Memorials to Diana, Princess of Wales in Paris

The French Response to the Death of a British Royal Princess

Apr 28, 2009

Since the tragic death of Diana, princess of Wales in a road accident in Paris, there have been various attempts by the French to mark the event in an appropriate way.

After the death of the Princess of Wales in Paris on 31 August 1997, there was a surge of grief around the world and many felt the need to make a pilgrimage to the road tunnel under the Pont d’ Alma bridge approaches where the princess met her death.

Princess Diana and The Pont d’ Alma, Paris

The Pont d’Alma was always the logical site for a memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales, and, initially, an existing monument on the bridge became a pilgrimage site through the spontaneous response of her loyal fans.

By coincidence, on the approaches to the Pont d’Alma (bridge), directly above the entrance of the road tunnel in which the fatal accident occurred, there existed a rather garish memorial torch – areplica of the torch held by the Statue of Liberty, sitting atop a two metre high green marble base . This had been presented to the people of Paris in 1989 (by the International Herald Tribune to mark its 100th anniversary) as a symbol of the long-standing friendship between the US and France. It was never high on the must-see list for visitors to Paris.

Supporters mourning Princess Diana flocked to the scene of her death and, overnight, turned the obscure torch memorial into a shrine, bedecking it with flowers, notes and graffiti. Crowds in the first few days caused traffic problems.

The Pont d’Alma ‘Memorial’ Today

It is hardly surprising that, as soon as it could politely do so, the French government obliterated the nexus between the Pont d’Alma and the international scandal and ensuing inquest and inquiry. Paul Makovsky in Metropolismag reports that, in 2001, the French spent 60,000 Euros cleaning away graffiti, notes and flowers, and erected a chain fence around the monument.

Tactfully, in the same year, there was an official French tribute created to Princess Diana by way of a walled “children’s garden” behind a primary school in the Rue des Blanc Manteaux in the Marais district. This children’s nature centre reflects the princess’ love of children and nature. The plaque at the entrance, which stands above a rose bush, simply reads: The Princess of Wales Rose.

The Independent (8 Oct 1998) reports that, even in Paris, there was consternation when it was revealed that initially the ‘garden’ was a large patch of leeks. The purpose of the garden was that Parisian children would be taught self-sufficiency. According to the Independent, the mayor of the arrondisement said “there will also be flowers”, and indicated that the concept had already been approved by the Royal Family and the Spencer family.

Summary of the The French Response

Today, there is little evidence at the Pont’ d’Alma that a British Princess lost her life on French soil. On the rough concrete of the bridge itself, a few of the faithful manage to leave their marks: “Princess Diana, you will always be the queen of my heart. Rip, sweet lady” is representative of the scrawled notes. Traffic flows smoothly over the Pont d’Alma and few people give the gilded flame a second glance.

Despite the enormous ground swell of grief at the news of the death of the Princess of Wales and the fact that her funeral service became the world biggest ever television event, it would seem that, in France, scene of her demise, the tragic royal episode has been closed with a sigh of relief.

For a review of memorials to Diana Princess of Wales in London, England, see this Suite101 article by the same author.

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