August 31st, 2017, will officially mark 20 years since Diana, the Princess of Wales died in a car crash in Paris.
Two decades on from her shocking death and the city she called home – London – has made sure her memory is still burning bright.
From memorial parks, gardens, exhibitions and of course the very streets Princess Diana lived out her incredible life – there’s so many ways you can remember the enigmatic royal on the 20th anniversary of her death.
Diana was a London girl through and through.
The White Garden at Kensington Palace
When Princess Diana died back in 1997, the grief-stricken public flocked to Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace to mourn and lay flowers.
The sea of floral tributes that the palaces became awash with will forever be synonymous with Princess Diana. So it’s only fitting that The White Garden, which was unveiled in April at Diana’s beloved sunken garden at Kensington Palace, is filled with some of her favourite flowers including forget-me-nots, white roses, and Cosmos daisies.
The tranquil space, which draws inspiration from Diana’s style, is open to the public until September.
Royal fans will be able to catch a glimpse of William and Harry this week as they are expected to visit the garden on Thursday, August 31st.
Diana loved wandering around Kensington Palace’s sunken garden.
True to its name, the garden only displays white posies – a nod to Di’s preferred colour palate when it came to fashion.
“Diana wore a lot of white and creams. Certain pieces in the exhibition stood out like the famous Elvis dress as well as some of the photos from the Mario Testino shoot in 1997 where she wore cream,” Kensington Palace’s head gardener Sean Harkin, who created the garden, told Country Living of making sure the White Garden tied in perfectly with the Diana: Her Fashion Story display, just around the corner from the gardens
“The whole feel of the exhibition, those photos and the dresses was quite radiant and the feeling was quite uplifting which is what we wanted the garden to be.”
For more information on the garden, click here.
Unveiled in April, the floral tribute is made up of a white colour palette.
Diana: Her Fashion Story
What Princess Diana wore is still as relevant today as it was in the ’80s and ’90s.
20 years on, her style has been captured perfectly by the Diana: Her Fashion Story exhibition.
Showcasing her complete sartorial evolution from a shy 20-year-old on her honeymoon in the Scottish highlands, to a new mother, a working royal, and of course, the confident Diana who finally found her place in the world before she so tragically died.
Set up in chronological order, each room represents a stage of Diana’s life and the iconic looks she chose.
Who could forget the moment the Princess of Wales took to the floor with actor John Travolta at President Reagan’s White House reception in 1985.
Come armed with the tissues just in case! Words can’t describe how powerful it is to stand in front of the black off-the-shoulder Victor Edelstein ballgown she wore on the night she danced with John Travolta, or to see her elegant cursive handwriting suddenly come to life as she shares her feedback and ideas with designers. It’s seriously goose-bumpy stuff.
“She took risks and experimented. Quite the bold, fun look that you don’t necessarily expect of a princess,” curator Eleri Lynn says of Diana’s show-stopping flair for fashion.
“She had really sort of transcended fashion and achieved an incredible chic elegance. All you saw was her – and the clothes became secondary to her presence and her work,” she adds.
WATCH: Celebrate Diana’s legacy in the player below. Post continues after the video!
Diana and Catherine Walker collaborated on many of her famous looks.
The Diana and Dodi memorials at Harrods
Sure it’s a little tacky and outdated but any avid Princess Diana fan will appreciate seeing these memorials up close and personal.
So many of the tributes have been commissioned by the royal family, it’s easy to forget the other family who were robbed of a loved one that fateful August night in 1997.
A visit to the Diana and Dodi memorial at Harrods is a must!
Dodi Fayed’s father Mohamed Al-Fayed created two controversial memorials for his fallen son and Diana, which still stand in Harrods despite Mohamed selling the department store to Qatar Holdings in 2010.
The first plaque can be found near the Egyptian Escalator and showcases a photo of Diana and Dodi, as well as wine glass from Diana’s last meal (seriously, WTF) and the mysterious ring Dodi brought for his girlfriend, which many have speculated could have been an engagement sparkler (someone is very clearly stirring the pot here!)
The second, is a bronze statue entitled Innocent Victims and shows the couple dancing with an albatross, which apparently symbolises the Holy Spirit.
It’s weird, it doesn’t make much sense and it really is a must visit landmark on your Diana odyssey.
Mohamed Al-Fayed stands proudly next to the controversial statue of the couple.
The Princess Diana memorial playground
Perhaps the most poignant tribute to Princess Diana.
The long-winding park covers 11-kilometers of ground and snakes through significant places in Diana’s life included Kensington Palace, Spencer Hous, St. James’s Palace,Clarence House and Buckingham Palace.
Most significantly, the park has been especially designed so disabled and able-bodied children can all enjoy the play equipment – a true nod to Diana’s inspirational charity work.
Diana’s good friend Rosa Monckton pictured with her daughter and Diana’s goddaughter Domenica alongside Diana’s brother, The Earl Spencer and his children Louis, Eliza, Kitty and Amelia, share a moment at the park in 2005.
The London she loved
Diana was a London girl through and through.
When she wasn’t carrying out official royal tours overseas or working on her many charities, she loved nothing more than hitting up the Tiara Triangle – the swanky set of shops and eateries that runs between Knightsbridge and Sloane Street.
WATCH: Diana’s most iconic style moments. Post continues below!
Whether she was hitting Kensington high street or sneaking into Harvey Nichols, Diana loved nothing more than spending her days off enjoying the best of London.
The mother-of-two adored shopping at the luxury department story Harvey Nichols, dining out at Italian restaurant San Lorenzo or having a glass of wine and a gossip with a friend at Le Caprice.
The Arch Hotel in Marylebone makes for the perfect base for your royal pilgrimage. The stunning boutique hotel, which is made up of seven Georgian townhouses, is just around the corner from Kensington Palace, the Tiara Triangle and Diana’s Coleherne Court flat.
And you’ll feel like royalty too thanks to The Arch’s impeccable service and luxury suites.
You can even treat yourself to their Royal afternoon tea, an impressive stately spread that Princess Diana herself would most certainly approve of.
If sweets aren’t your cuppa, a visit to their award-winning Hunter 486 restaurant is a must. Try their mouth-watering Hunter burger in a brioche bun or the Roast Norfolk Black chicken, sweet potato gnocchi with peas and tarragon sauce.
The Arch makes for the perfect base for all your royal hunting. (Image/The Arch London)
Enjoy their Royal afternoon tea or a delicious meal at Hunter 486. (Image/The Arch London)
Her coming-of-age apartment
Gifted to a then-Lady Diana Spencer from her parents for around £50,000 in 1979, the formative years of Diana’s life played out at her red brick flat in the upmarket Colherne Court .
Di and a group of Sloane Ranger mates shared the apartment at 60 Coleherne Court, Earl’s Court, which still stands today.
Looking back on those days of anonymity and newfound independence as she worked as a kindergarten teacher, Diana has described that period as one of the happiest times of her life.
“I laughed my head off there,” she explained to her biographer Andrew Morton.
Once her romance with Prince Charles was exposed, the press would camp outside her flat and hound her for photographs.
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A baby-faced Lady Diana Spencer leaves her Earl’s Court apartment in 1980.
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