MOURNING FOR DI; FROM LONDON TO L.A., PEOPLE PAY TRIBUTE; LONDON: `SHE GAVE SO MUCH'.

Byline: Michael Vitez Knight-Ridder Newspapers

After rising at 4 a.m. and working a full shift delivering mail, then standing in line for seven hours, an extremely tired postal worker emerged from St. James's Palace around 9 o'clock Tuesday night - weeping.

``She's the first person in the royal family to touch people - I mean really touch people,'' said Marilyn Marshall. ``The queen wears gloves. The queen mum wears gloves. They wouldn't touch people. Diana would actually touch with her bare hand. She cared.''

Tens of thousands of mourners like Marshall are standing in a line more than a mile long to express their grief and affection for Princess Diana in a book of condolences in the lower corridor of the historic palace, where the body of the Princess of Wales rests awaiting Saturday's funeral.

No one in England, certainly not the royal family, expected such an overwhelming expression of love.

Allowing the public to sign a book of condolences is not unprecedented - it last occurred after the death of King George in the 1950s. But in that case, the royal family set out one book. For Diana, five were originally set out, and Monday afternoon, as the line grew, an additional 11 books were placed. Still the line grows.

``In the crowd there was a sort of unity you don't usually get,'' said Sandip Das, 21, a student from London who stood in line with his brother, Shamik Das, 18. ``In England, people are very cold. But in line you could feel the people united, the fact that we had all come from miles around, that we all grieve for Diana.''

Das wrote a verse from the back of the Hindu book ``Bhagvad Gita'': ``Fire cannot burn it. Weapons cannot cleave it. Water cannot wet it. The wind cannot dry it. It is the soul, external and immortal.''

Jacqueline Davies came by train from Essex with her son, Tom, 14, and daughter, Eleanor, 10.

``I came to the royal wedding,'' Davies said. ``I've followed her. We felt it was such a tragic loss and we felt we had to come up and pay our respects. This is something that will never happen again. It is a part of history.''

Her daughter wrote: ``Diana, Queen of Hearts, you touched the lives of thousands and we are very sad to see you go in such a tragic way. But there is a place waiting for you in heaven. May God bless your boys forever. Love, Eleanor.''

Nancy Randal, 59, is Irish but lives in London. After seven hours in line Tuesday night, she emerged from the palace cold and hungry, with aching feet. ``It was worth it because it was Diana,'' she said.

Terry Manning, 36, never met Diana. But when he finally entered the old brick palace, built by Henry VIII, he wrote as if Diana were an old friend: ``Thank you for being part of my life.''

Mourners described the experience as somber, quiet. The tables were spaced several feet from one another, each with a solitary chair, to give each writer privacy. On each table was a red tablecloth and hardcover binder. Mourners were given as long as they needed. Some scribbled a few words. Some wrote pages and pages.

As the stars began so shine in the cool, clear London sky, Nuala F. Clarke of London had only an hour or so to wait. It was nearly 9 p.m., and she'd been in line for six hours.

``I'm tired, cold, exhausted and my back aches, but she's worth it,'' Clarke said. ``We'd never do it for anybody else - the queen, the queen mother, nobody. Diana's had such an awful life. She wasn't loved. And yet she gave so much.''

The Denham family of London - mother, father and two daughters - entered the line around 10 p.m., knowing they had seven hours of standing ahead of them.

``We came to show our respects,'' said Geraldine Denham, the mother. ``The last time we stood outside all night was to watch her get married. We watched her grow from a naive young girl to a beautiful, beautiful woman.''

``We couldn't go during the day because we have to work,'' said one daughter, Joanna Denham. ``We hope this will help the boys (Princes William and Harry, Diana's sons) to know how much affection there is for their mother.''

Among those considering standing in line Tuesday night were seven members of the crew of United Airlines Flight 907, which included Carolyn Henkins of Burlington, N.J.

``We're thinking of coming back at 3 a.m.,'' Henkins said. ``The line might be shorter.''

``It's a historical event, and I just want to be part of it,'' said Lita Reed, a crew member from Oklahoma City.

``She was admired by the world, not just here,'' said Elizabeth Shah of New York. ``She was a rock.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1-2--Color) The queen of hearts, top left, expressed the feelings of a mourner who left this tribute at Buckingham Palace. Above, floral remembrances lie outside Kensington Palace, Princess Diana's official London residence.

(3) A girl holds a bouquet as she waits to sign a book of condolences at St. James's Palace in London.

Associated Press