Princess Diana death 25th anniversary: Her Doncaster visits and how locals mourned

25 years ago this week, Princess Diana died in a road smash that sent shockwaves around the world.
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Everyone knows the details of that fateful day in Paris on August 31, 1997 so we're instead looking at her visit to Doncaster during her lifetime and how the then town reacted in the days that followed the tragedy.

Many may not know it, but it was Diana who officially opened The Dome way back in 1989.

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It was on November 29 of that year that she was greeted at the newly completed leisure centre by crowds of excited, flag-waving youngsters and then council leader Gordon Gallimore.

Princess Diana shares a joke with then Doncaster Council leader Gordon Gallimore at the opening of The Dome in 1989.Princess Diana shares a joke with then Doncaster Council leader Gordon Gallimore at the opening of The Dome in 1989.
Princess Diana shares a joke with then Doncaster Council leader Gordon Gallimore at the opening of The Dome in 1989.

She was given a tour of the premises, met with local school children and also signed a visitor's book and unveiled a ceremonial plaque which remains in the centre to this day.

Following her death eight years on from that visit to Doncaster, the town reacted with shock and an outpouring of grief, much like the rest of the country.

Floral tributes piled up outside the Mansion House, grieving locals signed books of condolence and many local people travelled to London for her funeral.

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The town itself fell eerily silent on the day of the funeral itself, with normally packed town centre streets deserted as people stayed at home to watch the moving and sombre occasion on television.

25 years on from the tragedy that rocked the world, many will once again remember her this week and the impact she made both in Doncaster and across the globe.

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