Fans expected to mark anniversary of Diana’s death

The anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales is expected to be marked by family, friends and fans on Saturday.

Almost 22 years have passed since Diana’s death, which shocked the world, but her appeal remains undiminished.

Fans of the princess, who was killed in a Paris car crash on August 31 1997, are likely to gather at Kensington Palace to mark the anniversary.

The Duke of Cambridge and his brother the Duke of Sussex spoke candidly and often about their mother in the run-up to the 20th anniversary of her death, describing the personal anguish they experienced and the grief they still feel.

And in the intervening two years, they have continued to speak about their mother, with Harry describing how she and wife Meghan would have been “thick as thieves”.

Harry will also follow in her footsteps when he visits Angola in September to highlight the plight of landmine victims – a cause the princess championed in the months leading up to her death when she famously walked through a cleared Angolan minefield.

Diana would have celebrated her 58th birthday this year if she had survived the crash that also claimed the lives of her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul.

William was 15 years old and Harry just 12 when their mother was killed and they would later, with other senior royals, walk behind her funeral cortege.

The royal brothers have already planned their own permanent memorial to their mother.

Sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley was chosen by William and Harry to create a statue of Diana.

The design for the artwork has been chosen and will be erected in the grounds of Diana’s former home Kensington Palace.