Remembering Diana

On 24th February 1981, Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. 

Now, 36 years on, the late Princess of Wales will be publicly remembered in a number of ways by her sons Princes William and Harry. 

 
















 Diana: Her Fashion Story 

An exhibition will be opened at Kensington Palace on the 24th February to celebrate Diana's influence on fashion- from the days of her engagement to the end of her life in 1997.

From the Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) website: 

Celebrate the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, in this major new dress exhibition at Kensington Palace.

Trace the evolution of the Princess’s style, from the demure, romantic outfits of her first public appearances, to the glamour, elegance and confidence of her later life. Don’t miss an extraordinary collection of garments, including the iconic velvet gown, famously worn at the White House when the Princess danced with John Travolta.

White Garden

The Princes have been important in supporting the creation of the White Garden at Kensington Palace. The sunken garden was often visited by the Princess during her life. 

Again from the HRP website:

In Spring and Summer 2017, the historic Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace will be temporarily transformed into a White Garden.

 Spring planting will include an elegant palette of tulips and scented narcisii through a carpet of 'forget me nots'. In the summer, pots of classic English white roses will surround the reflective pool in the centre of the garden and the planting will become more exuberant, with glowing ornamental grasses weaving through Cosmos daisies and billows of graceful Gaura.

Statue

Diana's sons are convening a committee to commission and raise funds for a statue of the Princess. A sculptor and design for the statue will be announced soon. It will be placed in the public gardens of Kensington Palace.

It is hoped the statue will be unveiled by the end of 2017

Diana, William & Harry in Kensington Palace

Busy Year Ahead For The Cambridges

It is shaping up to be a busy 2017 for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

In our last blog post we canvassed possible choices of London nursery schools for Charlotte. There were suggestions the family would be moving to their Kensington Palace apartment this year for Prince George to begin school. This has since been confirmed in an announcement from William and Catherine.

Prince William's helicopter pilot role with East Anglia Air Ambulance will come to an end in the summer. This position was perfect for William to transition from his RAF Search and Rescue role before assuming full time duties on behalf of The Queen.

Flying for EAAA meant that the Duke could work and live in Norfolk at the couple's home Anmer Hall. The family were able to enjoy a more relaxed, private life away from London but commute to the capital when royal duties demanded. Anmer will continue to be their home but Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace will become their weekday residence. 

It has become apparent that the younger generation of royals will need to step up to more full time roles in the near future. Whilst Her Majesty and Prince Philip carry out more engagements than William, Catherine and Harry combined, they are ageing and need to reduce their workload. 

Kensington Palace Hedge Planting For Privacy

The Queen's illness at Christmas saw her miss several church services over the festive period. This was a wake up call for many who have only ever known Queen Elizabeth as the nation's Monarch and saw her as immortal. 

Prince George is rumoured to be starting school at Wetherby but not at the Notting Hill campus where Princes William and Harry attended! A new, smaller Wetherby Kensington is opening in September in time for George to start his formal schooling. 

Wetherby Kensington is located at 4 Wetherby Gardens near Gloucester Road, not far from Kensington Palace. It is a more discreet building than the original Wetherby and will cater for Reception through to Year 3. From there, boys will have an automatic place at the original Wetherby School in Notting Hill. The school will open with just the first two Reception Classes and grow as the years progress. 

With fewer pupils and parents it might be perfectly low key for the Cambridges. 

So a move to London to enable Catherine and William to undertake more official duties and starting school and nursery for the children means a momentous year ahead.

Site Of Wetherby Kensington