London's Kensington Palace opened a memorial garden for the late Princess of Wales. The tribute marks the 20th anniversary since the death of Princess Diana.
The century-old Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, known for its display of colorful flowers, has been renamed temporarily as the "White Garden" to pay homage to the Princess of Wales. Palace employees recollect how Princess Diana, who lived in the west London palace for 15 years, used to admire the "changing floral displays of the garden." Head gardener Sean Harkin told Yahoo UK they often changed the flowers over the seasons to maintain a different look.
The White Garden displays a breathtaking collection of 12,000 flowers, including the Tulipa Diana, Persian lilies, Treasure Primrose wallflowers, hyacinths, daffodils and Forget-me-Nots. While the white flowers bloomed for early spring, the summer plants will include roses, lilies, gladioli, Cosmos, Gaura and Nemesia. The color of white was chosen according to the tradition of Sissinghurst Castle's White Garden and for a "peaceful, contemplative space, where visitors can reflect on the Princess's life and legacy."
The Historic Royal Palaces also cited that the memorial garden celebrates "Diana's elegance, vivacity and style with a sea of white flowers, including some of the Princess's personal favourites," according to Lonely Planet. The memorial garden already opened for free to the public and coincides with the exhibition "Diana: Her Fashion Story" also held at Kensington Palace.
The memorial garden and the exhibition are to commemorate the life and death of Princess Diana, who passed away in a tragic car crash in Paris 20 years ago when Prince William was 15 and Prince Harry was 12. The unexpected death has shocked the public who then flocked outside the gates of Kensington Palace and offered flowers, candles and cards as they mourned the death of the "People's Princess." The palace is now home to Prince Harry along with Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge and their two children.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
