(25 Nov 1995) Natural Sound
On the second day of her charm campaign through Argentina, Britain's Princess Diana has shaken hands with President Carlos Menem and dined with the foreign minister.
But her visit hasn't been met with smiles all round.
The mother of a sailor killed in the Falklands War with Britain shouted insults at the Princess as she toured a cancer hospital in the capital, Buenos Aires.
The trip had been going smoothly so far - Princess Diana had been warmly welcomed by Argentineans as she toured hospitals and charitable institutions in Buenos Aires.
However, Friday morning engagements were overshadowed by anti-British sentiment over the Falklands War.
Diana was heckled by Communist Party members as she got out of a car to visit a hospital outside Buenos Aires.
Some 30 youths, singing the Argentine national anthem, held signs saying "Lady Di Go Home".
Earlier in the day, as the Princess visited a cancer centre in Buenos Aires, the mother of an Argentine soldier killed in the Falklands War shouted abuse at the royal visitor.
She called the Princess a "whore" and "the daughter of a thousand whores".
The woman's son, a naval doctor, was among the 300 killed when a British submarine torpedoed the battleship General Belgrano - the largest single loss of life in the 1982 war.
But the Princess was shielded from the full tirade of abuse by one of her detectives who stood in front of the protester.
And she seemed unaware of what had happened as she calmly toured the Adolfo Roffo centre.
Her next engagement - lunch with Argentina's President Carlos Menem at his official residence Olivos, just outside Buenos Aires.
Looking every inch the roving ambassador - a role she recently admitted she would like to adopt in the future - the Princess was met by Menem and his daughter, who acts as Argentina's First Lady.
Like the Princess, Menem is separated from his spouse.
The trip to the presidential residence was the most politically sensitive engagement of Diana's private visit to Argentina which, nonetheless, has the backing of the British Foreign Office.
And the Princess' very public handshake with Menem is seen as a further sign of thawing relations between Britain and Argentina, virtually frozen since the Falklands War.
However, despite the loud cries of the photographers, the forging of closer diplomatic ties did not include a presidential kiss on the royal cheek.
The Princess' visit is another coup for President Menem after a breakthrough oil exploration deal between Britain and Argentina in disputed South Atlantic waters around the Falklands.
Her visit will undoubtedly also pave the way for Menem's coming official trip to London as the guest of Prime Minister John Major.
The day ended with a dinner at the Correo Palace, hosted by the Argentine Foreign Minister Guido di Tella.
A blind orchestra welcomed Diana with a rendition of the Beatles' hit Yesterday, which brought a wry smile to the Princess's lips.
Then, it was more photographers' flashlights as Diana and her host sat down to a banquet given in her honour.
Find out more about AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...
Twitter: / ap_archive
Facebook: / aparchives ​​
Instagram: / apnews
You can license this story through AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...