There is a cafe on a busy street just a stone’s throw from Kensington Palace that’s been going strong for 36 years. In most ways, it is just an ordinary London ‘caff’ serving a mix of typical Brit greasy-spoon fare – eggs, bacon, sausages and filter coffee – alongside a taste of the Middle East – fresh falafel and baba ghanoush. What makes this place different becomes apparent only when you settle onto the red, padded, faux-leather benches and look at the walls which are covered, floor to ceiling, with photographs of Diana, Princess of Wales. No matter where you sit, that famous lowered gaze, upswept fringe and solar smile looks out at you.
The cafe’s owner, Abdul Basit Daoud, Iraqi born and now proudly British, had planned to name…