She was the most photographed woman of her time – but this is a rather more off-the-wall way of remembering her life.
Sketches based on iconic images of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, have been turned into wallpaper inside the royal residence that was once her home.
The display is part of a £12million restoration of Kensington Palace in London.
Inside apartment 1A, which was once occupied by Princess Margaret and will be handed to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge next year, there is an exhibition of dresses worn by the late royal.
Called Diana: Glimpses Of A Modern Princess, it includes a black silk taffeta gown, worn on her first official engagement with the Prince of Wales on March 9, 1981, and a black silk shift evening dress by Versace, which she wore to the 1995 premiere of Apollo 13.
An ivory silk formal dinner dress by Catherine Walker, a fuchsia and purple silk chiffon sari dress also by Walker and worn on a tour of Thailand, and a black and white cocktail dress by Bellville Sassoon complete the set.
The exhibition has been designed by interior stylist Finola Inger, who employed fashion illustrator Julie Verhoeven to turn some of the most instantly recognisable photographs of Diana into eye-catching colour sketches
These were then converted into wallpaper by the interiors firm Cole and Son, who have a royal warrant from the Queen and are renowned for printing authentic period wallpapers.
The paper has been used to line a hallway leading up to the room where the exhibition of Diana’s dresses is being held.
It is understood that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who currently live in a cottage in the palace grounds, have not yet seen the exhibition but are likely to be given a private viewing.
Exhibition curator Deirdre Murphy told the Mail yesterday that she hoped the wallpaper reflected the Princess in a ‘bold, new and fresh way’.
She added: ‘We didn’t want this exhibition to be museum-like. We hope that this depicts the Princess in a way that people have never seen her before.
‘It will offer our visitors a fresh perspective on one of the most photographed women in the world, who had a significant influence on British style and fashion.’
Following its restoration, Kensington Palace reopens to the public on Monday.
2.Purple Princess: Shining in a fuchsia chiffon dress by Catherine Walker, Diana looks confident and glamorous non a tour of Thailand in February 1986.
10. Just exquisite: Diana in white lace and a tiara borrowed from the Queen at a fashion aid gala for Barnardo's in November 1985.
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