William and Harry Recreate Princess Diana's Desk — Featuring Cassette Tapes of Her Favorite Pop Stars

Princess Diana's sons picked out the special objects on her desk for an exhibit to mark the 20th anniversary of her death

Royal Gifts Press View
Photo: Royal Collection Trust/All Rights Reserved

Princess Diana had an impressive soundtrack of pop and classical greats of the ’80s and ’90s at her fingertips as she worked from her desk at home.

George Michael, Elton John’s Greatest Hits Volume II, Diana Ross (One Woman, The Ultimate Collection), Dancing on the Ceiling by Lionel Richie, Verdi’s Il Trovatore (featuring her signature — perhaps to ward off anyone taking it!) and Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti are kept in a case full of old cassette tapes that Prince William and Prince Harry have added to a display at Buckingham Palace.

Diana’s sons picked out the special objects on her desk for an exhibit to mark the 20th anniversary of her death next month. It is the first time that there has been a Diana-centric element in the palace’s annual summer tour, which opens July 22. Tickets are available via the Royal Collection site.

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Simon Perry
Royal Gifts Press View
Royal Collection Trust/All Rights Reserved

“I think people will find it personal and emotive,” a spokeswoman at Royal Collection Trust said of the poignant choices, that include a set of photos of Diana’s sons.

RELATED VIDEO: Prince William and Prince Harry Open Up About Princess Diana in Trailer for HBO’s “Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy”

The exhibit, which also features a pair of her ballet shoes (signifying Diana’s love for dancing) and her old school trunk inscribed with “D Spencer” are chosen to sit alongside her desk that the curators at the palace have recreated.

Also on her desk is a Cartier silver desk calendar, engraved with the birthdays of herself, Prince Charles and their sons, and their wedding anniversary. It was a gift to her by President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy Reagan when Diana and Charles visited Washington, D.C., in November 1985.

Royal Gifts Press View
Royal Collection Trust/All Rights Reserved

“The Princess loved music and constantly listened to the radio, records and tapes when working at her desk,” the curators at the Royal Collection said. “Many of the objects shown on and around her desk have been selected by The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry to reflect their mother’s commitment to duty and their personal memories of her.” to reflect their mother’s commitment to duty and their personal memories of her.”

The exhibit is one of several commemorations taking place as the anniversary of Diana’s death on August 31 nears. The princes have also commissioned a sculpture of her in the gardens of Kensington Palace.

PEOPLE has teamed with ABC to create a two-night television event, The Story of Diana, which airs on August 9 and 10.

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