Floral tributes laid at the palace for Diana anniversary
LONDON: People placed floral tributes, photos and personal messages at the gates of Kensington Palace on Thursday as Britain observed the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.
Royal fans marked two decades since Diana died in a car crash in Paris, triggering a flood of grief across Britain and beyond. Her admirers began paying tribute to Diana at the time she died before dawn, placing candles shaped in the letter “D” at the gates of the London palace that had been her home.
“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, a royal well-wisher from Australia.
Princes William and Harry honored their mother Wednesday at Kensington Palace, visiting a garden where she would stroll by and ask the gardeners about their ever-changing displays.
The princes and the Duchess of Cambridge met with well-wishers after the walk, but aren’t expected to take part in any engagements Thursday.
The weeks leading up to the anniversary have been met with reflection in Britain as the public remembers “the people’s princess” and considers her contributions to the country.
The 36-year-old princess died in the early hours of Aug. 31, 1997. Her Mercedes, pursued by paparazzi, crashed into a concrete pillar in the Alma Tunnel in Paris while traveling at more than 60 mph (100 kph).
Diana, her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul were all killed. Her bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was injured but survived.
Mourners have paid tribute to Princess Diana near the spot in Paris where a deadly car accident killed her 20 years ago, placing flowers, photos and written notes in memory of the beloved British royal.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo arrived around 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) with a large bouquet which she placed at the Flame of Liberty, a golden memorial above the Alma Tunnel, where the crash took place. The golden flame has become an unofficial memorial to Diana.
A French woman paying tribute, Yvette Demilio, remembered Diana as “a modern mother with a strong character and a strong heart. She was also a fashion icon and, it is true, I loved her a lot.”
An Australian woman cried at the site without speaking.
Linda Grant, from Britain, said that “it’s like it was yesterday still, which means she is still here in our hearts. She has never gone away and she never will. She never will.”