§ Lord Stallardasked the Leader of the House:
If the decision to omit Diana, Princess of Wales, from the Prayers for the Parliament was reached, who was consulted, and where, as mother of the eldest son of the heir apparent, she now stands in the order of precedence.
47WA
The Lord Privy Seal (Viscount Cranborne)After the divorce of the Prince and Princess of Wales in August 1996 it would have been incorrect to retain the reference in the Prayer to "the Prince and Princess of Wales". Accordingly, from 2nd October when the House sat for judicial business the Prayer was amended to accord with the text used before the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1981. This decision was taken after consultation with Buckingham Palace, Lambeth Palace, the Government Chief Whip, and the House of Commons authorities.
Diana, Princess of Wales is regarded as a member of the Royal Family and will continue to come within the terms of the Prayer which is read in the House because the Prayer includes the words "and all the Royal Family". I understand that Diana, Princess of Wales retains the same position in the order of precedence as she enjoyed when married to the Prince of Wales on those occasions where this is relevant.