London, May 15 (ANI): In her autobiography, 'Speaking for Myself,' Cherie Blair has opened up about her and Tony's reaction to the bombshell news of Princess Diana's death.

She revealed that Tony struggled to comprehend the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in the moments after learning of her fatal car crash.

Cherie said the princess had visited them in Chequers shortly before the accident, reports the Sun.

Sitting there on the grass with Kathryn tucked between her knees, watching the three boys and Tony playing football on the north lawn.

And just months later, Blair took a call informing him of Diana's car accident in Paris.

"I watched him as he listened, saying nothing. 'A car crash in Paris,' he said eventually. 'She's in a coma. They don't think she'll pull through,'" Cherie stated in her book.

"All I heard was Tony repeating, 'I can't believe this. I can't believe this,'" she added.

"He was shocked and upset. What remained of the night, Tony was on the phone, or watching the television, or both.

"The kids were all upset because they felt they knew her and they liked her.

"The Royal Family's main concern over those first few days was simply to protect the boys, because they were so young and so distressed.

"They really didn't want them exposed to anything more.

"That's what Tony really wanted too, but as the days went by it became apparent that this wouldn't be enough.

"The main concern was that it should be carried out with all due deference to precedent and protocol.

"There was the question of who should meet the body when it was flown back.

"Tony suggested he go and the Queen agreed.

"But then Prince Charles decided that he wanted to go, while the protocol people clearly would rather he didn't and also the flag protocol decreed that it should only be flown at half-mast when the sovereign dies.

"Throughout it all, Tony believed that his priority was to make sure that all this didn't damage the monarchy; that they got through unscathed, and he succeeded," she added. (ANI)