您现在的位置: Language Tips> Easy English> Today in History  
   
 





 
September 6
1997: Diana's funeral watched by millions
[ 2007-09-06 08:03 ]

September 6
Diana's brother, two sons and former husband watch the hearse arrive
1997: Diana's funeral watched by millions

England have

Britain and the world have said farewell to Diana, Princess of Wales, at the end of an unprecedented week of mourning.

A four mile procession brought her coffin to Westminster Abbey, where politicians and celebrities joined the Royal Family in a subdued congregation.

Over a million people lined the route of the funeral cortege to the abbey and along her final journey to the Spencer family home in Northamptonshire.

The day began at 0908 BST, when the coffin left Kensington Palace on a gun carriage.

Some of the crowd wept, some applauded quietly, but most watched in silence.

On top of the coffin was a poignant reminder that this woman loved by millions was also a mother - a card to "Mummy" from one of her sons.

The two princes, William and Harry, joined their father, grandfather and the princess' brother walking behind the coffin.

Other members of the Royal Family watched the funeral cortege pass from the gates of Buckingham Palace.

The union jack on top of the palace was lowered to half mast for the first time ever.

Both Diana's sisters read tributes to her at the funeral service and Elton John played his re-worked version of Candle in the Wind.

Her brother, Lord Spencer, made a funeral address in which he described as Diana the "very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty".

He used the speech to blame the media for her death, calling her the "most hunted person of the modern age".

The grieving earl also pledged to protect William and Harry and prevent them suffering a similar fate. The sometimes controversial oration was greeted with spontaneous applause.

A very public day of mourning ended with a private ceremony when Diana was finally buried on an island in the heart of her family estate at Althorp.

September 6
The kidnappers blew up the helicopter with the hostages inside

1972: Olympic hostages killed in gun battle

Artificially 1969: FilmTheTheAA  All nine of the Israeli athletes kidnapped on Tuesday from the Olympic Village in Munich have been killed in a gun battle at a nearby airport.

A policeman also died in the shooting at the Furstenfeldbruck military airbase, along with four of the guerrillas from the Palestinian group Black September.

Witnesses at the airport said the shooting began when police snipers opened fire on the extremists.

A spokesman for the Olympic Games said the kidnappers had blown up a helicopter with the hostages inside and then opened fire on the wreckage with automatic weapons.

It is believed that the remaining four militants have been captured by West German police.

The guerrillas had previously threatened to kill all the hostages if 200 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel were not released.

News of the tragedy was confirmed at 0310 BST, contradicting an earlier announcement by a Munich police officer that all the hostages had been released and four of the kidnappers captured.

The bloody end to the kidnapping followed a day of tense negotiations with the Palestinians.

They had occupied the Israelis' quarters at 0600 BST yesterday, killing two athletes and taking nine hostages.

The West German government had offered to pay any price for the release of the athletes, but was told by the guerrillas' chief he cared for "neither money nor lives".

German authorities agreed to demands by the Palestinians to supply them with an aeroplane, and at 2200 BST provided three helicopters to take them to the airport.

The gun battle started almost immediately after the helicopters landed at the airport.

Bavarian Minister of the Interior Bruno Merk confirmed Munich's police chief had given the order to open fire.

It is not clear whether the Olympic Games will continue, but the Israeli and Egyptian teams have already withdrawn.

Vocabulary:
 

congregation: a group of people who collect together(集会)

cortege: a funeral procession(行列)

guerrillas: a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment(游击队)


中国日报网英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“中国日报网英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883631联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。
相关文章 Related Story
 
 
 
本频道最新推荐
 
The Week: Sept 3, 2010
新生军训常用口令
The Ghost Writer《捉刀手》精讲之三
遭遇最热夏季 日本人“鬼屋”创意消暑
贸易纠纷 trade rows
翻吧推荐
 
论坛热贴
 
原来国家的名字如此浪漫
Funny lines about getting married
关于工资的英语词汇大全
关于职业装的英语词汇
余光中《尺素寸心》(节选)译