William and Harry come together to unveil Diana statue
It would have been her 60th birthday
Last updated 24th May 2022
A statue of Diana, Princess of Wales has been unveiled by her sons The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex who have put their differences aside on what would have been her 60th birthday.
With Diana’s siblings watching, William and Harry pulled away a cloth covering the monument at her former home Kensington Palace.
The figure of the princess is surrounded by three children and depicts Diana in the later years of her life.
Statue reflects Diana’s “warmth, elegance and energy"
Kensington Palace said the statue aims to reflect Diana’s “warmth, elegance and energy”, while the children represent the “universality and generational impact of the princess’s work”.
It added: “The portrait and style of dress was based on the final period of her life as she gained confidence in her role as an ambassador for humanitarian causes and aims to convey her character and compassion.”
The statue unveiling
The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex arriving together to unveil the statue of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales
The brothers unveiled the statue together
The Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex look at the statue they commissioned of their mother on what would have been her 60th birthday
The Duke of Sussex smiling in front of a statue of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales
The royal brothers made no speeches during the ceremony, with the statue standing as their testimony to their mother.
Sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley’s artwork was erected in the palace’s Sunken Garden, one of the places Diana loved most at Kensington Palace.
The space has been redesigned during the past two years and features more than 4,000 individual flowers, including forget-me-nots which were adored by the princess.
The artist said: “Diana, Princess of Wales was an icon who touched the lives of people right around the world so it has been a privilege to work alongside Prince William and Prince Harry on this statue which commemorates her life.
“We wanted to capture her warmth and humanity while showcasing the impact she had across generations. I hope that people will enjoy visiting the statue and the Sunken Garden, and taking a moment to remember the princess.”
In front of the statue is a paving stone engraved with an extract inspired by the poem The Measure Of A Man: “These are the units to measure the worth of this woman as a woman regardless of birth. Not ‘What was her station?’ but ‘Had she a heart? How did she play her God-given part?'”
Prince Harry attends charity gala
Harry attended the star-studded awards ceremony of the charity WellChild at London’s Kew Gardens on Wednesday, after apparently completing his quarantine early by providing a negative Covid test.
The duke, who has travelled from his home in California, recently welcomed his second child, daughter Lili, at the start of the month and said “as a father of two, I feel all the more connected, inspired and in awe of the resilience of these families”.