Welcome to Princess Diana’s London. Diana, or Di, as she was known, continues to fascinate us, and the memory of the People’s Princess still beats at the core of London’s heart. Di is omnipresent on London’s map: the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, the Diana Memorial Playground and Memorial Walk, the White Garden and Kensington Palace. In 2021 a statue of Diana was unveiled by Princes William and Harry in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace.
As a 12-year-old Parisian girl who spent my summers in England, I was utterly bewildered and bemused by all the brouhaha over the royal engagement. My friend’s mother kept scrapbooks containing newspaper and magazine cuttings of every possible snippet of the soon-to-be royal couple. Teapots, mugs, tea towels and commemorative coins made an appearance.
Visiting my friend in Avignon, I was thrilled to discover she had kept every scrapbook and newspaper from the wedding as well as from Diana’s funeral. If you’re interested in taking a peek at front pages of some of the newspapers, scroll to the bottom of this post.
In memory of the People’s Princess, here is my guide to Princess Diana’s London: where she lived, worked, married, shopped and dined, from her first flat in Earl’s Court to her last home at Kensington Palace. Every place is listed below, with a link where there is one to visit.
Princess Diana’s London at a glance:
- 60 Coleherne Court, Earl’s Court
- Eaton Mews South, Belgravia
- Young England Kindergarten, St George’s Square, Pimlico
- Garrard, 24 Albemarle Street, Mayfair
- Goldsmiths’ Hall, Foster Lane, City of London
- Clarence House, The Mall
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- Buckingham Palace
- Le Caprice (now Arlington), 20 Arlington Street, St James’s
- San Lorenzo, Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge
- Da Mario Pizza, Gloucester Road
- Kensington Palace
- Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park
- Kensington High Street
- Lindo Wing, St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington
- Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, Chelsea
- Middlesex Hospital, Fitzrovia
- Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Royal Marsden
- Ormeley Lodge, Ham
- Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens
- Catherine Walker, Sydney Street, Chelsea
- Westminster Abbey
60 Coleherne Court, Earl’s Court
So, this is where the romance started. A Sloaney Diana bought Flat 60 in 1979, aged 18, with a bequest from her great-grandmother, and shared it with three flatmates. English Heritage put up a blue plaque here in 2021. The 17-year-old Prince Charles first met Diana when she was only five years old, when she was at Sandringham having a playdate with Prince Andrew. They met again in November 1977 when she was 16 and he was dating Diana’s sister, Sarah. In 1980, Charles started courting Diana, proposing to her in February 1981.
Eaton Mews South, Belgravia
To pay her way, Diana worked part-time as a nanny for an American family, the Robertsons, who lived in Eaton Mews South near Victoria Station. This is where she first faced the paparazzi, when photographers caught her pushing baby Patrick’s pram at the entrance to the mews. Mary Robertson later attended the royal wedding.
Young England Kindergarten, St George’s Square, Pimlico
On the days she wasn’t nannying, Diana worked as a kindergarten assistant at the Young England Kindergarten in Pimlico. One of her first iconic photographs was taken in the park next to the school, once the rumours that she was dating Prince Charles began.
Garrard, 24 Albemarle Street, Mayfair
Diana’s engagement ring, now worn by Catherine, Princess of Wales, was from Garrard. Diana chose a 12-carat Ceylon sapphire with a cluster of 18 solitaire diamonds, reportedly costing £28,000.
Goldsmiths’ Hall, Foster Lane, City of London
Goldsmiths’ Hall is where Diana “came out” for her first public engagement with Charles. She wore that black dress, the foxy number with the generous décolleté, and was instantly catapulted onto the world stage and into a fashion icon. The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths has been here since 1339, and it was a sparkling location for a dazzling debut.
Clarence House, The Mall
Clarence House was the home of Elizabeth, The Queen Mother when Diana married Charles, and it’s where Diana spent her last night as a Lady. She dined with her sister upstairs, whilst the Queen Mother dined and watched an episode of Dad’s Army with Diana’s maternal grandmother downstairs. It has opened to visitors for limited periods in the summer, so check the Royal Collection Trust website before you go.
St Paul’s Cathedral
The fairy-tale wedding that wasn’t meant to be was watched by a global audience of 750 million on Wednesday, 29 July 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral. Diana insisted on being 30 seconds late for her wedding, despite royal protocol that dictated absolute punctuality. You can see the Glass Coach used to transport Diana and her father, Earl Spencer, at the Royal Mews: read my post on the Royal Mews.
Buckingham Palace
After the wedding service, Charles and Diana appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave to the crowds. In the days after Diana’s death in 1997, the palace gates disappeared under a sea of flowers and tributes.
Le Caprice (now Arlington), 20 Arlington Street, St James’s
The night she died, Le Caprice, one of Diana’s most-loved restaurants, kept her table empty. Princess Margaret was a fan too, and it was one of Camilla’s favourites. Le Caprice closed in 2020, but Arlington now occupies the same site, so you can still dine where Diana did.
San Lorenzo, Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge
Closer to home, San Lorenzo was also a favourite of Diana’s until it closed in 2022. She became close friends with the Italian owners Mara and Lorenzo Berni, and the restaurant soon became a sanctuary for her. She would frequently eat here with William and Harry.
Da Mario Pizza, Gloucester Road
Diana liked to bring William and Harry for pizza here. Da Mario is where Renée Zellweger allegedly scoffed down countless pizzas in a bid to pile on the pounds for her role in Bridget Jones.
Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace, or KP as Diana referred to it, was the Princess’s home until her death. She lived in Apartments 8 and 9 with William and Harry (and Charles, of course, pre-separation). Today parts of the palace are open to visitors, while other apartments are still lived in by members of the royal family.
Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park
Diana was a regular in and around the park, and I even caught a glimpse of her rollerblading out of Kensington Palace Gardens back in the early 90s. The historic Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace has been transformed into a White Garden in her memory, and it’s where her statue stands. Nearby in Kensington Gardens is the Diana Memorial Playground, inspired by Peter Pan, with its wooden pirate ship. Across in Hyde Park you will find the Diana Memorial Fountain, shaped like a large necklace and opened by the Queen in 2004.
Kensington High Street
Only a hop, skip and a jump from KP, Diana would occasionally be seen in McDonald’s (with William and Harry), Barkers department store (now Whole Foods) and Marks and Spencer.
Lindo Wing, St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington
This is where the magic happened, where royal cherubs were born and introduced to the world on the steps outside. William and Harry were born here, and later Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. I have visited the Lindo as a patient, sitting in front of the lift down which future kings (and possibly queens) have made their inaugural journey, and can tell you that it’s a very standard-looking hospital wing. No palatial luxuries here, ma’am.
Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, Chelsea
Diana first met Hasnat Khan at the Royal Brompton Hospital. Khan was a doctor here, and Diana was instantly smitten. She spent many nights here in Khan’s overnight room, using her visits to patients in the hospital as a decoy.
Middlesex Hospital, Fitzrovia
In April 1987, at a time when many people still feared that HIV could be caught by touch, Diana opened the Broderip Ward at the Middlesex Hospital, the first ward in the UK dedicated to caring for people with HIV and AIDS. She shook patients’ hands without wearing gloves, a simple gesture that helped to change attitudes around the world. The hospital has since closed, so this one is a stop for the history books.
Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Royal Marsden
Diana was a tireless champion of two great London hospitals: Great Ormond Street Hospital for children in Bloomsbury and the Royal Marsden cancer hospital in Chelsea, where she served as president.
Ormeley Lodge, Ham
Ormeley Lodge is an imposing Queen Anne mansion in Ham, on the fringes of Richmond Park. Home to Annabel Goldsmith (the Mayfair nightclub is named after her), she was a great friend and confidante of Diana’s. It’s here that Diana famously confronted Charles and Camilla at a birthday party over their affair.
Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens
Who can forget Diana’s drop-dead gorgeous frock at the Vanity Fair summer party held at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994? It was a bombshell of a gown, dubbed the “Revenge Dress”. The party was held on the same night as Charles was on ITV, spilling the beans to Jonathan Dimbleby about his marriage. I’ll let you guess who grabbed the headline news the following morning.
Catherine Walker, Sydney Street, Chelsea
Catherine Walker supplied a whopping 1,000 outfits for Princess Diana. She was buried in a black Walker-designed dress.
Westminster Abbey
Diana’s funeral was held at Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997, watched by millions around the world. Elton John performed a rewritten version of Candle in the Wind as a tribute, before Diana was taken to her final resting place at Althorp.
Two Billion Broken Hearts
Front pages from the week of Diana’s funeral, kept by my friend’s mother. Thank you to Angela de Plano for letting me use her clippings.
Candle in the Wind
I wanted to end this post with a rather sweet postscript. Diana’s favourite tune was Manning Sherwin’s A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square. She would listen to it whilst writing her innumerable handwritten notes from Kensington Palace.
Princess Diana’s London: quick answers
Where did Princess Diana live in London?
Diana lived at Flat 60, Coleherne Court in Earl’s Court from 1979 until her engagement in 1981, then briefly at Clarence House before her wedding. As Princess of Wales she lived at Kensington Palace, in Apartments 8 and 9, until her death in 1997.
Where did Princess Diana get married?
Diana married Prince Charles at St Paul’s Cathedral on 29 July 1981 in front of a global television audience of 750 million.
Where was Princess Diana’s funeral?
Her funeral was held at Westminster Abbey on 6 September 1997, where Elton John performed a rewritten Candle in the Wind.
Sources: ‘The Diana Chronicles’ by Tina Brown, Wikipedia and English Heritage. Feature image by By John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA. Thank you to Angela de Plano for letting me use her mother’s clippings, to Duncan Kelman for his photos of Diana’s funeral (you can follow Duncan on Instagram) and to Lucy Siddiqi for her photo of Ormeley Lodge. Opening times change, so please check each venue’s website before you visit.