- Title: FRANCE/UK: PRINCE CHARLES TAKES PRINCESS DIANA'S BODY FROM PARIS TO RAF NORTHOLT
- Date: 31st August 1997
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (AUGUST 31, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/PAN: CONVOY OF CARS CARRYING PRINCE CHARLES ARRIVES AT HOSPITAL 0.21 2. GV/ZOOM/MV: PRINCE CHARLES STEPS OUT OF CAR/ GREETED BY FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC/ WALKS INTO HOSPITAL 1.24 3. GV: GUARDS AND HEARSE WAITING OUTSIDE (2 SHOTS) 1.36 4. GV/PAN/MV: COFFIN CONTAINING THE BODY OF DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES, IS CARRIED OUT OF HOSPITAL AND PUT INTO HEARSE (4 SHOTS) 2.06 5. GV: PRINCE CHARLES LEAVES HOSPITAL/ WIDE OF CHARLES, DIANA'S TWO SISTERS AND PRESIDENT CHIRAC 2.14 7. MCU: CLOSE-UP OF DIANA'S SISTERS 2.20 PARIS, FRANCE (AUGUST 31, 1997) (FRENCH POOL - ACCESS ALL) 8. GV/MCU: CHARLES CHATTING TO CHIRAC/ SHAKES HANDS AND WALKS TOWARDS CAR WITH A GLANCE OVER AT THE COFFIN (3 SHOTS) 2.38 9. GV/PAN: HEARSE AND CHARLES' CONVOY LEAVING HOSPITAL (5 SHOTS) 3.26 RAF NORTHOLT, LONDON, UK (AUGUST 31, 1997) (RTV ACCESS ALL) 10. LV/PAN: PLANE FLYING OVER AIRFIELD, COMING IN TO LAND 3.48 11. GV: GUARD OF HONOUR WAITING ON TARMAC 3.56 12. LV: VARIOUS, PLANE TAXIES ON AIRFIELD 4.12 13. GV: BRITISH PRIME MINISTER TONY BLAIR, DEFENCE MINISTER GEORGE ROBERTSON AND OFFICIALS WAITING ON TARMAC 4.14 14. GV: PRINCE CHARLES, DIANA'S SISTERS LADY JANE FELLOWES AND LADY SARAH McCORQUODALE, OFFICIALS LEAVING PLANE 4.23 15. GV: PALL BEARERS CARRYING COFFIN FROM PLANE / PRINCE CHARLES, DIANA'S SISTERS, POLITICIANS AND CLERGY WAITING NEAR HEARSE (2 SHOTS) 4.52 16. LV/GV: PALL BEARERS PUT COFFIN INTO HEARSE/ DIANA'S SISTERS GET INTO CAR PARKED BEHIND HEARSE, CORTEGE DRIVES OFF (5 SHOTS) 6.00 Initials s.3 - p.3 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 15th September 1997 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE/ NORTHOLT, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
- City:
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA91R2PCPBQNS6ZX99352MQM8BK
- Story Text: INTRO: Britain's Prince Charles visited Paris on Sunday for the saddest mission of his life - to bring home the body of his ex-wife Diana.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- The Prince left a Paris hospital on Sunday (August 31) with the coffin of the Princess, who died in a car crash in Paris along with her millionaire companion Dodi Al Fayed.
Princess Diana's body was taken from the hospital Pitie Salpetriere where she died after the horific crash, her coffin draped in a Royal Standard. French pall bearers carried it to a blue hearse, led by a priest.
Charles, accompanied by Diana's two sisters, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, flew back to the Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Northolt in north west London, after visiting the hospital's casualty ward for just 26 minutes.
He met the surgeons and nurses who fought for two hours to save the Princess's life but eventually had to give in in the early hours.
The Prince had landed in early afternoon at the military airfield of Villacoublay, about 30 minutes south-west of the city.
A high-speed convoy of cars took him and Diana's sisters to Pitie Saltpetriere Hospital where Diana died hours earlier. The Prince and Princess' sons, William and Harry, stayed in England.
Charles was met by Britain's ambassador to France, Sir Michael Jay, and stepped immediately into the back of an embassy limousine, a dark green Jaguar.
As Charles arrived at the Pitie Salpetriere Hospital his car swept past hundre of people lining both sides of the street outside and passed a sea of flowers left by the French public.
Scores of police guarded both sides of the street as people watched in silence in the sweltering heat as the cars went into the hospital.
A sombre Prince, wearing a dark suit, was met at the entrance to the hospital by President Jacques Chirac, leading a delegation of French officials.
The steps to the hospital were lined by soldiers from the president's personal bodyguard, the Guarde Republicaine, in ceremonial dress.
Charles left the hospital soon after 5pm British time to return to the airport and the flight home.
The Prince was met at Northolt Airport by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Defence Secretary George Robertson.
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