All of us were dying to ask when she'd be starting a family

DAWN WILLIAMS cradled her new-born baby in her arms, gently rocking him from side to side, as her VIP visitor looked on.

"What a beautiful baby," exclaimed the newly-wed Princess Diana, instantly putting the young mum at ease. In fact, Dawn was soon so relaxed that she almost had to bite her tongue to stop herself blurting out: "And when are we likely to hear the patter of tiny feet in Buckingham Palace?"

It was the question on everyone's lips in the maternity ward at Llwynypia Hospital near Rhondda, in South Wales, that day - October 19, 1981 - and one being asked around the world when this picture of Diana looking so longingly at baby Huw appeared in the newspapers.

Diana, who had only been married a matter of weeks, was on her honeymoon tour of Wales with Prince Charles. And Dawn, who had given birth to Huw, her second child, nine days earlier at East Glamorgan district hospital, says: "All of us wanted to know when she was going to start a family, but none of us dared ask."

As she flicks through her family scrapbook in her Rhondda home, Dawn, now 49, remembers how friendly the new Princess was.

"There were eight women in the maternity ward and we were all excited that the Princess was coming to the hospital," she says.

"Funnily enough, I had watched her wedding a few months earlier at another local hospital where my three-year-old daughter had had an adenoid operation.

"All the mums and kiddies in the children's ward had a party as we watched the wedding on TV. From then on I was hooked on Diana.

"When she walked into the ward as I lay cuddling Huw she looked exactly as I imagined. She was a wearing a beautiful burgundy suit and matching hat and a lovely ruffle-neck blouse. She lit up the room.

"I was nervous and apprehensive, but the Princess put me at ease right away, even though she had that shy look that we all got to know.

"She chatted with me, telling me how pretty Huw was as he lay in my arms. She made sure she spoke to all the mothers, while Prince Charles also had a few words with each of us.

"We were all so thrilled that she had tried to make each of us feel so special."

From then on Diana was a firm favourite with the entire Williams family - from her husband Keith, 48, a primary school headteacher, to her daughter Angharad, 21, and of course the famous baby Huw, who is now 16.

Dawn was glued to the TV when news of Diana's own pregnancy broke and when the Royal couple visited Australia with William, when he was just a few months old.

She hung on every word of Diana's Panorama interview, saying: "Despite what she was saying I think it came over that she still loved Prince Charles."

And, like so many others touched by the People's Princess, she was devastated at news of her death.

She heard about it via the 7am radio news.

"I had woken early to get Huw ready for a day trip to a fun park. I couldn't believe it at first and dashed down to turn on the TV. I knew then it was true and I just felt numb and devastated. I got through that day in a daze. It wasn't until the Friday night that I shed a few tears."

It was a different story when it came to the funeral, which Dawn and her family attended.

"I broke down and sobbed. I was thinking how fresh and young she was when she saw me in hospital, and how photographs of her during her campaign against landmines showed she was absolutely glowing and more beautiful than ever.

"Her death was such a tragic loss for the world."

A year on, Dawn says: "I'm glad I went to the funeral and was part of the great outpouring of grief.

"But I want to remember her now in a quiet, peaceful way. I'll say a prayer for her tomorrow and remember the 20-year-old Princess who was so kind to me."

Her daughter Angharad is a nursery nurse, while Huw has just taken 12 GCSEs at his local comprehensive school Ysgol Gyfun Cymer.

He said: "From as early as I can remember my parents have told me about Princess Diana's visit to the hospital.

"It gave me a special interest in her and I was very upset when she was killed. It's funny to think that in a small way I'm a part of history."

IAN CAMERON

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