Princess Diana Appears in Support of Women’s Refuge

LONDON (AP) _ Princess Diana appeared on a late-night television program Sunday supporting a charity that helps battered women.

A segment of ″First Sex,″ a Channel 4 program on women’s issues, included footage of the princess sitting in on a group counselling session at the Refuge center in London June 11.

Diana, dressed in a casual skirt and blouse, appeared at ease with the group of women and they with her. She had been there privately at previous sessions, said Refuge director Sandra Horley.

She spoke to the group about what they had done before, and to one victim about an incident the woman had described at an earlier session.

″Don’t you think it’s positive coming here and sharing what’s been hurting for so long?″ she said. ″We think that (it’s positive), don’t we? We do,″ she said looking at Ms. Horley.

″She is one of the country’s most influential women,″ Ms. Horley said earlier. ″Her support shows that domestic violence is a worthwhile cause. ... It reduces the stigma associated with the problem.″

Ms. Horley said that when charity was running out of funds, she wrote to the Princess of Wales, who made a personal donation and followed up with private visits to learn what the charity was doing.

There was no indication in the broadcast that Diana had mentioned any problems in her marriage to Prince Charles. The couple separated late last year.