Prince William, the second in line to the throne, and his brother Prince Harry appeared together in London on Thursday to unveil a statue of the late Princess Diana, their mother, a rare public meeting of the two men.
The bronze statue of Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997, was unveiled at Kensington Palace, her former home. Her two sons, both princes of the British Royal Family, pulled down a green shroud to reveal the new work of art on what would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday.
Among the guests at the ceremony were members of Diana’s own family, including her brother and sister. Both princes wore their usual working attire, navy blue two-button suits with powder-blue ties, although, oddly, Prince Harry wore brown shoes instead of black, which is considered unusual in the United Kingdom.
William and Harry’s brief joint statement upon unveiling the memorial, as reported by Britain’s The Sun newspaper, said:
Today, on what would have been our Mother’s 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character – qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better.
Every day we wish she were still with us and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and legacy.
Thank you to Ian Rank-Broadley, Pip Morrison and their teams for their outstanding work, to the friends and donors who helped make this happen and to all those around the world who keep our mother’s memory alive.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 01: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (left) and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex after they unveiled a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, on what would have been her 60th birthday on July 1, 2021 in London, England. Today would have been the 60th birthday of Princess Diana, who died in 1997. At a ceremony here today, her sons Prince William and Prince Harry, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex respectively, will unveil a statue in her memory. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 01: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (left) and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex unveil a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, on what would have been her 60th birthday on July 1, 2021 in London, England. Today would have been the 60th birthday of Princess Diana, who died in 1997. At a ceremony here today, her sons Prince William and Prince Harry, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex respectively, will unveil a statue in her memory. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 01: The statue of Diana, Princess of Wales, by artist Ian Rank-Broadley, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. The bronze statue depicts the princess surrounded by three children to represent the “universality and generational impact” of her work. Her short cropped hair, style of dress and portrait are based on the final period of her life. Beneath the statue is a plinth engraved with her name and the date of the unveiling, and in front is a paving stone engraved with an extract inspired by The Measure of A Man poem on July 1, 2021 in London, England. Today would have been the 60th birthday of Princess Diana, who died in 1997. At a ceremony here today, her sons Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex unveiled a statue in her memory. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Britain’s Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (L) and Britain’s Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex chat ahead ofthe unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace, London on July 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday. – Princes William and Harry set aside their differences on Thursday to unveil a new statue of their mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday. (Photo by Yui Mok / POOL / AFP) (Photo by YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 01: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge (left) and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrive for the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, on what would have been her 60th birthday on July 1, 2021 in London, England. Today would have been the 60th birthday of Princess Diana, who died in 1997. At a ceremony here today, her sons Prince William and Prince Harry, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex respectively, will unveil a statue in her memory. (Photo by Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
It is absolutely no secret that the past year has been a difficult one for the royal brothers, with reports claiming the two have barely been on speaking terms at times.
The apparent hurt caused by Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan Markle’s sudden departure from royal duties to live an independent life in the United States was compounded earlier this year when the pair gave a salacious tell-all interview to American television billionaire Oprah Winfrey.
While it may have seemed to some that claims made in the interview — including allegations of racism within the Royal family — were calculated to hurt others, after the interview it appeared that actually the greatest casualties were Harry and Meghan themselves, with their public opinion polling falling to all-time lows.
Such was the upset after this episode, it is claimed, royal brothers William and Harry barely spoke even at the funeral of their own grandfather Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
For the unveiling this afternoon, Prince Harry had arrived from the United States last week, to conform with quarantine requirements.
Prince William has been following his normal work of royal engagements, including a visit to a shipyard building new warships for the Royal Navy in Glasgow this week.
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – JUNE 29: Prince William, the Earl of Strathearn speaks with apprentice Cara Shannon, as he pays a visit to the BAE Systems shipyard to observe construction of HMS Glasgow, the Royal Navy’s first City-class Type 26 frigate on June 29, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Andrew Milligan – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
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