Inside Princess Diana’s Kensington Palace apartment
Photographs of Princess Diana’s Kensington Place apartments 8 and 9 have been released, giving an intimate look into her private life.
The images were taken days after her death by her former butler Paul Burrell, who worked for her from 1987.
The photos reveal the religious statues, porcelain figurines, plush toys and photographs that Diana filled her private sanctuary with.
These photos are believed to be among the only pictures in existence of Apartments 8 and 9 in the palace.
Other photographs in the collection captured Diana’s bedroom, dressing room and drawing room as it was left before she was killed in Paris in August 1997.
Paul Burrell told the Sunday Mirror, “When the Princess died, I felt it was appropriate to record where she had lived, spent much of her married life and brought up the Princes.”
“These interiors were chosen by the Princess. This was the place she called home. Shortly after she died, her memory was erased from Kensington Palace.”
As the anniversary of 20 years since Diana’s death approaches, the photos reveal the trinkets that reminded her of her family and passions.
The two apartments were combined to create a home for the newly-married Prince and Princess of Wales in 1981. The apartments were furnished with floral wallpaper, pastel colours and filled with photos of William and Harry.
One photograph shows Diana’s sitting room, where she and her two sons would watch TV together. In her sitting room, she also had a big toy seal, a miniature Christ The Redeemer statue on her desk and a miniature ballet dance figurine on her bookshelf.
In her bedroom, Diana had a couch dedicated to her stuffed animals including a checked frog she made as a little girl.
The photo of Diana’s drawing room, shows the grand piano she loved to play. During a royal tour in Australia, she stunned spectators by playing Rachmaninov.
After Diana’s death in 1997, mourners flocked to the gates of Kensington Palace leaving flowers, cards, candles and balloons in tribute to the “People’s Princess”.
Her apartments were stripped to the bare and were left empty for years until they underwent a two-year renovation.
Kensington Place is now occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, with nearby Ivy Cottage home to Princess Eugenie.
Scroll through the gallery above to see a glimpse into Princess Diana’s private sanctuary.