Scheduled business was delayed in honour of both Princess Diana and Mother Teresa of Calcutta as the Dail paid its respects. In an unprecedented parliamentary move in response to the death of a member of the British royal family, all Government and Opposition party leaders paid warm tribute to the princess.

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, who last week ordered that all flags on government buildings should fly at half mast on the day of Diana's funeral, said: "Few events in the history of our times have had such a powerful impact on our consciousness as the tragic death of the princess. Sunday morning, August 31st, 1997, will be remembered forever by millions of people as the day Diana died."

Mr Ahern added: "A deep nerve of human emotion was touched, which has expressed itself in unprecedented public displays of mourning, here in Ireland, and particularly in Great Britain.

"Her vulnerability, her warm humanity, her espousal of AIDS victims, her decisive intervention in the anti-land mine campaign, all these were deeply etched on our consciousness.

"We saw that her style would not be cramped by rigid structures, that her spirit would not be crushed by painful adversity, that her charisma would not be dimmed by changing circumstances." Mr Ahern added: "She was indeed the people's princess, not confined by land or sea, not tied to one class or age group or cause, who understood the power she could wield for good causes."