Diana’s fans pay tribute
On the 20th anniversary of her death, princess is remembered in London and Paris
Kathy Martin joined the stream of visitors laying tributes to Diana, Princess of Wales, outside the gates of Kensington Palace in London on Thursday, just as she did 20 years ago.
The 55-year-old Diana devotee vividly remembers Aug. 31, 1997. She was wakened by an early morning phone call from family in Australia telling her the princess had died in a car accident in Paris, then raced to the palace with her daughter and was among the first to leave a floral tribute. Throngs of people began arriving 10 minutes later, adding cards, teddy bears and mountains of flowers.
Martin returns to Kensington Palace, where Diana once lived, every year on the anniversary of her death, at Christmas and on the princess’s birthday.
On Thursday, she brought picture collages, poems and a Victorian spongecake decorated with Diana’s picture, which she shared with other royal fans.
“She was just the beautiful, warming, caring humanitarian,” Martin said. “She touched all walks of life. Diana always put a smile on the face and that’s something for people.”
The weeks leading up to the anniversary have been filled with television documentaries and newspaper stories reflecting on the princess and her contributions to Britain and the monarchy. Diana’s sons, Princes William and Harry, added to the buildup with a series of heart-wrenching interviews in which they talked about their mother’s love and the pain of her death.
On Thursday though, it was the public’s turn to recall “the people’s princess.” Fans such as Martin gathered at the palace to mark the two decades since Diana’s death triggered a flood of grief across Britain and beyond. Her admirers began paying tribute to the princess before dawn, placing candles shaped in the letter “D” at the palace gates.
“We had never met her and been nowhere near her, but I think she touched so many people because of who she was, the way she conducted herself in the context of where she was living and who she became,” said Mara Klemich, 55, from Sydney.
William and Harry weren’t scheduled to take part in any events Thursday. They honoured their mother on Wednesday, visiting a garden at Kensington Palace where she used to stroll and talk to gardeners about their everchanging displays. The princes and William’s wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, met well-wishers afterward.
The 36-year-old princess died when the Mercedes in which she was a passenger, pursued by photographers, crashed into a concrete pillar in the Pont de l’Alma Tunnel in Paris while travelling at more than 100 kilometres an hour.
Diana, her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver, Henri Paul, were all killed. Her bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was injured, but survived.
In Paris, royal watchers gathered at the tunnel Thursday to remember Diana’s life. Some wept.
“It’s been 20 years now, but there are people you don’t forget, and she is one of them,” said Sylviane Rives, who works nearby. “That is what I wrote on a little card for her.”
Those who didn’t go to the palace or the tunnel took to social media to express their grief and to recall her kindness.
Elizabeth Emanuel, co-designer of Diana’s wedding dress, tweeted a picture of the princess shortly after her arrival at St. Paul’s Cathedral for her 1981 wedding.
In the image, the designers and bridesmaids straighten the dress’s immense train, unfurling a sea of white that flowed in her wake.
“Thinking of the wonderful times we spent with Diana and the great joy she brought into our lives and all those who knew her,” Emanuel said.
Pop star Elton John offered a tribute, posting an image on social media with his hand on her shoulder. Both are smiling.
The pop icon, who memorably performed his song Candle In The Wind at Diana’s funeral, wrote: “20 years ago today, the world lost an angel. RIP.”
As the day wore on, images of the day two decades ago ran on the television newscasts and websites, reminding the nation of events long past.
Aerial photographs offered reminders of the carpet of flowers that people brought to the palace, one bouquet at a time.
The intense outpouring will likely not be the final time the country mourns for Diana, said Pauline Maclaran, co-author of Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture.
Like other cultural icons, such as Marilyn Monroe or James Dean, Diana will live on — even if the royals may have said all they wish on the subject, Maclaran said.
“Maybe a new generation doesn’t relate to her that much,” Maclaran said.
“But that will change. The media will find new and innovative ways to reinvent her.”