LONDON, Aug 31: Fans of the late Princess Diana gathered outside Kensington Palace on Saturday in what has become an annual ritual on the anniversary of the fatal Paris car crash five years ago that cut short her life and transformed Diana into a modern-day British icon.
Some diehard admirers slept outside the princess’ former London residence in the same all-night vigil they have observed ever since on the eve of August 31.
“It’s nice to remember Diana, and this is our way of keeping that memory alive,” said Julie Cain, 37, who came all the way from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in northeast England.
“She was a wonderful person and she had that gift of making you feel special when you talked to her,” she said.
Many travelled Britain’s far corners to render homage to the “princess of hearts” whose death at 36 triggered public grief of such unexpected proportions it forced Britain’s royal family — perceived as cold, anachronistic and inaccessible — to rethink its image.
“You needed no spin doctor because your love for ordinary people came from the heart,” read one of the many signs placed outside the palace Saturday.
Terry Hutt, 67, a retired carpenter from Waltham Abbey in southeast England who showed up dressed in Union Jack shorts and hat, said “if she had lived she would have been wonderful for the monarchy.”
“Diana brought a sparkle to the royal family and educated them in a way. She was herself and said what she thought and a lot of people loved her for that,” he said.
Age was no boundary as fans ranged from youngsters to septuagenarians, including 70-year-od Jean Adams who was dressed in black mourning and carried a bouquet of roses.
“She was a very good person and they are very rare,” said Adams.
Norman Williams, 65, from Wrexham in north Wales, recalled meeting the princess when she visited the Welsh town of Rhyl in 1981.
“It was one of her first official engagements and I have been following her ever since. My wife thinks I’m mad but Diana was something special,” he said.
Her life with Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, was followed like a soap opera from its fairy-tale start in 1981 to the bitter divorce in 1996. Her public image was as volatile as the marriage, ranging from a young innocent ill-treated by a cynical monarchy to a vindictive and cunning woman out for revenge.
“I just think what a waste, I don’t think she realized how much she was loved.” said Pat Ardis-Neil, 50, also from Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
He placed a card among the flowers, balloons, photographs and other mementos piled outside Kensington Palace Saturday. It read simply, “Look after Holly and Jessica,” the 10-year-old British girls whose kidnapping and murder earlier this month shocked Britain and triggered an emotional outpour reminiscent of Diana’s death.
The monarchy planned no particular homage to the late princess. A spokesman for Buckingham Palace said only the royal family would each remember the princess this weekend in their own way.
Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and their son Prince Charles attended a religious service at the royal castle at Balmoral in Scotland on Sunday during which prayers were said for Diana, mother of Charles’ two sons William, the 20-year-old heir to the throne, and Harry, who turns 18 in September.—AFP