It would have been difficult not to have been moved by the memorial service for Diana, Princess of Wales which was led by Prince William and Prince Harry at the Guards' Chapel at Wellington Barracks near Buckingham Palace, in the presence of The Queen, The Prince of Wales, and other members of the Royal Family as well as the Prime Minister. The chapel was chosen as akin to a mother church for the Princes’ regiment, the Household Cavalry. They wore their regimental ties. Both young men behaved with great dignity, Prince William reading from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, and Prince Harry delivering the eulogy. Their mother would no doubt be proud of them. Prince Harry, a small boy at his mother’s funeral said that his mother’s death was "indescribably shocking and sad", and that it had changed his life, and that of his brother, forever.
"We both think of her every day. We speak about her and laugh together at all the memories…She made us and so many other people happy. She was our guardian, friend and protector. She never once allowed her unfaltering love for us to go unspoken or undemonstrated. She will always be remembered for her amazing public work. But behind the media glare, to us, just two loving children, she was quite simply the best mother in the world…We would say that wouldn’t we. But we miss her. Put simply, she made us and so many other people happy. May this be the way that she is remembered."
The Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Dr Richard Chartres, made a powerful plea to "let Diana rest in peace". He said the princess's memory should no longer be used to score points, and said : "Let it end here." Let us hope that his plea is heeded.
The memorial service included the Princess’s favourite music by composers Rachmaninov and Mozart as well as four hymns, concluding with her particular favourite, played at both her wedding and her funeral, This was that wonderful hymn, I Vow To Thee, My Country. Videos of Prince Harry’s eulogy, Prince William’s reading and other aspects of the service may be viewed on the websites of the London Daily Telegraph and the BBC. Prince Harry’s eulogy ifollows.
PRINCE HARRY’S EULOGY
"William and I can separate life into two parts. There were those years when we were blessed with the physical presence beside us of both our mother and father. "And then there are the 10 years since our mother's death. When she was alive we completely took for granted her unrivalled love of life, laughter, fun and folly. She was our guardian, friend and protector. "She never once allowed her unfaltering love for us to go unspoken or undemonstrated. "She will always be remembered for her amazing public work. But behind the media glare, to us, just two loving children, she was quite simply the best mother in the world. "We would say that wouldn't we. But we miss her. She kissed us last thing at night. "Her beaming smile greeted us from school. She laughed hysterically and uncontrollably when sharing something silly she might have said or done that day. She encouraged us when we were nervous or unsure. "She – like our father- was determined to provide us with a stable and secure childhood. "To lose a parent so suddenly at such a young age – as others have experienced – is indescribably shocking and sad. It was an event which changed our lives forever, as it must have done for everyone who lost someone that night. "But what is far more important to us now, and into the future, is that we remember our mother as she would have wished to be remembered – as she was: fun-loving, generous, down-to-earth, entirely genuine. "We both think of her every day. "We speak about her and laugh together at all the memories. "Put simply, she made us, and so many other people, happy. May this be the way that she is remembered."