Kensington Palace Is Installing a Princess Diana Statue Next Year
A statue of Princess Diana will be installed in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace next year on what would be the late royal’s 60th birthday, July 1, 2021. Diana’s sons Prince William and Prince Harry issued a rare joint statement, which came from William and his wife Kate Middleton's Kensington Palace offices, sharing the plans and the pair's "hope that the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on their mother’s life and her legacy."
It’s unusual for the brothers to release a statement together, especially now that Prince Harry lives in the United States. “While they have gone their separate ways professionally, they remain very united when it comes to honoring their mother’s legacy in this way,” ABC News royal contributor Victoria Murphy told Good Morning America.
The statue was first commissioned back in 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death, but the plans were pushed back by the coronavirus pandemic, BBC reports. In 2017, sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley was chosen for the project by a committee. Rank-Broadley’s work includes the image of Queen Elizabeth II that’s used on U.K. coins.
While this isn’t the first tribute to Princess Diana since her death–there’s a playground, fountain, and seven-mile walk marked by plaques named after her–it’ll be a nice addition to what is reportedly one of her favorite spots in Kensington Palace, where she lived for more than 15 years.
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