Prince William and Harry pay tribute to mother Diana

Prince William and Harry pay tribute to mother Diana



The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry have paid tribute to their late mother Diana, Princess of Wales with a poignant visit to her memorial garden at Kensington Palace on the eve of the 20th anniversary of her death.

Sheltering from the downpour with umbrellas William and Harry, joined by the Duchess of Cambridge, toured the White Garden, which has been planted in the Princess's memory to mark two decades since she died.

Fans of Diana, who was killed in a Paris car crash on August 31 1997, have already begun leaving floral tributes and pictures of the Princess at the gates of the Palace, which was her home from 1981 until her death.

And following their tour of the memorial garden today, the royal brothers took an impromptu walkabout around the front of the palace, speaking to well-wishers and inspecting the tributes.

The hour-minute long engagement, which will also see them meet with representatives from some of the charities that Diana supported, is bound to be a bittersweet moment for the two brothers.

While they are both keen to use the anniversary of her loss to pay tribute to the princess as a role model and champion of the underprivileged, she was, above and beyond, a devoted mother who never got to see her sons grow into adulthood or meet the grand-children she would no doubt have spoiled rotten. 



Her sons have been speaking 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.

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

Diana's charity work, coupled with compassion and empathy for those she met earned her former Prime Minister Tony Blair's moniker as the 'people's princess'.



The princes recently took part in a series of candid interviews about their traumatic loss - with Harry revealing he went through two years of 'total chaos' as he struggled to come to terms with his mother's death before eventually seeking counselling at his brother's suggestion.

Kate, 35, who was dressed smartly today in a green Prada dress, never met the late Princess of Wales, but during her 2010 engagement interview with William she hailed her an 'inspirational woman to look up to' and said she would have loved to have met her.

She told ITV's Tom Bradby: 'Obviously to this day and going forward and things, you know it is a wonderful family, the members who I've met have achieved a lot and are very inspirational and so, yes, I do [think about



Meanwhile, in a recent GQ interview William revealed: 'I would love [my mother] to have met Catherine and to have seen the children grow up. It makes me sad that she won't, that they will never know her.'

The garden at Diana's former home is today filled with white flowers and foliage and was inspired by memories of her life, style and image, such as her white 'Elvis' Catherine Walker dress.

It features white roses, scented narcissi and a carpet of forget-me-nots around the existing Sunken Garden, of which the Princess was particularly fond.

The garden has been open since spring, and will continue into September with White roses, lilies, gladioli and cosmos, according to Kensington Palace.

The White Gardens follow a tradition first established at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, to create peaceful and contemplative spaces where visitors can reflect.

The royal brothers and Kate were met by head gardener Sean Harkin and shown some of Diana's favourite flowers. They also spoke to another gardener, Graham Dillamore, who knew The Princess from working at the Palace over 30 years ago.



William and Harry also met representatives from the charities supported by Diana in the final years of her life, including Great Ormond Street Hospital, the National Aids Trust, The Leprosy Mission, Royal Marsden Hospital, English National Ballet and Centrepoint.

They also met with the founders, former and current patients of the Osteopathic Centre for Children. Tragically, the Princess was learning more about this charity and was due to meet them in early September 1997 - just a month after hear death - to help launch their Sweet Pea appeal.

A Kensington Palace spokeswoman said: 'The engagement will allow the Princes to pay tribute to the life and work of their mother the day before the 20th anniversary of her death.

'Together, they will reflect on the significant achievements of the Princess, and the legacy of her work which continues to resonate with so many today.'

Among the charity representatives due to meet the Royal Family is Dr Ken Rutherford, a landmine survivor who accompanied Diana on her final trip to Bosnia and now works in the department for political science at James Madison University, US.