A Statue of Princess Diana Will Be Installed at Kensington Palace Next Year
The statue will be dedicated on what would have been Diana's 60th birthday.
A long-overdue tribute to the “People’s Princess” will finally be unveiled soon.
According to People, Prince William and Prince Harry, the two sons of the late Princess Diana, announced that a statue dedicated to their mother will be installed at Kensington Palace on July 1, 2021. The upcoming unveiling date is what would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday, People reported.
The statue will be viewable in the Sunken Garden. “The Princes hope that the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on their mother’s life and her legacy,” according to a statement reported by People.
The statue has been a long time coming. Originally, the project was announced in 2017, coinciding with the anniversary of Princess Diana’s death in 1997. While the design of the statue has gone mostly according to plan, People reported that its installation has been delayed due to complications from the coronavirus pandemic.
The statue is being designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, who also designed the image of Queen Elizabeth II on all British coins since 1998, according to People. Diana’s sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale and former chief of staff Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton have also been involved with the planning.
“It is my sole and highest intention to fulfill the expectations of Their Royal Highnesses in creating a lasting and fitting memorial to their late mother Diana, Princess of Wales,” Rank-Broadley said in a statement, according to People.
Apart from being a royal and a fashion icon, Princess Diana did extensive charity work all over the world in her short lifespan. Some of the important causes that the late princess worked on include The HALO Trust (seeking to clear dangerous landmines and weapons), the National AIDS Trust, The Leprosy Mission, and many homeless centers and children’s hospitals in the U.K., among others, according to Harper’s Bazaar.
The touching tribute is sure to draw admirers of the princess the world over once it is installed.