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Scores of fans of Britain's late Diana, princess of Wales, left flowers at her former London residence on Thursday to mark the ninth anniversary of the iconic figure's death.
Tributes were tied to the gates of Kensington Palace as about 100 people gathered for prayers at an open-air service officiated by Father Frank Gelli, the former curate of nearby St Mary Abbots Church.
Some brought bouquets of flowers and photographs of the princess.
The scale of the tributes was in marked contrast to the aftermath of her death, which provoked a mass outpouring of grief in Britain.
Diana, 36, and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, 42, were killed in a car crash in Paris in the early hours of August 31, 1997.
Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, were remembering their mother in private.
William, 24, is on a break from his British Army officer training course, while Harry, 21, already an army officer, was training at the Bovington camp in southwest England.
Her ex-husband, heir to the throne Prince Charles, was at Birkhall, his private retreat in Scotland, with his second wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
"They will be remembering the princess privately and in their own way," a spokesman for the princes' Clarence House residence said.
Queen Elizabeth II and other royals, on holiday at the queen's private Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands, were also to remember Diana in private.
Kensington Palace was the focus for grieving Britons following Diana's death. A sea of flowers filled the grounds in front of the palace gates.
Joan Berry, secretary of the Diana Circle, said: "We always have a good turn-out for her every year. We're hoping this time will be no exception."
She added: "We still believe she was murdered. We feel we've got to keep plugging away to get some answers."
At the palace railings, mourner Kathleen Edmonds, 62, from Galway in Ireland, said: "I loved Diana and I come here every year. She was a nice person and I think there was a conspiracy because people used her.
"I think more needs to be done to remember her. There needs to be a statue of her or something.
"I'd like to see a memorial service for the 10th anniversary."
Some Diana fans came dressed entirely in the red, white and blue colours of Britain's Union Flag and tied bunting to the palace gates.
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AFP 311126 GMT 08 06
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