The Princess of Wales lived in Apartment 8 at Kensington Palace from the time of her wedding to Prince Charles on 29 July 1981 until her death on 31 August 1997. The apartment was originally built in the 1720s but had been uninhabitable since the Second World War and was restored for the royal couple to move in to following their wedding.
Many photos of the Princess show her at home at the palace and she was known to go shopping on Kensington High Street and to visit the local cinema. She hosted events for charities that she was patron for at the Orangery and in the State Apartments.
On the day after her death, flowers and tributes began to appear in front of the iconic gold gates to the south of Kensington Palace. It is estimated that over the next few days more than a million bouquets were left.
On 6 September 1997 shortly after 9.00, the four-mile funeral procession for Princess Diana started at Kensington Palace on its way to Westminster Abbey.
Kensington Palace stayed open for 24 hours to cope with the 136,000 mourners that came to the palace to sign condolence books for the Princess.
The books are still preserved in the palace’s archives.
