Dawn in Kensington Palace Gardens, August 31, 2017

Dawn brought magic to Kensington Gardens on the last day of August. As people marking the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana began coming to lay flowers at the gates of her former home there, first light saw the nearby Round Pond cloaked in a cloud of mist.

As the sun began to rise, the swans emerged. Then a skein of geese arrived, honking as they flew. It was hard to believe this tranquil scene was in the centre of London.

Within a few minutes the mist had lifted, the sky was blue, and the rest of city was waking up. But what a beautiful start to a very poignant day.

Diana memorial garden replanted for summer

The White Garden in the grounds of London’s Kensington Palace, planted in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, who died 20 years ago, has been given a fresh look for summer. Designed and created as a tribute to her by palace gardeners, it celebrates her elegance and style with a sea of flowers, including some of her personal favourites.

Pots of classic English white roses now surround the reflective pool in the centre of the garden, while beds are filled with lilies, gladioli, cosmos, gaura and fragrant nemesia.

The garden is a temporary one, coinciding with an exhibition inside the Palace of some of her iconic dresses - Diana: Her Fashion Story. This runs until the end of 2017.

https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/explore/diana-her-fashion-story/#gs.fQL2ppI

Princess Diana Memorial Garden opens at Kensington Palace

A new garden is flowering in the grounds of London's Kensington Palace in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, who died 20 years ago in a car crash in Paris. Designed and created as a tribute to her by palace gardeners, it celebrates her elegance and style with a sea of flowers, including some of the Princess’s personal favourites.

They've taken the Sunken Garden and transformed it into a Sissinghurst-inspired White Garden, planting more than 12,000 tulip bulbs, including the appropriately-named white Tulipa Diana. There are also swathes of white forget-me-nots, fritillaria, narcissus, and hyacinths, along with 500 Queen of the Night black tulips.

The palette is enlivened by pops of bright colour in the borders, and at the entrance from Kensington Gardens, there is a spectacular display of Texan Flame tulips (below).

It’s a stunning creation, which can be viewed from the surrounding raised walkway.

The garden is a temporary one, coinciding with an exhibition inside the Palace of some of her iconic dresses – Diana: Her Fashion Story. From mid-May the tulips will be replaced by a new scheme which will include white roses surrounding the central reflective pool, and beds filled with lilies, gladioli, cosmos, gaura and fragrant nemesia.

Entrance to the garden is free. Diana: Her Fashion Story continues throughout the year.
http://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/#gs.PwYhY3g