On This Day in History: Princess Diana Memorial Fountain Given the OK (2001)

On June 29, 2001, the go-ahead was given to begin construction on a public memorial in London’s Hyde Park for Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.  At first, the planning committee considered building a statue, but decided against that traditional kind of memorial, explaining that they “could never have captured her in stone.”  Instead, plans were made to create a unique memorial fountain in an area of the park where Diana used to spend time jogging.  The water, it was decided, would better help capture the spirit of the late Princess.  Earl Spencer, Prince Charles, and Princes William and Harry were apparently all pleased with the planned memorial.

Even though plans were approved in 2001, the fountain’s construction was not completed until 2004.  It featured a ring of water that cascades and flows turbulently to a calm pool at the fountain’s base; the water flow is supposed to represent the stages of Diana’s life.  The project went millions of pounds over budget, and not long after it opened, it had to be closed again for renovations after some park-goers slipped and were hurt in the fountain.  The memorial re-opened again in 2005, but has to be closed regularly for maintenance.  It will next be closed in November 2008 for a month-long period.