Princess Diana's death, The gates of Kensington Palace disappeared under a growing collection of notes, photographs and bouquets this morning as mourners arrived to pay tribute to Princess Diana on the 15th anniversary of her death.
Diana, who died in a car accident in a Paris underpass along with her lover Dodi Fayed, would be 51 years old had she survived the crash in 1997.
The messages and floral tributes were a poignant reminder of the scenes at Kensington Palace in the days following her death, when a sea of bouquets grew rapidly outside the wrought iron gates.
Eventually, thousands of floral tributes stretched the entire length and breadth of the path leading up to Diana's former home.
Although there were echoes of that day 15 years ago, the Palace, now home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they are in London, was today a calmer and more contemplative place.
There was no official ceremony planned to mark the day, and William and Harry were expected to spend the day away from the public eye.
As he mourns the loss of his beloved mother, the Duke of Cambridge is preparing for a trip to Singapore where he will see for the first time an orchid named in Diana's honour.
The Dendrobium Memoria Princess Diana orchid, which grows in Singapore's Botanical Gardens, was named in the princess's honour in September 1997, the month after she died.
As part of the visit William and Kate will have their own orchid named in their honour, which will join Diana's orchid in the VIP area of the Gardens.
Harry, who was 12 when he lost his mother, said five years ago at an official Thanksgiving service held in her honour said that his mother's death was 'indescribably shocking and sad', and changed his life and that of his brother forever.
'When she was alive we completely took for granted her unrivalled love of life, laughter, fun and folly.
'We both think of her every day. We speak about her and laugh together at all the memories,' he said.
Later this year a biopic of the late Princess's life is set to be released starring Naomi Watts as Diana.
The actress has been seen in the grounds of Kensington Palace and at various locations across London as she and the cast members recreate key moments in Diana's life.
Most recently Watts was spotted dressed in a distinctive blue blazer similar to those Diana used to wear, surrounded by a swarm of paparazzi photographers.
The Oscar-nominated actress has said of her controversial new role: ‘She is a part of our history, an incredible woman and fascinating but a tragic ending.
'The film-makers came to me and it’s a good script and it’s very scary and I kind of wanted to say "no”"but I couldn’t.'
Miss Watts moved to London’s Kensington to prepare for the role and was said to have visited Diana’s favourite places - such as The Harbour Club, a sports club on the King's Road - and Knightsbridge's Beauchamp Place - as part of the preparations to get into character.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2196255/Princess-Dianas-death-marked-15-years-floral-tributes-pour-Kensington-Palace.html#ixzz25LLTiUgk
Posts
