A Peek Inside London's New Princess Diana Memorial Garden
Nearly 20 years after her death, the royal family is honoring the memory of the late Princess Diana — who was killed in a car crash on August 31, 1997 — with The White Garden, a spectacular display of flowers at Kensington Palace in London, the former home of "The People’s Princess."
The memorial garden, which took nearly 18 months to plan and create, pays homage to her life and style. Six gardeners and two volunteers worked to transform the Palace’s Sunken Garden, which required the planting of 12,000 bulbs.
The White Garden is full of hyacinths, lilies, scented narcisii and tulips — including the Tulipa Diana — plus, appropriately, forget-me-nots. In the summer, pots of traditional English white roses will be placed around the garden’s reflecting pool.
The garden is meant to complement “Diana: Her Fashion Story,” a fascinating dress exhibition being held inside Kensington Palace that traces her history as a fashion icon, in which some of her most famous outfits — including the cream blouse she wore in her official engagement photos and the velvet gown she danced with John Travolta in at the White House — are on display. While the dress exhibition will remain open through 2018, the White Garden is a temporary fixture that'll be free and open to the public through September to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Princess’ death. Check out the video below for a closer look.
H/T: Vogue