Princess Diana captivated and intrigued the world like few other royals have. Her grace and her Cinderella-like rise had a fairy-tale charm to it: she was the ordinary girl who became a princess. And even amid the turmoil of her unraveling marriage to Prince Charles, which ended in divorce after 15 years, she managed to enthrall us with her style and philanthropy.
Sadly it was our fascination with her that brought about her tragic death at the age of 36, in a fatal car crash while being chased by paparazzi through a Paris tunnel, on August 31, 1997.
Although there were echoes of that day 15 years ago, the Palace, now home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they are in London, was today a calmer and more contemplative place.
There was no official ceremony planned to mark the day, and William and Harry were expected to spend the day away from the public eye.
As he mourns the loss of his beloved mother, the Duke of Cambridge is preparing for a trip to Singapore where he will see for the first time an orchid named in Diana's honour.
The Dendrobium Memoria Princess Diana orchid, which grows in Singapore's Botanical Gardens, was named in the princess's honour in September 1997, the month after she died.
As part of the visit William and Kate will have their own orchid named in their honour, which will join Diana's orchid in the VIP area of the Gardens.
Harry, who was 12 when he lost his mother, said five years ago at an official Thanksgiving service held in her honour said that his mother's death was 'indescribably shocking and sad', and changed his life and that of his brother forever.
