London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 07, 2025

William and Harry unite to unveil Diana statue at Kensington Palace

William and Harry unite to unveil Diana statue at Kensington Palace

The Dukes of Cambridge and Sussex have united to unveil a statue of Diana, Princess of Wales, saying "every day we wish she were still with us".

William and Harry came together for a ceremony in Kensington Palace's redesigned Sunken Garden, on what would have been their mother's 60th birthday.

It was their first appearance together since the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral in April.

"We remember her love, strength and character," they said.

"Qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better."

They said they hoped the statue would "be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy" and thanked "all those around the world who keep our mother's memory alive".

The pair were seen laughing and talking animatedly with guests, who applauded as they pulled off a green cloth covering the statue.

They remarked on changes to the Sunken Garden, which Kensington Palace said had been "one of the princess's favourite locations" when she lived there.



Prince Harry has hinted at difficulties between him and Prince William since stepping back from royal duties last year.

He told Oprah Winfrey in March that the two were on "different paths".

Then, in May, he spoke of his family's unwillingness to talk about his mother's death, and how he was expected to "suffer" in silence.

He said he had been willing to drink and take drugs to cope with the pain of losing her.

Harry, who lives in the US with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, and their two children, arrived in the UK last week in order to complete his quarantine ahead of Thursday's event.



It was a low-key event - quiet and intimate.

There were just a handful of guests at the unveiling of the statue - Prince William, Prince Harry, Diana's two sisters, her brother and members of the statue committee.

William and Harry walked out together into the Sunken Garden. Harry, in particular, spent time with his two aunts and uncle in animated conversation.

Neither of them spoke publicly at the event. There were no speeches or fanfare.

It was professional and friendly and gave no obvious sense of the tensions behind the scenes. There was even laughter between the brothers as they prepared to unveil the bronze statue.

They don't want the day to be about their own broken relationship. They want it to be about their mother and her legacy.

Diana's siblings were among those at the ceremony at Kensington Palace, Diana's former home in London.

The dukes were seen warmly greeting their aunts, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, and their uncle, Earl Spencer.


Tributes to Princess Diana were seen outside Kensington Palace on Thursday

The statue's sculptor, Ian Rank-Broadley, was also at the ceremony, along with the Sunken Garden's designer Pip Morrison.

What the critics say


Ruth Millington, art historian and critic: Rank-Broadley was given a very difficult task - to honour a woman who still means so much to so many.

She was a public figure, a campaigner and an activist, as well as what she considered her most important role: a mother.

Within art history, there are far too many overly romanticised representations of mothers. But there is nothing overly sentimental about this statue. While opening her arms symbolically to the three children, Diana clasps the girl's hand with strength.

While using the traditional medium of bronze, Rank-Broadley has broken the mould of royal monuments. He has focused on rendering the folds of fabric to indicate movement: Diana looks like she might step down from the plinth and keep walking. It's a monument which invites engagement and embodies her openness.

With this poignant memorial, the artist has created a characterful depiction of Diana, which does her justice.

Rank-Broadley has managed to capture the many sides of Diana with this complex statue: she's determined and graceful, brooding and warm, commanding and compassionate.

Far from elevating her to a high pedestal, he has represented her - as she will always be remembered - as a princess of the people.

Elizabeth Fullerton, art critic: It's an uncontroversial, accessible representation of a female icon.

Is it good art? Well that depends on your taste.

It's pretty conservative, made in a naturalistic style and doesn't move the conversation forward in terms of innovation in contemporary art - but then again, that clearly wasn't the aim. This isn't the Fourth Plinth after all.

Princess Diana with her sons in 1993 at Thorpe Park in Surrey

Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in August 1997, when William and Harry were aged just 15 and 12.

When they commissioned the statue of their mother in 2017, they said they hoped it would help visitors to the palace "reflect on her life and her legacy".

More than 4,000 flowers have been planted for the Sunken Garden's redesign, which has taken 1,000 hours to complete.

The garden - which sits within London's Kensington Gardens, next to Hyde Park - will be open to the public to visit for free from Friday, in line with Kensington Palace's opening hours.


Prince William and Prince Harry join members of the Spencer family to remember their mother


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
×