted on this business of the funeral uh bing and Palace are making it very clear that there have no decisions made as yet a family to be consulted and as I said before that family is uh you know quite a lot of them around princess's mother to be consulted of course her brother and her sisters and other people too and perhaps too her sons will have their say I'm sure they will that's how Diana has brought them up to have minds of their own to we heard earlier from somebody from one of her Charities talking about taking her sons to see the work of that charity at first hand see the young homeless that was the sort of mother she was she didn't want them wrapped up in uh the flummery of Royal life if you like remote from the people she had no intention of that she wanted them to know what life was about and now I regret to say they found out what death is about in we heard too of course about how fast maturing Prince William has been yes he he's been a great support to his mother over the years he's obviously felt very very close to her that so often happens when there are you know this younger son bit of a Scamp and and so on but the older boy very very sensitive and often provided a help to his mother I mean I don't mean help in the sort of literal sense or maybe that too I mean you know probably that but but but an emotional prop to some extent and again some people criticize the princess for that but you know this is repeated in households up and down the land that's that's how families have to get on with it when there's a divorce it's terrible for everyone concerned everyone has to pitch in and play their part and Prince William has done so let's just remind people who are perhaps just tuning in the the scene we're seeing in front of us it's uh the runway apron it's RF North Al there you can see the prim Minister Tony Blair planked by his defense secretary George Robertson who have just greeted if that's the right word the Prince of Wales as he bought his wife's his former wife's coffin back to Britain they are now just waiting for the prince to close up his plane on the Royal flight close the doors and take off once again to head north to Balmoral to be with his Sons there the delicate problem isn't there that under normal circumstances the queen does not attend funerals but it would be inconceivable wouldn't it that she would not be present at the funeral of Diana she was at the Duke of wind's funeral wasn't she I presume she was I believe she was as a family funeral so it will have to be that mix will it not of a family funeral and a national funeral if not a state funeral but of course as you say heads of government from around the world no doubt wanting to come so it's a delicate matter as to how the balance is pitched hear a helicopter somewhere helter hovering overhead police helicopter I would imagine making sure that uh there are no unwanted Intruders into this scene course the prince himself bit of a pilot and but he had a bit of an upset the highlands a few years ago he that's not mince words here he wrote off rather expensive airplane and he apparently turned around out everyone and said after well okay that's it I I have to admit that's not my flying days perhaps are over he loves he he loves loves flying and uh it is flying in his time the military in the Navy we'll we talking about him driving earlier but I I doubt he's going to be at controls this time I think he will want to use the time won't he going up to B to collect his thoughts of what are going to be some very difficult days ahead indeed I would imagine too Mike that if I was on that aircraft it'll have very sophisticated apparatus on it's not like most of these airplanes you're not allowed to do this and not allowed to do that on the electronic side you know I'm sure there'll be a phone I'm sure he will be ringing his sons he can talk he can he can talk to his sons he can talk to all the people that he would want to discuss matters with and we saw the way there that um he had a word with not just the commanding officer but the captain the the the commander or the NCO whoever it was of the guard that took the coffin off as before he left to get on the plane he had a word with him I imagine there'll be a lot of talking he'll use the time on the aircraft there we can just see the pilot in the cockpit of the plane making his final preparations for takeoff the flight checks that they always go through every airplane again carrying passengers do by the book here they go we can clearly see that the W is not out the controls yes there's the wine of the engines on engin going it is just confirmed that they are heading for abedine the prince will then make the short trip by Road from abedine to balmore not so short 50 mil and it can be quite a trip too actually it's a pretty winding road so um but if you're the Prince of Wales the traffic tends to be kept a bit out of the way it's a journey he's made so many times other members of the royal family of course made so many times we mentioned Diana not liking not liking Bal moral but whether that was largely as a result of the environment she found herself in perhaps in other circumstances she'd have loved it as much as so many holiday makers who go there great the thing that strikes you about Bal moral is how very sort of friendly everybody is up there how many holiday makers there are everywhere all nations of the earth represented coming on L of coaches and everybody when I was there everybody would come off the coach and come up to me in various languages and sorts of English and say who will be seeing the queen what we be seeing and the chances are yes you have to say them well you hang around probably will she'll come out of that gate and she may try to you know go into the bat all it's a very very friendly very friendly place it's a Pity that of course now that um Diana didn't find it so wonder if that Precision that Michaels he was quite right to alert us too and every time I look at my watch landing at 651 everything else happened 10-minute interval you see that the chops being taken away from the the front of the plane as he were saying it's always done by the book If the RAF take a minute or two longer than commercial flights well that is the way they but uh it was very fitting wasn't it it was it was somehow the weather you know it's it's it's obviously quite a nice evening actually quite a sunny gentle sort of evening that in a way is sort of part of she goes 7:24 in the evening Sunday August the 31st the prince of worldes departs to abedine as we keep saying yes a gentle English end of summer evening on quarter of an hour ago the body of Diana princess of Wells taken off that plane by the RAF PA bearers into the hearse and Away with her sisters in the car behind just as every other family has to endure when there's a funeral the Family Rides behind the family w wondering what happens next what happened how did it all happen who was to blame all those Terrible Things they've gone off one way and now the plane turns on the tarmac at RF northal and It prepares to head northwards the prince of course flew to Paris with the Princess of Wales sisters they went off behind the hearse he's pretty much alone on that plane now would he have a few advisers with him yes he will yes I I I think he probably have his um private secretary with him and his press secretary and people like that they tend to and Mr Blair is still waiting there MH just to see the plane take off then he'll be on his way back home to to his family at Checkers it's Mike was saying not very not very far away for him it down to check I think also the the the fact that we saw the sisters there but are now of course we don't know where they have gone it underlines doesn't it the point that erl Spencer was making that they must now be allowed time to to mourn I think he said their own flesh and blood and so we have the contrast there we are looking here at the Prince of Wales plane and we're looking again at the Prime Minister and George Robertson there but uh there's the other side of it there's the the the the Spencer family side of it there the plan slowly taxiing to the end of the runway before takeoff of course you were talking also about the people who are being affected by all this we mentioned the fact family we mentioned the government we mentioned the country but of course one thought that goes through my mind is all the Charities that Princess Diana had begun to work for again she she talked didn't she about retreating from private life and cutting right down just to one or two but gradually gradually she'd been taking up more of that role in in National life and that I think is underlined by the national outpouring of mour that during the course of the day we talked with quite a few of the uh the Charities that uh the princess had been closely involved with and they would have one voice they were adamant that as a lasting Legacy to the princess that they would redouble their efforts that whatever she had achieved they would go on to achieve more there the plane from the Royal flight that has bought Diana Princess of Wales back to Britain now containing just the Prince of Wales turning slowly to head shortly into the skies as the Prince of Wales makes his way back to balod to be with his sons with Diana's Sons the princes William and Har well we'll shortly be coming to the end of our live coverage of the death of Diana Princess of Wales we first went on the air at about 3:00 this morning when we first learned that Princess Diana had suffered serious injuries in a late night car crush it was sometime later that doctors at a Paris Hospital confirmed the the devastating truth that she'd actually died since then we brought you the the terrible events as they've unfolded throughout the day and they culminated this evening in the sight of the coffin carrying the body of Diana Princess of Wales en lifted off that plane from Paris that plane which is now taking off the final sorrowful confirmation of the bitter and unexpected blow that the royal family and the whole nation suffered today while we're now drawing to a close you can see full coverage of the death and remarkable life of the Princess of Wales in a special program with Trevor McDonald on ITV at 9:00 goodbye

Channel: Matt Hayes

Views: 1,664,252

Keywords: PRINCESSOFWALESEARL, Film

Id: 6qwOW7l48uw

Length: 59min 20sec (3560 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 18 2012