William And Harry Visit Princess Diana’s Memorial And Pay Respects On Eve Of 20th Anniversary Of Her Death
On the eve of the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s tragic and untimely death, her sons bowed their heads down and paid their respects to their late mother. The two boys visited a memorial at White Garden at Kensington Palace, which has been dedicated to Diana. According the the Daily Mail, the garden was planted just for the late princess. Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, also joined her husband and brother-in-law in paying her respects.
In addition to visiting the garden, Duke William and Prince Harry met with eight of their mother’s favorite charities and asked the groups to tell stories about Diana. BBC reports that Royal Marsden and Great Ormond Street hospitals, the National Aids Trust, Centrepoint youth homelessness charity, and the Leprosy Mission were some of the groups that the duke and prince met with.
BBC also reports that the garden was totally made with Princess Diana in mind and it is inspired by memories of her life. For example, her white “Elvis” Catherine Walker dress served as a big inspiration for the space. The White Garden now marks the fourth memorial in London that has been dedicated to The People’s Princess. Other memorials in the area include the Diana Memorial Playground at Kensington Palace, the Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, and the Diana Memorial Walk at St James’s Palace.
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According to ABC News, White Garden opened this past April and was a labor of love. The gorgeous memorial took countless volunteers and six gardeners 18 weeks to complete. Some of Diana’s favorite flowers like white roses, white Diana tulips, white hyacinth, and forget-me-nots can be seen there.
After their visit to the garden, the duchess returned home but Duke William and Prince Harry continued to pay their respects to their mother by visiting a makeshift memorial at the gates of Kensington Palace. The front of the gate was plastered in photos, flowers, and cards that well-wishers brought to remember Princess Diana. The boys thanked fans who stopped to pay their respects by chatting with them and even stopping for a few photo ops.
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Later, Kensington Palace’s official Twitter page tweeted a message, thanking fans for stopping by.
“The Duke and Prince Harry are grateful for the many flowers, letters and messages they have received about their Mother.”
Have you made the trek to London to pay your respect to Princess Diana?
[Featured Image by Kirsty Wigglesworth- WPA Pool/Getty Images]
