William and Harry remember Princess Diana with visit to memorial garden

Princes William and Harry have visited a new garden dedicated to their mother on the eve of the 20th anniversary of her death.

The pair were accompanied on Wednesday afternoon by Prince William’s wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, as they toured what had been known as the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in London, to mark two decades on from the death of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

“The engagement will allow the Princes to pay tribute to the life and work of their mother the day before the twentieth anniversary of her death,” an earlier statement from Kensington Palace said.

William, Harry and Catherine arrive at the White Garden at Kensington Palace, Princess Diana's home for 15 years, in London on Wednesday. The garden was planted to mark 20 years since her death.

Diana died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997, leaving behind her sons then aged 15 and 12 years old, as well as a philanthropic legacy that won her admirers the world over. She divorced her husband Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1996.

The White Garden is the result of a transformation that features several of the late princess’s favorite plants and was inspired by her work, image and style, including her famous white “Elvis” Catherine Walker dress.

Open since spring this year, the garden contains white roses, lilies, gladioli and cosmos flowers. The transformed garden will continue into September.

Princes William and Harry paid tribute to their mother on the eve of the 20th anniversary of her death by visiting the Sunken Garden to honor her work with charities.

The princes toured the garden, alongside the head gardener and another gardener who knew the Princess of Wales, before meeting representatives from several of the organizations Diana supported in the final years of her life as well several charities that she had a close relationship with.

Those attending the engagement in the White Garden included people from the UK’s homeless charity Centrepoint, the National AIDS Trust, Great Ormond Street Hospital, the Leprosy Mission and the Landmine Survivors Network.

The royals invited them so they could hear about the impact of their mother’s work, according to the official Kensington Palace Twitter account.

Princess Diana remains a beloved figure more than 20 years after her untimely death. See more photos of the British icon and the legacy she left behind.

Diana, seen here on her first birthday, was born Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961. She was born into a noble family in Sandringham, England. Her father, John, was Viscount Althorp before becoming the 8th Earl Spencer in 1975.

Diana circa 1965. Growing up, she attended private schools in England and Switzerland.

Diana poses with her brother, Charles, in 1968. She also had two sisters, Sarah and Jane.

Diana, far right, is photographed with her father, John, and her three siblings circa 1970. Sarah is on the far left and Jane is next to Diana. When Diana was 7 years old, her parents divorced and her father was given custody of the children.

A teenage Diana receives a "kiss" from her pony, Scuffle, in 1974. A year later, she became Lady Diana after her grandfather died and her father became the 8th Earl Spencer.

After finishing school, Diana worked various jobs, including cook, nanny and kindergarten teacher. Here she is in 1980 with two children she looked after as a nanny.

Diana and Camilla Parker-Bowles visit the Ludlow racecourse in October 1980, where Prince Charles was competing as a jockey. Diana and Charles would be engaged just a few months later. Prince Charles admitted in 1994 to a relationship with Parker-Bowles while still married to Diana; Charles and Camilla wed in 2005.

Diana looks startled after stalling her new car outside her London apartment in November 1980.

Diana is surrounded by photographers shortly before it was announced that she was engaged to Prince Charles.

Diana and Charles pose at Buckingham Palace after the announcement of their engagement on February 24, 1981.

Diana and Charles arrive at Goldsmith Hall in London for a charity recital in March 1981.

The couple poses with Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in March 1981.

The royal wedding was held July 29, 1981, at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. It was estimated that more than 700 million people watched the ceremony on television.

Charles and Diana kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony after being married.

During their honeymoon, Charles and Diana leave Gibraltar on the royal yacht Britannia.

The couple spends part of their honeymoon in Scotland.

Charles and Diana attend the Grand National horse race in April 1982.

In June 1982, Diana gave birth to her first child, William.

Diana greets a child while visiting Wrexham, Wales, in November 1982.

Charles, William and Diana pose for a photo at Kensington Palace in February 1983.

Diana gave birth to a second son, Harry, in September 1984.

Charles kisses his wife after a polo match in Cirencester, England, in June 1985.

Diana watches her boys play at the piano in Kensington Palace in October 1985.

Diana helps William with a puzzle in October 1985.

Diana attends a polo match that her husband played in Palm Beach, Florida, in November 1985.

Diana dances with actor John Travolta at the White House in November 1985. Dancing behind Travolta are US President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan. A few years ago, Diana's blue velvet dress -- nicknamed the "Travolta dress" -- was auctioned for 240,000 British pounds ($362,424 US).

Diana holds up Harry in the garden of Highgrove House, a royal residence in Gloucestershire, England, in July 1986.

William rides a miniature pony at Highgrove House.

Prince Harry shows a bit of his personality on the Buckingham Palace balcony in June 1988.

Diana and her two boys walk outside the Wetherby School in London in April 1990.

Diana and her sons go skiing in Lech, Austria, in April 1991.

Diana and Charles sit together during a royal tour of Toronto in October 1991.

Diana visits Egypt in May 1992.

Charles and Diana attend a memorial service during a tour of South Korea in November 1992. A month later, it was announced that they had formally separated.

Diana and her sons visit Thorpe Park, a theme park in Surrey, England, in April 1993.

Diana arrives at the Serpentine Gallery in London in June 1994.

A police officer holds back a photographer as Diana walks by in July 1996. It had just been announced that Diana and Charles had divorced.

Diana talks to amputees in Angola, where she traveled in January 1997 to bring attention to the anti-land mine campaign of the International Red Cross. Sitting on her lap is Sandra Thijica, a 13-year-old who lost her left leg to a land mine.

Diana wears protective gear as she visits minefields in Angola in January 1997.

Diana visits Cape Town, South Africa, and meets with South African President Nelson Mandela in March 1997.

Diana holds hands with Mother Teresa after they met in New York in June 1997.

This photo, taken from surveillance video, shows Diana arriving at the Ritz Hotel in Paris on August 30, 1997. It is one of the last photos of her alive.

Diana is seen in a Ritz Hotel elevator with her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed. After leaving the hotel, the couple was killed in a high-speed car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris.

Wreckage is lifted away after the car Diana was in crashed into a pillar on August 31, 1997. Fayed and driver Henri Paul died at the scene. Diana died at a Paris hospital a few hours later. A French investigation concluded that Paul was legally drunk at the time and responsible for the accident. In 2008, a British coroner's jury found that Diana and Fayed were unlawfully killed because of the actions of Paul and pursuing paparazzi.

On the eve of Diana's funeral, the Queen and Prince Philip look at floral tributes left outside Buckingham Palace. More than 1 million bouquets of flowers were left at Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace and St. James's Palace in the wake of Diana's death.

Diana's coffin is carried into London's Westminster Cathedral in September 1997. Watching at the bottom, from left, is Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Charles Spencer, Prince William and Prince Philip.

Princess Diana: Her life and legacy

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The White Garden is the fourth memorial to the popular princess since her death. The others are the Diana Memorial Playground, also at Kensington Palace, Hyde Park’s Diana Memorial Fountain and the Diana Memorial Walk at St. James’s Park.

Diana lived a life in the public eye, with every move photographed and scrutinized, and was beloved by many. Upon her death in 1997, a sea of flowers, cards and gifts were left by mourners at the gates of Kensington Palace.

Her legacy still resonates with the public, with well-wishers returning once again to leave messages of support and love.

A tribute is attatched to the gates of Kensington Palace in London on Wednesday.

This year’s anniversary has been a more private affair for the family, in contrast to the celebrations William and Harry orchestrated to mark the 10th anniversary of Diana’s death in 2007.

The pair held a tribute concert featuring Elton John and Duran Duran for Diana, who was a great fan of music and musical theater, at London’s Wembley Stadium on what would have been her 46th birthday.

Related: Remembering Princess Diana, 20 years on

On the anniversary of her death a month later, a memorial service attended by Queen Elizabeth was held at the Guards’ Chapel at Wellington barracks near Buckingham Palace.