Flags are flying at half-mast as the world remembers Princess Diana on the 25th anniversary of her untimely death.
Well-wishers gathered outside the royal’s former home of Kensington Palace to lay banners, photographs and flowers in her honour.
Royal fans from all over the world descended on the spot in Paris where the Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash, aged 36.
She was leaving the Ritz Hotel with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, 42, when the Mercedes they were travelling in smashed into the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
The couple were killed, along with their driver Henri Paul, 41, while bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, then 29, was left seriously injured.
Brits, Americans and local French visitors were among those who spent Wednesday morning in the French capital recalling that fateful August 31, 1997.
The area just above the crash scene has now been renamed Diana Square, and it is regularly filled with flowers, messages and other tributes to Diana, Prince Charles’ former wife and the mother of Princes William and Harry.
‘She meant so much to so many people, and what happened to her was utterly heart-breaking’ said Naomi Smith, 48, from Houston, Texas.
‘I was working in Kansas on the day the crash happened, and one of my colleagues was a die-hard Royal fan. She had all the tea sets and other souvenirs.
‘She broke the news to me, and it’s a day few of us will ever forget. Diana is missed so much, and I’m very proud to be here thinking about her this morning.’
Barbara Jardin, 52, was selling newspapers in a kiosk in Paris in 1997, and she heard about the accident within an hour of it happening.
‘It was a real shock to those of us in Paris, and to millions around the world,’ she said.
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‘Diana was loved by so many people, especially because of her charity work, and her work with children.
‘I knew the anniversary was coming up, so wanted to visit a square that is now named after Diana. We can all remember her and pay tribute to her now.’
Kate Baxter, 32, who is English and now living in Canada, was with her two young children, looking at the tributes to Diana.
‘They are certainly very moving – everybody in the world who was alive at the time of her death remembers her. It feels like five minutes ago since that terrible accident,’ she said.
Back at Diana’s family home of Althorp, Northampton, Diana’s brother Charles Spencer tweeted a photo of a flag flying at half-mast.
Among those leaving flowers at Kensington Palace was Tessy Ojo, chief executive of The Diana Award – set up to promote the princess’s belief in young people’s power to change the world.
She said: ‘Her ability to connect with people though kindness and compassion is one of her most significant legacies. She left a mark on all our lives.’
‘Diana, Princess of Wales, believed that young people have the power to change the world.
‘Continuing her legacy also means building the capacity of young people to change their world by tackling the big issues of our time.
‘Like Diana, Princess of Wales they’re not afraid to speak out and be at the forefront of change.
‘I can only imagine how immensely proud she would be of the tens of thousands of young people from across the world who are continuing her legacy.’
Diana’s greatest legacy has been her sons, Princes William and Harry, who embody her beliefs and values and have spoken about how their mother is still guiding them.
Last week after a fundraising polo match for his charity Sentebale, named in memory of his mother, Harry said he wanted today to be ‘a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for the way she did it’.
The Duke of Sussex added: ‘I want it to be a day to share the spirit of my mum with my family, with my children, who I wish could have met her.
‘Every day, I hope to do her proud. She was tireless in her work to support and destigmatise those experiencing HIV/AIDS. Fittingly, her favourite flowers were forget-me-nots.’
Diana broke new ground by championing issues such as Aids awareness – famously holding the hand of a man with the illness – or highlighting homelessness and joining campaigners calling for a ban on landmines.
Her fashion sense made her a cover star for magazines and newspapers across the globe and even after she broke away from the royal family was still seen as the modern face of the monarchy.
In a sign of the enduring fascination with the royal, last weekend a sporty Ford Escort she once owned was sold for £737,000 at an auction.
Her marital troubles with Prince Charles will also feature in the latest series of the hit Netflix drama ‘The Crown’ later this year.
Joe Little, managing editor at Majesty Magazine, said Diana had influenced her sons to be less formal than traditional royals.
‘They are much more “touchy feely” than they ever would have been,’ he said, pointing to William’s hugs for England’s women footballers after their Euro 2022 victory this month.
‘William can see there is no need for much of the formality in royal life that existed when his father was of a similar age, the institution of the monarchy functions well without all that starchiness,’ he added.
Harry and his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, won’t come together this year to mark the anniversary of Diana’s death.
William and the Duke of Sussex were just 15 and 12 years old, respectively, when they lost their mother.
William and Harry have in previous years attended public commemorations of their late mother’s life and spoke of the enduring effect her death had on them.
In 2017 they opened a memorial garden at Kensington Palace, and last year they visited the spot together to unveil a statue in her memory.
But this year they won’t take part in any official ceremonies, instead taking the opportunity to remember Diana in private with their own families.
The past few years haven’t been the smoothest for William and Harry, who have been dogged by consistent rumours of a bitter feud.
A rift between the brothers was deepened after the latter’s decision to step back as a working royal.
Harry and Meghan made a number of damaging claims about the Royal Family during a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March last year.
William and his brother have reportedly been working on their relationship, but tensions are still said to remain.
William, 40, recently announced a move from London to the Windsor estate west of London with his wife, Catherine, and their three young children.
Harry, 37, now lives in California with his wife, Meghan, and their two children, after the couple quit the royal family in early 2020.
The Daily Telegraph said on Saturday that the brothers had ‘agreed to draw a line under their public commemorations’ at the 20th anniversary of her death.
Spokespeople for both the Sussexes and Cambridges confirmed they would spend the day privately.
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