Princess Diana in London: 17 places in London associated with Lady Di (free Princess Diana London walking tour with a map!)
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"The unique, the complex, the extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana, whose beauty, both internal and external, will never be extinguished from our minds."
Quote from Diana’s brother's speech at her funeral
Princess Diana, also known as Lady Di or People’s Princess, was the first wife of King Charles III and the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.
She was known for her beauty, grace, and dedication to various charities.
Her eventful and publicly-lived life was unexpectedly cut short in a tragic car accident in Paris in 1997.
After she died (at the age of 36) she was mourned by the whole world.
The world literally shut down to watch her funeral. The ceremony watched an estimated 2.5 billion people (the world population at that time was less than 6 billion people, which means that almost every other person on the earth watched it!).
In this post, you will find 17 places in London associated with Princess Diana - an absolute must-see for all fans of Lady Di visiting the UK’s capital.
At the end of this post, you will find a map that will help you to see most of Diana’s places in London in about 3 hours.
Enjoy the read!
PRINCESS DIANA PLACES IN LONDON
Eaton Mews South (house no 11)
Lady Diana Spencer grew up in an aristocratic family outside London.
After completing her education, she moved to the UK’s capital and took on various jobs.
Before she married Prince Charles, she worked part-time for (unaware of Diana's noble status) American businesswoman Mary Robertson, as a nanny for her infant son, Patrick.
Diana was earning around £2 per hour - equivalent in purchasing power to about £10.97 today.
In 1980, Robertson's family lived at 11 Eaton Mews South, near Victoria Station.
And here, for the first time, Diana faced paparazzi.
The famous photo of her pushing the stroller with a baby Patrick was taken at the entrance to this mews.
Diana stayed in contact with Mary Robertson even after marrying the future king of England. They ended up occasionally exchanging letters. After the wedding, one thing needed to change - from now on, Mary needed to start her letters to her ex-nanny from “Your Royal Highness…” to respect the royal protocol.
Mary attended Diana's wedding to Prince Charles in 1981 and was invited by the Palace to her funeral in 1997 as well.
She also wrote a heart-warming book about her time and relationship with Diana: The Diana I Knew - The story of my son’s nanny who became the Princess of Wales. It is a great read for anyone with an interest in Princess Diana.
2. Young England School
Diana worked for the Robertson family two days a week.
The remaining part of the week, she spent at nursery school in Pimlico.
She worked here as a kindergarten teacher assistant.
One of the first iconic photos of her was taken in the (beautiful!) park next to this school, shortly after the rumor spread about her dating the heir to the British throne.
You can this iconic picture of Diana here.
The photo also pictured Diana's innocent fashion faux pas.
It showed her wearing the skirt and the lights going through the dress, revealing Diana’s legs.
Many more iconic pictures followed shortly after.
3. Coleherne Court (flat 60)
For her 18th birthday, Diana received from her mother a three-bedroom flat in London.
The property was located in Earls Court in the building named Cleherne Court.
The future princess moved into this flat in 1979. She shared it with a few of her friends.
Diana recalled her time in this place as a very happy time in her life - it was the last time she had some privacy and no royal protocols to follow.
“It was nice being in a flat with the girls. I loved that - it was great. I laughed my head off there”
Diana, In Her Own Words, Andrew Morton
You can have a look on the interiors of her flat in the video below.
After the news about her dating future king of England leaked to the press, the paparazzi practically began to live outside Diana’s flat in Earl’s Court desperate to take a picture of the future Princess.
Some of the paparazzi even had rented the flat on the opposite side of Old Brompton Road, overlooking her bedroom.
Today, the Coleherne Court building is marked with a blue plaque stating: “Lady Diana Spencer later Princess of Wales (1961-1997) lived here 1979-1981”.
4. Clarence House
32-years old Prince Charles proposed to 19-year-old Diana at Windsor Castle on 6 February 1981.
The day before this information was shared with the public, Diana moved out of her flat.
The (more private) royal residency called Clarence House briefly became her home.
The Clarence House is located very near Buckingham Palace.
5. St. Paul’s Cathedral
On the 29th of July 1981, the world held its breath in anticipation to see what turned out to be one of the most romantic and unforgettable events of the 20th century - the wedding of beautiful Diana and Prince Charles.
The choice of venue was an iconic London landmark, the majestic St Paul’s Cathedral.
750 million people watched Diana step out of the grand carriage and walk up the stairs of Christopher Wren’s masterpiece in the fairytale style dress.
The wedding was a grand spectacle, with members of royalty, dignitaries, and heads of state in attendance.
The iconic dress is currently in possession of Prince William and Prince Harry and, as far as I am aware, is not on display anywhere. Although it was briefly on display in Kensington Palace. However, the exhibition closed in January 2022.
6. St. Mary's Hospital
Princess Diana gave birth to her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, at the St. Mary's Hospital in Paddington.
Both times, she posed for the media with her husband and their newborn son on the steps of the Lindo Wing.
The Lindo Wing was also the birthplace of all of Prince William's children.
7. Royal Opera House
People’s Princess was known for her love of dance.
She began taking ballet lessons at a young age and was a talented dancer. Becoming a Princess and growing to 5ft 10 inches tall (1.78 meters) prevented her from becoming a professional ballet dancer.
However, one night in 1985, Princess Diana surprised an audience (including her husband, Prince Charles!) at the Royal Opera House and gave a three-minute performance with her friend, Wayne Sleep.
Officially, she came to the Royal Opera House that night with Charles to watch Sleep’s performance.
Wayne Sleep was, at that time, the senior principal dancer of the Royal Ballet.
8. Royal Albert Hall
Princess Diana was a patron of the English National Ballet and the Royal Ballet School and was deeply involved with both organizations.
Apart from often visiting Royal Opera House, she also frequently attended performances at the Royal Albert Hall.
She also kept close relations with the members of the ballet community.
9. Harrods
Harrods is an iconic, world-famous, luxurious department store in London, located on Brompton Road (Knightsbridge).
Princess Diana was often photographed shopping here.
At the time of her fatal accident, she was also in a romantic relationship with Dodi Fayed, a son of the owner of Harrods at the time.
Dodi Fayed also died in the crash on 31 August 1997.
After the accident, Harrods became a site of mourning and tribute for Princess Diana and Dodi.
In 1998, Harrods unveiled a tribute to the couple.
The memorial included their photos, a wine glass with Diana’s lipstick on it (from her final dinner), and a ring, purchased by Dodi the day before the crash (the couple reportedly was about to get married).
Between 2005 -2018 there was also there on display a statue of Diana and Dodi.
Both tributes are no longer in Harrods as the store ownership changed in 2010.
10. Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the most famous royal residence in London.
Over the years, Princess Diana would spend countless hours within the walls of this grand building, attending official events and meeting with dignitaries and other guests.
There are two special (and very different) moments in the history of Buckingham Palace connected to Princess Di.
One is the famous newlywed couple's appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Place shortly after their wedding ceremony in St Pauls Cathedral, in 1981.
The second historical moment came after Diana's tragic death.
The royal palaces became a focal point for the world's grief, and the space outside the gates of Buckingham Place transformed into a sea of flowers and tributes.
11. Kensington Palace
Apartment 8 in Kensington Palace was a home for Diana for over 15 years, from the wedding until her tragic death in 1997.
She fondly nicknamed it ‘KP’.
Prince William and Prince Harry grew up there.
Within hours of the tragic news about Princess Diana's death, people from all walks of life began to gather outside Kensington Palace to pay their respects.
They were leaving flowers, photos of Diana, and personal messages.
Tributes quickly spread across the park surrounding the Palace. The world has not seen anything like that before.
In fact, even after the funeral of Princess Diana, the tributes continued to pour, and Kensington Palace became a place of pilgrimage for people from all over the world for months and years to come.
Photo taken in 2020.
12. Chapel Royal at St. James' Palace
The Chapel Royal at St. James' Palace is the private chapel of the British monarch.
Over the centuries, it witnessed many historical moments.
The finest example is probably the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840.
After Princess Diana died in 1997, her casket was held here for five days after it arrived from France.
Here, her family and friends paid their respects, away from the press.
After that, Diana’s remains were moved to Kensington Palace.
13. Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is one of the most famous and historic churches in London.
It was also a place for the funeral ceremony of Princess Diana.
On 6 September 1997, royalty, heads of state, and celebrities gathered here to pay tributes to the late Princess.
Among the celebrities participating in the funeral were: Cliff Richard, Elton John, George Michael, Sting, Chris de Burgh, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Luciano Pavarotti, Tom Cruise, and Nicole Kidman. The list of quests also included Margareth Thatcher and Hillary Clinton.
Diana's coffin was draped with the royal standard. The funeral service included Elton John's performance of the song "Candle in the Wind" which he had rewritten as a tribute to Diana.
The song was originally written in honour of Marilyn Monroe.
After the service, Diana’s remains were transported to the Spencer family estate called Althorp House, located 80 miles from London.
Diana grew up in Althorp House. The estate was a home for the Spencer family for more than 500 years.
14. Sunken Garden and the statue of Princess Diana
Diana loved the parks surrounding her London residence.
Her favorite spot was the Sunken Garden - a symmetrical garden with a pool of water in the center, located just outside Kensington Palace.
And this place was chosen for the location of the statue dedicated to her.
This statue was unveiled to the public on the 1st of July 2021 by her sons, William and Harry. That would have been her 60th birthday if she didn't die in the car crash.
Here you will find information about the best time to visit the Sunken Gardens.
15. The Diana Memorial Fountain
The Diana Memorial Fountain is one of London's newest tributes to the late Princess of Wales.
It was unveiled to the public by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004.
The fountain has a shape of a massive necklace, and it reflects Princess Diana's glamour, openness, and love of children.
It is a popular spot for Hyde Park visitors. And kids simply love it!
This memorial is located in Hyde Park.
16. The Diana Memorial Playground
Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens is probably the best playground in London.
It is dedicated to Princess Diana and was open to the public in 2000.
The playground is inspired by the story of Peter Pan.
The statue of Peter Pan is located only 10 minutes walk from there. You can find more details about that here.
Children can find here: a wooden pirate ship, a sand play area, various swings, slides, and plenty more.
In the summer, the Diana Memorial Playground offers also one of the best ice creams in London!
17. Princess Diana mural in London
My favorite spot in London associated with Princess Diana is located in the heart of the West End.
It is a mural by artist Bambi, depicting the Princess of Wales in a Mary Poppins style.
The late Princess of Wales drops from the sky to see her grandkids, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
She smiles and holds an umbrella and the bag with a Harrods name on it. Next to it are (slowly fading away) words:
“You Can Be As Naughty As You Want… Just Don’t Get Caught”
You can find this mural not too far from Leicester Square and Covent Garden tube stations:
This lovely mural closes my list of Princess Diana's places in London.
By following the trail displayed on the map below, you will see most of the spots described above in less than 3 hours.
PRINCESS DIANA PLACES IN LONDON - MAP
If you click on the maps below, a new window will open for live navigation in the field.
BONUS VIDEO
And one more video from 1997, for those who are too young to remember the day when Prncess Diana died…
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