Diana aura still captivates, 20 years on
LONDON — Candles and flowers have been accumulating at the gates of Princess Diana’s former London residence to mark 20 years since her death, which unleashed an unprecedented outpouring of grief in Britain.
“She was this ray of light in a fairly gray world,” Prince William said of his mother, Diana, princess of Wales, whose death two decades ago on Thursday shocked the world.
“I still feel that love, I still feel that warmth 20 years on,” her elder son said in a new documentary marking the anniversary. “If I can be even a fraction of what she was, I’ll be proud.”
The life of Diana — a shy, teenage aristocrat who suddenly became the world’s most famous woman — and her tragic death at 36 still captivates millions across the globe.
Her sons, William and Prince Harry, only now feel able to talk publicly about her death, a seismic event that still resonates in the monarchy and British society.
Diana died after a car crash in Paris in the early hours of August 31, 1997, along with Dodi Fayed, her wealthy Egyptian film producer boyfriend of two months, and Henri Paul, a drink-impaired, speeding driver who was trying to evade paparazzi.
The 10th anniversary was marked with a memorial service and a charity concert at Wembley Stadium in London.
The passing of another dec- ade has allowed for greater perspective, and this anniversary has been more reflective, marked by William, 35, and Harry, 32, opening up about their mother’s life and death.
No public events are planned for Thursday, but on Wednesday, the brothers will walk around the garden created in her memory at Kensington Palace, her London home.