Admirers of the late Princess Diana gathered outside Kensington Palace on Friday, a bright sunny day that would have been the troubled royal’s 50th birthday.
Cards, a cake, a collage and other mementoes were among the gifts left at the gates of Kensington Palace, where Diana once lived - an echo of the massive, makeshift memorial set up there following her 1997 death in a Paris car crash.
“She would’ve been so popular still. Everyone would have been here to help celebrate,” said Kathy Martin, a 49-year-old childcare worker from Australia. “We’ll never get to see her grow old.”
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Martin was one of several hardcore Diana loyalists at the gates - a testament to the hold the princess still has on many fans. They were joined by passers-by, tourists and other admirers, many of whom left cards.
Although her public image was the “People’s Princess,” Diana died at a time of turmoil in her life. A discreet and lengthy romance with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan had recently ended; her relationship with wealthy playboy Dodi Fayed, who died with her in the accident, was less than two months old.
Martin said it was probably because Diana died young - at only 36 - that she and others were still so drawn to her story.
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“Marilyn Monroe was an icon, Grace Kelly was an icon, and Princess Diana was an icon,” she said. “They all died young. They’ll be remembered as princesses - beautiful, radiant, princesses.”
John Loughrey, a 56-year-old who attends just about every Diana-themed event, was the man behind the custom-made cake bearing her name in pink. He said Diana was “just like a magnet.”
“The press followed her everywhere and the people followed her everywhere,” he said. “Diana’s still here in spirit.”