Princess Adeline, Duchess of Clarence

Chapter Thirty-One: 20 Years On

30th of August 2017 - The White Garden, Kensington Palace

It hadn't been easy to catch Harry after the shooting weekend, he had been all but absent from London and had dodged his siblings on their attempts to meet up with him. 

It appeared that he had absconded to Canada to spend time with Meghan and had only returned days ago for the 20th anniversary of their mother's passing. 

Adeline and William had agreed that this wasn't the time to speak with their brother about his girlfriend and their concerns, it was a sober enough day for the three of them without considering everything else. 

The White Garden, at Kensington Palace, was planted to mark 20 years since Princess Diana died in a car crash. 

The garden at their mother's former home has been inspired by memories of her life, style and image, such as her white "Elvis" Catherine Walker dress. 

The White Garden, as it is known, followed the tradition first established at Sissinghurst Castle in Kent, famous for its own white garden created in the 1930s. 

The garden had been open since spring and would continue into September with white roses, lilies, gladioli and cosmos. 

It was the fourth London memorial created in tribute to Diana. The others are the Diana Memorial Playground at Kensington Palace, the Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, and the Diana Memorial Walk at St James's Palace. 

Adeline was thankful that Catherine and Simon were in attendance when they met with gardener Sean Harkin who designed the display and Graham Dillamore who knew the princess when he worked there some 30 years ago. 

They were just as much a part of Diana's legacy as her children were, despite the fact that they'd never truly had the chance to meet her. 

Sadly the weather wasn't on their side and umbrellas were needed for them to come and see the garden, it was a private viewing for the royals; cameras catching the moments but they didn't have to contend with the crowds. 

They'd go and admired the floral tributes later that had been left at the gates of Kensington to mark this sad day and remember their mother. 

They would also met representatives from the causes and charities supported by Diana, including the Royal Marsden and Great Ormond Street hospitals, the National Aids Trust, Centrepoint youth homelessness charity and the Leprosy Mission. 

Some of the charities which had now been passed to Diana's own children as they took on causes that they were passionate about. 

The gardens truly were a tranquil place next to the hustle and bustle of the palace, visitors often coming to see the exhibitions that were often on here and take in the history of the royal palace that still housed royals to this day. 

"Do you think your mother would have liked me?" Simon asked quietly coming to stop next to Adeline as she admired the gardens, her brothers and Catherine talking with the gardeners. 

It was hard to imagine what his relationship would have been like with his mother-in-law, he had heard a lot about her in the time that he had been with Adeline. 

She didn't hesitate to share the good and the bad memories that she had of her parents, she felt it built a strong picture rather than just focusing on the good and erasing the bad. 

"I'd like to think so," Adeline said smiling, she had grown closer to her mother after the divorce even if there were times that she still favoured Harry more than ever.

It hadn't been easy but as she moved on with her life, Diana had found a new focus that Adeline understood and she hoped that her mother would have eventually found happiness.