Prince William stuns well-wishers by greeting them in person after they hold all-day vigil outside Kensington Palace to mark Princess Diana’s birthday
- Duke of Cambridge thanks small group of royal fans for their touching gesture
- He tells them he knows they hold an annual vigil to mark his mother’s birthday
- William left after seven minutes when a crowd started to gather at the gates
Well-wishers became tearful last night as the Duke of Cambridge thanked them for marking his mother’s birthday.
The fans had been holding a vigil outside Kensington Palace since 5.30am to remember what would have been Diana, Princess of Wales’ 58th birthday.
At around 6.45pm they were astounded to see her eldest son walk quietly and without fanfare through the palace gates into Kensington Gardens with a small security detail.
Prince William shakes hands with a small group of well-wishers outside Kensington Palace last night after they kept a vigil to mark Princess Diana’s birthday
William walked up to the six of them, who were surrounded by pictures of his late mother along with bunting and flowers, and shook each by the hand.
‘William told me he knew we’d been coming here for years and thanked us for what we were doing for his mother,’ said 59-year-old fan John Loughrey, from south-west London.
‘I’m still shaking now. I feel very emotional.’
Mr Loughrey said the prince also admired the badges of Diana on his hat and said he thought it was ‘wonderful’ that they were celebrating his mother’s life and legacy.
One man is speechless with shock after Prince William walked out to meet the small group of well-wishers at Kensington Palace on his mother’s birthday
‘He said ‘I’m touched by what you do, you’ve got quite the collection.’
‘I told him that I pray for his mother every Sunday at Westminster Abbey and he seemed really touched.
‘He shook my hand three times, he has a really firm shake, and I felt a beautiful feeling go through my body. I think I’m still shaking now. I feel very emotional.’
Mr Loughrey asked when the much-talked about statue to his late mother would finally be effected in her memory outside the palace.
William pointed to the gardens, where he revealed it would be situated, and said: ‘Soon, very soon. We just want to make sure it is right. It’s important to get it right.’
The dedicated royal fans were stunned when William walked out to chat to them after their all-day vigil
The Duke of Cambridge thanked the small group of fans for making the effort to remember his mother on what would have been her 58th birthday
Asked why he held a vigil on the princess’s birthday and the anniversary of her death Mr Loughrey added: ‘She was born with two hearts, one for her and one for us. People must never forget that.
‘I have never spoken to William before, only seen him, but he made a beeline for me and he knew who I was. I am so touched. He seemed really moved that we were here.’
Also among the fans was Maria Scott, 48, from Newcastle, and Sky London, 59, from Paddington.
Sky had been asleep when the prince arrived but was woken by his friends.
He said: ‘William said a friend had taken a photo of me asleep earlier and showed it to him.’
Maria added: ‘We are here to honour Diana’s legacy. We are two generations down now and there are children growing up who don’t even know who she is. It’s important that we remind them and remember.
‘None of us could believe it when William suddenly walked down the drive to come and thank us. He really is his mother’s son.’
The prince spent around seven minutes chatting to the six-strong group, leaving only when crowds started to gather, saying it was a private visit.
A member of the dedicated group beams with delight as William thanks her for taking part in the touching vigil
Charles and Diana sit with sons William and Harry on holiday in Spain in 1987