Prince William And Prince Harry Reunited To Unveil Kensington Palace’s Statue Of Princess Diana
It’s no secret that Prince William and Prince Harry aren’t exactly (polite British throat-clear) on the best of terms at the moment. From what we’ve been told time and time again, it sounds like William and Harry would rather both undergo an anesthesia-free hair transplant than spend any longer than three seconds together. But as expected, they both temporarily set aside their differences today in London, to unveil a statue dedicated to their late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, on what would have been her 60th birthday.
BBC News reports the statue was unveiled earlier today in a redesigned sunken garden on the grounds of Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana lived after she got married to Prince Charles (and where she raised William and Harry). William and Harry did the official unveiling of the statue, which featured their mom flanked by three random kids, and the inscription DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES, with the following engraving underneath:
The Diana statue has been unveiled at Kensington Palace.
Underneath it is a paving stone engraved with:
‘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?’ pic.twitter.com/VIFIuUKOgB— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) July 1, 2021
Here’s more of William and Harry at the statue dedication, as well as some closer shots of the statue itself.
The first photos of the commemorative statue of Princess Diana have been released. Princes William and shared their reactions to the touching tribute with sculptor Ian @RankBroadley and their late mother’s siblings, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Charles Spender. pic.twitter.com/n3T5GfI5uC
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) July 1, 2021
In terms of celebrity statues, there’s a very decent likeness present to Diana. Thank goodness, because that terrifyingly inaccurate bronze bust of Cristian Ronaldo has scarred me for life, and has forever made me wary of any future attempt to recreate a famous visage. But, this statue objectively does look like Diana in her later years. Although, I was secretly hoping for a statue of her running errands in a Virgin Atlantic sweatshirt and biker shorts.
As for the ceremony itself, it was quite literally just a quick pull of a drawstring and the fall of a green privacy bag. William and Harry didn’t speak at the ceremony, which neither Charles nor Duchess Kate or Meghan Markle attended. But they did release this statement regarding the statue of their mum:
“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 her 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.”
Harry will reportedly return to California right away. It was said that after his grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral, he kind of got out as quickly as possible too. And even though it looked like William and Harry were keeping it mature and civil during the public part of the funeral service, sources claimed they later got into it in private. We’ll have to wait to hear if anyone heard William hiss, “So nice of Mr. California to grace us with his presence” while Harry snipes back, “How’s your little YouTube channel going?“. But I highly doubt it. You’re not going to act like a mess in front of a statue of your own mother. Especially when it kind of looks like Diana’s giving a “Knock it off, you two” face. Pretty much all statues have that face, but in this case, it’s best to take it as a suggestion.
Pic: Wenn.com