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Crowds gather outside Kensington Palace to mark 19 years since Diana’s death

Crowds gathered outside Kensington Palace this morning to pay tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, who died 19 years ago in Paris.

Mourners have visited the gates of Kensington Palace every year since Diana’s death in 1997, with a mass of floral tributes being left.

On 31 August 1997, Diana died as a result of injuries sustained in a car accident in the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel in Paris, France. Her companion, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were also pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The bodyguard of Diana and Dodi, Trevor Rees-Jones, was the only survivor. Although the media pinned the blame on the paparazzi, the crash was ultimately found to be caused by the reckless actions of the chauffeur, who was the head of security at the Ritz and had earlier goaded the paparazzi waiting outside the hotel.

An 18-month French judicial investigation concluded in 1999 that the crash was caused by Paul, who lost control of the car at high speed while drunk.

Her death led to a huge outpouring of grief and mourning throughout the world, with many thousands of floral tributes being left in her memory.

Just last week, The Duke of Cambridge – who was 15 years old when his mother died – opened up about his loss during a visit to Luton where he met a 14-year-old boy who recently lost his mother.

The Duke of Cambridge told Ben Hinds, whose mother died of cancer, that “time makes it easier”.

He continued: “I know how you feel, I still miss my mother every day and it’s 20 years after she died.

“The important thing is to talk about it as a family. It’s okay to feel sad. It’s okay for you to miss her.”