The unveiling, set to take place on July 1—which would have been the late Princess of Wales’ 60th birthday—will see William and Prince Harryreunite after months of tension following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s incendiary interview with Oprah Winfrey. The last time they saw each other was at their grandfatherPrince Philip’s funeral in April. Harry arrived in the UK on Friday and is quarantining at his former home of Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate. His wife Meghan Markle, who gave birth to the couple’s daughter Lilibet Diana three weeks ago, will remain in California along with their 2-year-old son Archie. Tatler reports that originally the brothers had drawn up a guest list of 100 for the statue’s unveiling in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, which was one of Diana’s favorite places. The palace was her home up until her death in August 1997. It’s expected that once COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings are lifted, a bigger event in honor of William and Harry’s mother will take place in September. For now, only the brothers, members of the Spencer family, sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley and the Sunken Garden’s designer Pip Morrison are on the guest list. We were surprised to find out that the statue of Diana was completed in 2018, but Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May that year meant that the unveiling was delayed. Ian Rank-Broadley, who is most well known for his effigy of Queen Elizabeth II that has appeared on British coins since 1998, was commissioned to create a statue of the late princess by William and Harry, who announced this news back in 2017 on the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death. “It has been 20 years since our mother’s death and the time is right to recognize her positive impact in the UK and around the world with a permanent statue,” her sons said at the time. “Our mother touched so many lives.” This was the same year that the Sunken Garden was redesigned by palace gardeners to mark two decades since Diana died in a car crash in Paris. Based on Diana’s life and style, the garden was planted entirely with white flowers including white lilies because Diana loved to decorate her apartment at Kensington Palace with them; forget-me-nots to represent the bittersweet pain of her passing; and white roses because “I think lots of people would refer to Princess Diana as the classic English rose,” according to head gardener Sean Harkin. Only three months later, Prince Harry and his new fiancée Meghan Markle posed for their engagement photocall in the garden—with Meghan wearing, appropriately, a white coat. Next up,can you visit Princess Diana’s grave—and what dress was she buried in?
