Princess Diana
Memorial plaque unveiled on former residential building
The blue plaque reminds that Princess Diana lived in this house before her wedding to Prince Charles.
© [M] imago / ZUMA Wire / imago / United Archives
Princess Diana’s first house now bears a plaque from the monument protection organization English Heritage. Here she lived in a shared apartment.
A building in the London borough of Kensington now bears a plaque by the monument protection organization English Heritage in memory of Princess Diana. The first wife of Prince Charles (72) had her first own apartment there, in the Earl’s Court district.
“Lady Diana Spencer later Princess of Wales, 1961-1997, lived here 1979-1981” reads in white letters on the circular blue plaque.
Flat share with friends
Before her wedding, the then Lady Diana Spencer lived there with three friends in a shared flat with Charles. Her parents gave her the apartment as a gift in 1979 when she came of age.
Her former roommate, Virginia Clarke, revealed when the badge was revealed, according to Mail Online, that she and Diana “drove around London talking about blue badges, so I knew she would have loved it.” She added, “I know she was happy here.”
The night before their engagement in February 1981, Lady Diana Spencer moved into Clarence House. She and Charles tied the knot in 1981. The marriage was officially divorced in 1996. A year later, Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris.
Small plaque, great honor for Princess Diana
English Heritage manages more than 400 historic buildings and cultural sites across the country. Princess Diana is now one of six women to be honored with a blue cultural heritage plaque. She is the best-known former member of the monarchy to receive this honor. The blue panels remind of the connection between a place and a person who is considered “outstanding” in their field. The people must have been dead for at least 20 years.