Royal fans pay tribute to Diana on the anniversary of her death

Twenty years after the death of Diana, hundreds of people made a pilgrimage yesterday to the gates of Kensington Palace, her former home, to pay tribute to the woman who many say helped to modernise the Windsors.

Royal fans placed flowers, cards and candles outside of the gates of the palace, creating a makeshift shrine to the late Princess of Wales.

"We deeply miss and love you dearly, Grandma Diana," read one message from a fan from Australia.

Tributes also rolled in on social media. Elton John, who sang Candle In The Wind at Diana's funeral, posted a picture on Instagram of the two of them, adding the caption: "20 years ago today, the world lost an angel. RIP."

Diana died in Paris on August 31, 1997, after the car she was riding in crashed while trying to speed away from paparazzi. She was 36 years old. Her jarring death triggered an outpouring of emotion in Britain that, up until that time, was very un-British.

In her short life, she rattled the emotionally reserved monarchy. She shook the hands of Aids patients. She spilled the beans on her soap opera marriage and talked to the press about her battle with bulimia. She pursued - and was pursued by - the celebrity-obsessed media. She was one of the most famous people in the world, and the British public loved her. They still do.

One of Diana's lasting legacies, many said at yesterday's palace gathering, was helping to reinvent the royal family.