Prince William and Harry unveils Princess Diana’s statue at Kensington Palace

The Duke of Cambridge and Sussex united to mark the 60th birth anniversary of their mother, Princess Diana. They unveiled a statue of Diana at her former home, London’s Kensington Palace, during a private ceremony on Thursday. The statue depicts a towering Diana, flanked by children, which represents her global charity work. 

Today in a joint statement, Willaim and Harry said, “We remember her love, strength, and character,  qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better.” 

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In 2017, Prince Willaim and Harry had commissioned the statue, the year that marked the 20th anniversary of Diana’s tragic death in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Although, there are several statues of the late princess, according to her sons this one stands above the rest. 

The statue is made by the British sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, whose image of Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on all UK and Commonwealth coins since 1998. The statue was revealed on Thursday, it was the first time people saw the sculptor as no images were leaked before. 

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In the statue, Diana is wearing a simple, classic belted dress. The portrait and style of dress were based on the final period of her life as she gained confidence in her role as an ambassador for humanitarian causes. Diana’s name and the date of the unveiling are engraved on a stone below the statue. Another stone features words from the poem The Measure of a Man, which was listed in the program for a 2007 memorial service for Diana.

As one can see, the statue is built larger than the life, where three children are depicted, though one is hidden behind another, making it look at first glance as if there are only two. However, they are not three specific children but are meant to be universal. According to a statement from Kensington Palace, the children around Princess Diana represents the univ ersity and the generational impact of the Princess’s work.