Diana Memorial Fountain shuts for whole summer due to series of faults - after £5.2million feature was beset by problems in its opening months

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 05:00 EDT, 7 September 2026 | Updated: 05:00 EDT, 7 September 2026 It's been a popular place of refuge during hot weather for two decades, allowing Londoners and tourists to cool their feet while walking through Hyde Park.But those hoping to use the Diana Memorial Fountain during the record-hot summer have been disappointed after it has been dry for months because of a series of faults.Royal Parks, the charity which maintains the park, has apologised to visitors for the issues 'particularly given the prolonged high temperatures we've been experiencing'.Problems with the £5.2million structure in central London began months ago when the pump that draws water from the local borehole suffered a mechanical breakdown.The pump was fixed but further issues occurred due to a failure of the software which controls the system – meaning the water supply could not be restored.Royal Parks, which announced the closure on July 1, said the fountain had 'remained dry for longer than we hoped' while workers attempted to fix the software issue.Several other parks in London are also supplied by the same water network, meaning maintenance staff have simultaneously faced multiple different operational problems.Park officials did however confirm that water should be flowing again 'in the next few weeks', adding that the memorial is given regular maintenance and investment. A closure notice on the gates of the Diana Memorial Fountain at Hyde Park in London today Problems with the £5.2million fountain in central London have been caused by technical issues Londoners and tourists enjoy cooling off at the Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park in 2013The fountain opened in July 2004 as a tribute to Princess Diana after her death in Paris nearly seven years earlier, but was beset by problems in its first few years. The late Queen Elizabeth II opened the feature alongside Diana's younger brother Earl Spencer, her ex-husband Prince Charles and sons Princes William and Harry. This was a notable royal event given it was the first time the late princess's families, the Windsors and the Spencers, were together in public since her funeral in 1997.But the 690ft fountain was closed one day later due to flooding when strong winds blew leaves off trees where they clogged up an outflow, creating an overspill.Just two weeks later it was shut again after a series of injuries when people slipped on the wet stone, with guards hired to stop people paddling in the water.There was a four-month closure for renovations in January 2005, and it was shut for ten days the following summer after drains were blocked by people leaving litter.The memorial near the Serpentine was made from 545 pieces of Cornish granite and designed to reflect Diana's personality, according to its creator Kathryn Gustafson.It features a large granite ring with water pouring into the structure then running down in two directions, having been pumped up a hill at a rate of 100 litres per second. The Diana Memorial Fountain features a large granite ring with water pouring into the structure (From left) Diana's sisters Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, Earl Spencer, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Charles, William and Harry at the fountain opening in 2004In March 2006, a report by MPs concluded that it was 'ill-conceived and ill-executed' because of management and design failures. It had an initial budget of £3million.Diana is also remembered in London by a statue in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace and the nearby Diana Memorial Playground which reopened last month.A Royal Parks spokeswoman told the Daily Mail: 'We're sorry to everyone who has visited the Diana Memorial Fountain this summer and found it without water. 'We know how disappointing that is, particularly given the prolonged high temperatures we've been experiencing. 'The closure has been caused by an isolated technical fault. The pump that draws water from the borehole failed and was repaired, but the software that controls the pump has since developed a separate fault, which is why the fountain has remained dry for longer than we hoped. Our teams and specialist contractors are working as quickly as possible to resolve it.'The same water supply issue has affected sites in other Royal Parks, not only Hyde Park, and our teams have been dealing with a number of operational pressures across the parks this summer. 'The fountain is inspected and maintained regularly, and we invest in its upkeep year-round. We will keep visitors updated and expect to have water flowing again in the next few weeks.'