Church of England Publishes Prayers for Princess Diana

The Church of England has published two prayers to mark 10 years since the passing of Diana, Princess of Wales, at the end of this month.

The prayers have been written by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and will be used at the memorial service at the Guards Chapel on 31 August, the tenth anniversary of the Princess' death in a car accident in Paris in 1997.

More than 60,000 people packed London's Wembley Stadium in July for a star-studded memorial concert and posthumous 46th birthday bash for the Princess hosted by her two sons, Princes William and Harry.

On the night, the Princes paid tribute to their mother's love of music and the arts, as well as her charity work, before British stars such as Joss Stone, Take That and Rod Steward took to the stage for the six-hour celebration.

From 1990 until her death in 1997, Princess Diana was Patron of The Leprosy Mission, and it was one of the charities to benefit from the proceeds of the concert. Recognising that the stigma associated with leprosy was ill-founded, she tried to dispel the myths surrounding the disease by visiting hospitals and touching patients.

"The Leprosy Mission remembers Diana's contribution as we continue to fight stigma and care for people affected by leprosy, even after they no longer have the disease," said a spokesperson for the Christian charity.

For more about the Leprosy Mission, please go to www.leprosymission.org.uk

The full text of the Church of England prayers are as follows:

God our Father,
we remember before you DIANA, Princess of Wales,
and offer you our gratitude
for all the memories of her that we treasure still.
Her vulnerability
and her willingness to reach out to the excluded and forgotten
touched us all;
her generosity gave hope and joy to many.
May she rest in peace where sorrow and pain are banished,
and may the everlasting light of your merciful love shine upon her;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Father eternal, unfailing source of peace to all who seek you,
we entrust to your love and protection
all for whom this anniversary of the tragic and untimely death of
Diana, Princess of Wales
reawakens the pains of grief and loss.
Comfort all who mourn, that casting all their cares upon you,
they may be filled with your gifts - of new life, of courage and of hope;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.