How the Royals Are Paying Tribute to Princess Diana on the 20th Anniversary of Her Death
Twenty years ago today, on August 31, 1997, Princess Diana died in a tragic car crash while visiting Paris. A lot has happened since then, but the people’s princess is just as beloved as ever and still missed by both the public and those who knew her best. Here’s how the royal family is paying tribute to Lady Di on the anniversary of her passing.
London’s Buckingham Palace has created a touching personal tribute to the princess in one of the palace’s state rooms, which is open to the public through the end of September. The room includes a carefully recreated setup of the desk she used while working in her sitting room at Kensington Palace. Her sons, Princes William and Harry, chose many of the personal items on display, including family photos, music cassettes, the burgundy leather briefcase she received from the Worshipful Company of Glovers when she married Prince Charles in 1981, and the ballet shoes that were hung on her door.
“It was chosen to reflect an aspect of Diana, Princess of Wales’ official duties. So the work that she would undertake at her desk before and after engagements,” curator Sally Goodsir told the Associated Press. “So, we’ve really tried to recreate her desk as it was in her sitting room at Kensington Palace. And using objects that she had upon her desk and from memories that her sons, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, have of her.”
Prince William and Prince Harry have been opening up in unprecedented ways about their relationship with their mother, her incredible life, and her noble legacy. Both men, along with Duchess Kate Middleton, spent time yesterday touring Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden, which head gardener Sean Harkin transformed into a tribute to the princess using many of her favorite flowers, including 12,000 bulbs of white roses, gladioli, cosmos, gaura, fragrant nemesia, and white lilies.
The Duke and Prince Harry are grateful for the many flowers, letters and messages they have received about their Mother. pic.twitter.com/pOAtvsOE4q
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) August 30, 2017
William, 35, and Harry, 32, also stepped outside the Kensington Palace gates to read the many messages left by well-wishers. A short clip posted by Kensington Palace on Twitter showed letters, flowers, and pictures lining the entrance to the palace.
William, Catherine, and Harry also met with representatives from charities that had been supported by Diana, paying tribute to her life’s work of helping those in need.
Though William was just 15 years old when he lost his mother, and Harry was just 12, it’s clear that they are both dedicated to upholding her legacy.
Are you somehow paying tribute to Princess Diana on the 20th anniversary of her tragic passing? Let us know @BritandCo!
(Photo via Newsmakers/Getty)