LONDON — Feuding British Princes William and Harry put their differences aside as they unveiled a statue of their late mother Princess Diana on her 60th birthday on Thursday.
The royal brothers, whose recent falling-out has been the subject of intense media scrutiny, looked relaxed together as they inaugurated the statue they commissioned in honour of Diana in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace, her former home, in central London.
The statue made from bronze depicts Diana, who was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997, surrounded by children. Kensington Palace said the statue represented “the universality and generational impact” of her work.
“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,” William and Harry said in a statement.
“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 her legacy.”
William and Harry were joined by their mother’s brother Charles Spencer and her sisters Sarah McCorquodale and Jane Fellowes for the small, but private event at the Sunken Garden, one of Diana’s favourite places.
The statue was commissioned by the princes in 2017 as a tribute to their mother. It is blueish green in colour and designed by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley whose effigy of Queen Elizabeth has been used on British and Commonwealth coins.
