Royals

William and Harry unveil plan for 20th anniversary of Diana’s death

A permanent statue is to be erected

| Updated:

Prince William and Prince Harry have commissioned a statue of their late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

The British royals announced on Saturday that the statue will be installed in the public gardens at Kensington Palace in London, where Diana had lived, to commemorate 20 years since their mother’s tragic death.

William was 15 and Harry was 12 when the Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris, France, on 31 August, 1997. She was 36.

“It has been 20 years since our mother’s death and the time is right to recognise her positive impact in the U.K. and around the world with a permanent statue.

“Our mother touched so many lives. We hope the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on her life and her legacy,” the princes said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said work would begin soon but it was not possible to say when the statue would be unveiled, as a sculptor has yet to be chosen, but the palace hopes the statue will be unveiled before the end of 2017.

William and Harry also revealed they have “convened a committee to privately raise funds for the creation of the statue.”

Prince Harry spoke about his mother’s death earlier this month during a visit to a London bereavement centre, recalling he felt “very angry” when Diana died.

He also shared during an interview last year that he had not talked about his mother’s death “for the first 28 years of my life”.

Events will be held throughout the year (17) by the palace and charities across the U.K. to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death, including the launch of an international award to the founding of a National Kindness Day.


Kaggie Hyland
Editor-in-Chief