20 years on, UK remembers Princess Diana shock death
Fans and friends of Diana, Princess of Wales, were marking 20 years since her death yesterday as the nation looked back on the day when the shocking news broke she had been killed in a late-night Paris car crash.
She was just 36 at the time, with her death triggering an unprecedented outpouring of grief across Britain.
With her was Dodi Fayed, her wealthy Egyptian boyfriend of two months and their driver Henri Paul who was trying to shake off paparazzi photographers, both of whom also died.
Two decades on and the nation has still not forgotten, with well wishers laying flowers and candles outside Kensington Palace in London in the emotive run up to yesterday's anniversary.
A couple in Union Jack clothing were the first to arrive at the gates of the palace where Diana's sons William and Harry had paid tribute a day earlier.
Overnight, a handful of people had braved the rain in Paris to visit the Pont de l'Alma tunnel where her car smashed into a pillar at 12:23 am on August 31, 1997, ending the life of the world's most famous women.
Speaking to one group, Harry said his mother's death had affected everyone.
"All of us lost somebody," the 32-year-old said.
Harry's comment made the front page of both the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mirror, while The Sun tabloid ran with: "She's still the people's princess" over a picture of the princes.
"Our country was so very lucky to have you," read one, while another said: "Diana, a brave princess, your sons have your courage."
Diana married Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, in 1981, but their marriage collapsed under the strains of public duty and their incompatibility.
She was cast out of the royal family after their 1996 divorce which she had inadvertently made inevitable with an explosive tell-all television interview.
But among the public, her star remained undimmed, with her reputation sealed as a fashion icon, charity campaigner, humanitarian and a self-styled "queen of hearts".
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