Today, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry toured the memorial garden designed at Kensington Palace in honor of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Featuring white roses, narcissi, daisies and forget-me-nots along the Palace’s recognizable sunken garden, the landscape and foliage were chosen in homage to memorable moments and images of the Princess’s life, such as her iconic white Catherine Walker dress.
During today’s tour, the royal trio met with the head gardener who showed them Diana’s favorite flowers, as well as another gardener who was familiar with Diana when she lived at KP.
They welcomed current representatives of the charities Diana patronized in her last years, including Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Leprosy Mission, the English National Ballet, Centrepoint, the National Aids Trust and the Royal Marsden Hospital. KP stated:
“The engagement will allow the Princes to pay tribute to the life and work of their mother the day before the 20th anniversary of her death. Together, they will reflect on the significant achievements of the Princess, and the legacy of her work which continues to resonate with so many today.”
The only twist to the afternoon’s agenda was the poor weather. William, Kate and Harry and onlookers were forced to walk about under umbrellas, putting a slight damper – literally – on the event.
After walking through and meeting with guests, the trio visited the Palace’s gates where fans have been leaving flowers, notes and pictures – akin to the display left in the days after her death, though nowhere near on the same scale. William and Harry took time to look through the tribute and KP tweeted a thank you to the public who left mementos for the occasion. [UPDATE: Per the below video from royal reporter Rebecca English, it appears that the trio weren’t only examining the display at the gates, but also helping to place flowers and gifts brought by the assembled crowds.]
Kate wore a new dress by Prada. The gown is silk, featuring a bow neckline and a floral print. Specifically, I’m pretty sure those are poppies and I’m wondering if this is a nod to “remembrance,” as well as being on-theme, so to speak, for a visit to a garden. My guess is yes. I’m not a huge fan of the dress itself, but it was appropriate for the engagement and in this case, it feels slightly wrong to focus much on the fashion, so let’s move on.
Today’s engagement is the last nod to a summer jam-packed with commemorating Diana. Tomorrow, the actual anniversary, will not feature any public events from the Royal Family. There’s nothing on William and Harry’s public schedule and the Prince of Wales is expected to remain in Scotland where he’s been for the last few weeks.
I’m on the fence as to whether I will write something up for tomorrow. I’ve been going back and forth on various posts throughout the week because, honestly, I’m not sure what else there is to say that hasn’t already been said. I will certainly cover off on the latest BBC documentary featuring William and Harry over the weekend, so if tomorrow is blank, know there will be follow up on Saturday.