House with permanent links to her family

Another lesser-known connection with Diana can be found in Falkland, Fife, where the B-listed Ladywell House – now a self catering holiday house – was the former rural retreat of Diana’s late mother Frances Shand Kydd.

She christened the en suite quarters Diana’s Room so her daughter could have a tranquil, private home-fromhome amid the bewildering whirlpool of her public life.

The property was bought by former tax consultant Duncan HeatonArmstrong in 2005 and run as a bed and breakfast for nine years before converting to a self-catering property three years ago.

While he does not actively promote it as the place where Diana used to visit, he says great care has been taken to preserve the ambience of Diana’s Room, fashioned by her mother specifically with the Princess of Wales in mind for when she came to visit.

“We’ve kept it largely as it was,” revealed Mr Heaton-Armstrong, who said the yellow theme extends throughout the room, from the walls to the curtains.

The wallpaper is an original Shand Kydd design, wallpaper being the family trade of Frances’s second husband, Peter.

There are six rooms at Ladywell House, now named Diana, Shand Kydd, Lomond, Palace, Wills and Harry.

Up until her death in the mid-2000s, Mrs Shand Kydd was a familiar face in Falkland, particularly in the summer, when she took a break from her main residence, a bungalow on the Isle of Seil near Oban, Argyll.

However, perhaps Diana’s most poignant legacy with Fife is the bond that her son William and now-wife Kate forged with the kingdom after meeting while studying at St Andrews University.

Mr Heaton-Armstrong also revealed William was a regular visitor to his grandmother’s house in Falkland while at St Andrews between 2001 and 2005.

He added: “What better way to keep a low profile than to put on a motorbike helmet and head out on to the country roads?

“When I think of Diana I feel sorry for her as a human being. I’m sad that two boys lost their mother at such a young age.

“But me personally, I wasn’t one of those adoring fans who flew to London to lay flowers.

“To this day, I feel most sorry for the boys who lost their mum.”