More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
To mark what would have been Princess Diana's 60th birthday we commemorate late Princess of Wales' links to Kent.
Our archive photographs illustrate the legacy of a woman whose ties to the county go back to her school days and whose numerous visits since brought joy to so many.
Kent reflects on the life of Princess Diana
Princess Diana visited the county many times, mainly in connection with her charity work, and always attracted huge crowds of well-wishers.
She had strong links to the county, having attended school at West Heath in Sevenoaks, where she was a keen dancer.
However, her first official visit was in May 1983, two years after her marriage to Prince Charles.
This was to open the Cranmer House residential home in Canterbury.
In December 1985 she came to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, as patron of the National Rubella Council, where she met women who had been vaccinated against German measles.
In April 1989, Diana was in Kent for the wedding of her cousin Edward Berry to Joanna Leschallas at Cranbrook Parish Church.
Her sons, Princes William and Harry, were among the five pageboys for the bride, the daughter of former High Sheriff of Kent Anthony Leschallas.
In September that year Princess Diana made an unscheduled visit to Canterbury when her helicopter was diverted from Dover because of fog.
It landed on Victoria Recreation Ground, next to Canterbury High School, as pupils came out to cheer her arrival.
The Princess then travelled by car to Dover to visit HM Customs and Excise and then on to the Deal Centre for the Retired.
She was back in Kent the following year.
In March 1990, as president of Barnardo’s, she visited two projects in Tunbridge Wells to help families and children – the Ravensdale day care centre and the Chilston Mediation and Family Service Project.
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As patron of Turning Point, the Princess also visited the Canterbury Alcohol Project in Whitstable Road.
During a visit in October 1990, she dropped in to St Augustine’s Hospital at Chartham, again in her role with Turning Point, officially opened Tenterden Leisure Centre and visited perfume manufacturer Quest International in Ashford.
On the same day in October 1992, Diana opened the Heart of Kent Hospice in Aylesford and the Paula Carr Diabetes Centre at William Harvey Hospital, Ashford.
She was presented with a bouquet of roses by Janet Carr, whose daughter Paula died from diabetes complications in 1988.
Also that day, the princess visited marriage guidance charity Relate, in Sevenoaks, then travelled to Tunbridge Wells to open the Royal Victoria Place shopping centre.
Diana, William and Harry enjoyed some high-speed fun in Kent with a spin around the go-kart track at Buckmore Park, Chatham, in 1992.
Perhaps her most enduring connection with the county was as Colonel-in-Chief to the newly-formed Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment.
She visited Howe Barracks in Canterbury for the first time in June 1993 and the last time in May 1995.
She once told the soldiers: "It has to be said that for a 31-year-old woman to have 2,500 men under her command is some feat."
To mark today, a statue of Princess Diana is being unveiled by the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex.
It was first commissioned in 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of her death and "recognise her positive impact".
The statue, which has been approved by the brothers, was created by artist Ian Rank-Broadley, whose portrait of the Queen appears on all UK coins.
Despite Prince Harry now residing in the states with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, and concerns about how ongoing Covid-19 restrictions could impact travel, especially with his newborn daughter remaining in the US, the princes will be reunited for the unveiling.
The statue is being installed in the garden of the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace.
In addition to the statue, Princess Diana’s wedding dress is on display at Kensington Palace this summer for the first time in over 25 years.
The dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel for Diana for her wedding to Prince Charles in 1981.
If you're keen to visit the palace to see the new statue and the dress you can find the latest opening and closing times of Kensington Palace here.
To visit inside the palace as well as the gardens this summer, you'll need to book a ticket in advance. You can book tickets for Kensington here.
