TRIBUTE TO PEOPLE’S PRINCESS
Kensington gates become shrine all over again as well-wishers mark 20th anniversary of Diana’s death
a Union Flag suit, said: “Diana was someone special.
“She’s got a couple of good sons and one of them will become king. That will be a real burst of happiness and if Diana was here, she would be really proud of her family.”
Diana superfan John Loughrey began assembling the tributes several days ago.
In the early hours of yesterday morning, he lit a candle at the time Diana was said to have died.
John said: “We must keep her memory alive. I’ve been coming here for 20 years. Diana was a very special woman.
“When she came on the scene in 1980, I knew she was special. You could put her in a room, you could be a bad mood, and she would turn on like a light switch. She’d bring sunshine to everyone and you’d light up.”
Dickie Arbiter, a former press secretary to the Queen who worked for Charles and Diana, said: “Diana’s legacy is William and Harry. They’re carrying on her work. She was a brilliant parent, Charles was a brilliant parent.
“I remember the personal touch – she gave me a 50th birthday party in her apartment. It was a lunch with party poppers and helium balloons in 1990. She pulled out all the stops.”
Diana fan Kathy Martin, of London, spent yesterday creating picture collages of the princess at the palace gates.
She said: “She was a beautiful young princess. I do this to keep her memory alive. By doing this, her sons sort of appreciate us, because we think of their mother in such a sensitive way.”
Dave Petersen, 64, a charity worker from Aldershot, saw Diana’s funeral cortege pass 20 years ago.
He said: “I came up to the funeral and I’ve come 40 miles today because I thought it was important to come and show my respects.
“I think she was amazing the way she was so different to the rest of the Royal Family. She did a lot of things the Royal Family probably didn’t respect her doing.”
Dave said Diana helped to break down barriers through her charity work with AIDS organisations and those living with HIV.
He added: “At the time, people thought you could get AIDS from toilet seats and glasses. But she was happy to go to meet these people and shake their hands.”
Cambridge professor Chris Imafidon, who met the princess through charity work, was among the crowds at Kensington.
He said: “Diana was a bridge from the old, stuffy monarchy to the people.
“She modernised the monarchy and what we have today with Prince William and Harry is her legacy.”
Diana’s close friend Sir Elton John, 70, who sang a version of Candle in the Wind at her funeral, posted a picture on Instagram with his arm around her. He wrote: “Twenty years ago today, the world lost an angel.”
Diana’s friend Rosa Monckton said: “She was everything to everybody. She broke down the walls. She busted the myth of being a fairytale princess.
“Given the life she had, when you think what she had to overcome and all of this in the public eye, I think she was a truly extraordinary woman – very damaged, very flawed, as we all are, but underneath it all, this incredible resilience.”
Elizabeth Emanuel, who co-designed Diana’s wedding dress, tweeted how the princess had brought joy to all who knew her.
Entertainer Wayne Sleep remembered Diana, his friend and former dance partner, during a service of celebration and remembrance staged by London’s Mildmay Mission AIDS hospital, which she visited regularly when it was a hospice caring for HIV patients.
Wayne said: “I never realised how close I was to her until she died and I kept thinking I should have done more for her.”
Prince William, 35, and brother Harry visited Kensington Palace on Wednesday to see the tributes.
They walked through the memorial White Garden that was created in their mother’s memory.
And they spoke to charity representatives from the organisations Diana was involved with.
Yesterday, the princes spent the day behind closed doors.
Harry, 32, invited girlfriend Meghan Markle to join the royals as they remembered Diana.
Meghan, 36, is staying at Nottingham Cottage, Harry’s home in the grounds of Kensington, after the couple’s romantic three-week holiday in Botswana and Zambia.
William, Kate, George and Charlotte have moved into Kensington Palace’s Apartment 1A ahead of George starting school in Battersea next week.
In Paris, small groups left mementos including photographs on a monument above the Alma tunnel, the scene of Diana’s fatal crash which also claimed the life of boyfriend Dodi Fayed.
A memorial garden that was established in the city in 2001 has now been abandoned.