Ministers back Diana

Ministers were angry last night with unnamed colleagues who criticised the Princess of Wales and her support for a world wide ban on land mines, writes Colin Brown.

"It was pretty dumb," said one minister last night after reports that a colleague had criticised the Princess as being "a loose cannon" and "unhelpful" in her support, made during her trip to Angola, for the ban campaign by the Red Cross.

One senior minister said: "It is completely untrue that we are irritated by her intervention." Reports that a minister had criticised the Princess will seriously embarrass the government after she was portrayed showing a deep concern for black children who had suffered hideous injuries from mines left behind after conflict in Angola.

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