President Mary Robinson speaks to young people about the death of the Princess of Wales and the loss to her two young sons.
On 31 August 1997, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris.
President Mary Robinson was speaking at the closing ceremony of the Community Games. Addressing the young athletes, she said that their potential brought to mind the very real tragedy that the world woke up to this morning, the death of a young mother of two young boys.
President Robinson sent messages of sympathy to the Royal family and the people of Britain on behalf of the Irish people. She also spoke from her own experience as both a mother and a public figure.
I have a sense that the messages of Presidents and of Prime Ministers are not really going to matter very much to two boys who not only have to cope with the grief and loss of their mother but have to do it in a public life.
After seven years in public life with her family, President Robinson has an understanding of the challenges of being in the public eye.
My heart goes out to two boys who have to cope with great difficulty.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 31 August 1997. The reporter is Róisín Duffy.
