Princess Diana: Fresh outpouring of grief as mourners mark 20th anniversary of death at gates of Kensington Palace

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Francesca Gillett31 August 2017

Mourners in London have shared a mass outpouring of grief on the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death as crowds continue to gather outside Kensington Palace.

From dawn through dusk on Thursday, dedicated crowds collected at the gates of the Princess of Wales’ former home to lay flowers, leave written messages and speak about the iconic figure.

Diana died in hospital in Paris in the early hours of August 31, 1997, following a car crash which also killed passenger Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul. Her tragic death sparked a worldwide outpouring of sorrow on an unprecedented scale.

On Wednesday Princes William and Harry, who were just 12 and 15 at the time, visited some of the tributes left by mourners and laid flowers at the gates of the palace.

A man reacts as he reads some of the tributes.
REUTERS

The royal pair also walked through the garden created in their mother’s memory – the White Garden – and spoke with a gardener who shared fond memories of Diana.

Mourners began gathering outside Kensington Palace, where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge now live with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, at around 3am on Thursday morning.

Diana with Princes Harry and William on the eldest's first day at Eton College
PA Archive/PA Images

As darkness fell this evening, people were still flocking to the palace to leave their tributes and sharing their thoughts on the royal family.

Photos taken throughout the day show members of the public visibly moved and crying.

Speaking on the eve of the anniversary, Prince Harry told charity bosses who worked with his mother that “all of us lost somebody” that day.

"I can imagine for a lot of you it was like 'right here we go, now we've got her, we've got the thirst, we've got the attention, now let's do something' then suddenly she's snapped away - if I can put it (this way) all of us lost somebody,” the prince, 32, said.

The two royal brothers have spoken candidly about their mother for the first time in the run-up to the 20th anniversary of her death, describing the personal anguish they experienced and the grief they still feel.

Harry, interviewed for an ITV documentary about his mother, said: "There's not a day that William and I don't wish that she was still around."

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