Plans being drawn up for memorial garden to commemorate Diana anniversary

Plans are being drawn up for the creation of a memorial garden to commemorate the life of Diana, Princess of Wales on the 20th anniversary of her death, Kensington Palace has confirmed.

Historic Royal Palaces, the charity responsible for overseeing the plans, recently advertised for a new gardener to help with the project, which is expected to be completed before the anniversary on August 31 2017.

Diana, who died in a car accident in a Paris underpass with her partner Dodi Fayed, would have been 56 if she had survived the crash in 1997.

The garden, which is in the "very early stages of development", will become the fourth London memorial to pay tribute to Diana if it reaches completion, joining the Diana Memorial Playground at Kensington Palace, the Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, and the Diana Memorial Walk at St James's Palace.

A spokesman for Kensington Palace confirmed that plans were being explored by palace officials and management at Historic Royal Palaces. He added that Diana's sons, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, were being kept "informed" about the garden project.

A spokeswoman for Historic Royal Palaces said: "Our plans are still at the earliest stages of development, and we're recruiting for staff to help us explore the possibilities."