Tributes, candles and flowers are laid by royal fans for the late Diana, Princess of Wales, outside Kensington Palace in London, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The tributes are to mark the 20th anniversary of her death, in a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
The Associated Press
LONDON (AP) - People placed floral tributes, photos and personal messages at the gates of Kensington Palace on Thursday as Britain observed the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.
Royal fans marked two decades since Diana died in a car crash in Paris, triggering a flood of grief across Britain and beyond. Her admirers began paying tribute to Diana at the time she died before dawn, placing candles shaped in the letter "D'' at the gates of the London palace that had been her home.
"We had never met her and been nowhere near her, but I think she touched so many people because of who she was, the way she conducted herself in the context of where she was living and who she became," said Mara Klemich, 55, a royal well-wisher from Australia.
Princes William and Harry honored their mother Wednesday at Kensington Palace, visiting a garden where she would stroll by and ask the gardeners about their ever-changing displays.
The princes and the Duchess of Cambridge met with well-wishers after the walk, but aren't expected to take part in any engagements Thursday.
The weeks leading up to the anniversary have been met with reflection in Britain as the public remembers "the people's princess" and considers her contributions to the country.
The 36-year-old princess died in the early hours of Aug. 31, 1997. Her Mercedes, pursued by paparazzi, crashed into a concrete pillar in the Alma Tunnel in Paris while traveling at more than 60 mph (100 kph).
Diana, her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul were all killed. Her bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was injured but survived.
Tributes, candles and flowers are laid by royal fans for the late Diana, Princess of Wales outside Kensington Palace in London, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The tributes are to mark the 20th anniversary of her death, in a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
The Associated Press
Tributes, candles and flowers are laid by royal fans for the late Diana, Princess of Wales, outside Kensington Palace in London, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The tributes are to mark the 20th anniversary of her death, in a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
The Associated Press
Tributes, candles and flowers are laid by royal fans for the late Diana, Princess of Wales, outside Kensington Palace in London, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. The tributes are to mark the 20th anniversary of her death, in a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
The Associated Press
Britain's Prince William, left, and Prince Harry walk away after placing flowers amongst the floral and pictorial tributes to their late mother Princess Diana placed on the gates of Kensington Palace, London, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017. Princes William and Harry paid tribute to their mother, Princess Diana, on the eve of the 20th anniversary of her death by visiting the Sunken Garden to honor Diana's work with charities. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Sept. 6, 1997, file photo, Princess Diana's casket is carried out of Westminster Abbey after her funeral in London. It has been 20 years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of grief that followed the death of the "people's princess." (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
The Associated Press
CAPTION CORRECTS DATE PHOTO WAS TAKEN TO 1994 FILE - In this 1994 file photo, Diana, Princess of Wales walks during a party given at the Serpentine Gallery in London. The same day that Charles admitted he was unfaithful to Diana during a TV interview, Diana appeared at the Serpentine Gallery in what was dubbed her revenge dress, a figure-hugging, low cut, off-the-shoulder little black outfit. (AP Photo/File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Sept. 6, 1997, file photo, Britain's Prince Charles casts a concerned glance towards his sons Prince William, left, and Prince Harry as they wait for the coffin of Princess Diana to be loaded into a hearse outside Westminster Abbey in London. It has been 20 years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of grief that followed the death of the "people's princess." (AP Photo/John Gaps III, File)
The Associated Press
FILE- In this Saturday, Sept. 6, 1997 file photo, Britain's Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Earl Charles Spencer, Prince William and Prince Philip, from left, stand as the coffin bearing the body of Princess Diana is taken into Westminster Abbey in London. It has been 20 years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of grief that followed the death of the "people's princess." (AP Photo/John Gaps III, Pool, File)
The Associated Press