A pristine stretch of beach in Antigua and Barbuda once frequented by Diana, Princess of Wales and the young princes William and Harry will soon bear the late royal’s name.

A three-mile beach boasting powdery soft sands and tall coconut palms on the southern end of the once British island of Barbuda will be renamed Princess Diana Beach during a ceremony on July 1 - the day she would have turned 50.

Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer’s Cabinet recently approved the proposal from the Barbuda Council to rename the beach for Diana, who died at 36 in a 1997 Paris car crash. Dorcas Beazer-Williams, tourism chairman for the Barbuda Council, said the panel hoped Princess Diana Beach “will serve as a reminder of the hope and courage which is a significant part of Diana’s legacy”.

“Barbuda became a sanctuary for the Princess and she seemed to find solace in the beauty of the island,” Ms Beazer-Williams said.

Colin James, chief executive of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, said “from a tourism standpoint it puts a spotlight on Barbuda with all the hype with the royal wedding”.

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