Diana, Princess Of Wales: 15 Iconic Photos On Her 20th Death Anniversary

Thursday marks the 20th death anniversary of one of the world's most iconic figures, Diana, Princess of Wales — Prince Charles' first wife and mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.

Her brother Charles Spencer referred to her as "the unique, the complex, the extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana." She is still fondly remembered by millions across the world as the "people's princess" for her down-to-earth nature.

On Thursday, people paid their tribute to Diana and placed photos and personal messages at the gates of Kensington Palace in London. Diana died two decades ago, leaving a void and triggering a flood of grief among people in the United Kingdom, and others around the world, who admired her.

Her admirers in the U.K. had begun paying tribute to the Princess of Wales at the time she died, even before dawn, by placing candles shaped in the letter "D'' at the gates of the Kensington Palace, 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, according to mysanantonio.com.

Prince William and Prince Harry honored their mother on Wednesday at Kensington Palace as they visited a garden where Diana used to take a stroll and ask the gardeners about the ever-changing display of the garden. Both the princes and the Duchess of Cambridge met the well-wishers after the walk, but they are not scheduled to take part in any engagements on Thursday.

Diana died on Aug.31, 1997 after her car crashed into a concrete pillar in the Alma Tunnel in Paris, while traveling at a speed more than 60mph (100kph). She was being chased by paparazzi. Her lover Dodi Fayed and their driver Henri Paul, who also accompanied her, were also killed. Her bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, who was also in the car, was injured but survived the crash.

She was born as Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961, and became Lady Diana at the age of 14 when her father, John Spencer, became the eighth Earl Spencer in 1975. Diana, who grew up among British aristocratic families and thus was familiar with their ways, married Prince Charles, first in line to the British throne, in an elaborate ceremony in 1981 at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales divorced in 1996, but Diana remained famous among her former subjects. Throughout the years of performing her duties as a princess, she was well-known for her philanthropy and dedication toward charities, especially HIV and AIDS research. "I'd like to be a queen of people's hearts, in people's hearts, but I don't see myself being the queen of this country," Diana once said, adding, "I don't think many people will want me to be queen."

It is said the princess is buried on an island in an ornamental lake called "The Oval within Althorp Park's Pleasure Garden," where visitors are not allowed, the Telegraph reported. However, the exact location of her grave has never been disclosed to the public.

To mark the occasion of her 20th death anniversary, here are 15 iconic photos of the "people’s princess."