Prince William and Harry reunite to unveil Diana statue on what would have been her 60th birthday! Prince William and Prince Harry have reunited and unveiled a statue of their mother, the late Princess Diana, outside the palace she once called home. The royal would have turned 60 on July 1.
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The brothers were joined by Diana’s siblings, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Jane Fellowes and Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer, at the small ceremony.
The brothers were pictured walking side by side into the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, with Harry grinning and looking relaxed.
Earl Spencer, Lady Sara, and Lady Jane were pictured walking through the crowds which had assembled outside the palace on Thursday afternoon.
During the small, private ceremony, the statue was unveiled, including words on a paving stone underneath it which read: “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?”
The verse is an extract from the poem The Measure of A Man, which featured in the 2007 memorial service for the princess. It has been adapted to read about a woman instead of a man.
In a rare joint statement, Prince William and Prince Harry said: “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.
They went on to thank the “friends and donors who helped make this happen, and to all those around the world who keep our mother’s memory alive.”
William and Harry were greeted as they arrived at the garden by Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, who was the chairman of the small statue committee and could be heard laughing with him, setting a relaxed tone for the event.
Lowther-Pinkerton was the brothers’ right hand man for many years.
The brothers greeted their family members and members of the committee who attended the event, with Harry kissing his aunt Lady Sarah on both cheeks and greeting his other aunt, Lady Jane, and his uncle, the Earl Spencer, warmly.
Harry and William each took a side of the fabric covering the statue. William said “ready” before they pulled it down as guests applauded.
In a comment after the event, sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley said: “Diana, Princess of Wales was an icon who touched the lives of people right around the world, so it has been a privilege to work alongside Prince William and Prince Harry on this statue which commemorates her life.
“We wanted to capture her warmth and humanity while showcasing the impact she had across generations. I hope that people will enjoy visiting the statue and the Sunken Garden, and taking a moment to remember the princess.”
Explaining the statue, Kensington Palace said: “The statue aims to reflect the warmth, elegance and energy of Diana, Princess of Wales, in addition to her work and the impact she had on so many people.
“The figure of Diana, Princess of Wales is surrounded by three children who represent the universality and generational impact of the princess’s work. The portrait and style of dress was based on the final period of her life as she gained confidence in her role as an ambassador for humanitarian causes and aims to convey her character and compassion.”
The statue is 1.25x life size, and was cast by Castle Fine Arts Foundry in the traditional “lost-wax” process with a patina of a bluish green over black. The cast is hollow and is supported by a stainless-steel armature, the palace team added.
Ahead of the event, Kensington Palace redesigned the garden, filling it with thousands of flowers including Diana’s favorites, forget-me-nots. The flowerbeds were made deeper and the lawn extended to make the area calmer and more reflective.
The statue will be a permanent part of the garden, which was one of Diana’s favorite spots. She lived in Kensington Palace throughout her marriage to Prince Charles and after their separation.
The statue was first commissioned in 2017 and has been delayed in part by coronavirus.
Body Language Expert Analyzes Prince William & Prince Harry’s Behavior at Statue Unveiling, Reveals If There Are ‘Micro Expressions’ of Emotion
Prince Harry and Prince William, amid years of rumors about the state of their relationship, and coming off of the Sussex’s bombshell interview with Oprah, reunited today at the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace on Thursday (July 1) in London, England. This would have been the Princess’ 60th birthday.
Body language experts have been examining photos and video footage from the event to conclude how comfortable the brothers were at the event
Body language expert Robin Kermode said Prince William looked “reminiscent of his grandfather Prince Philip” and took on a “strong, confident, statesmanlike role.” Prince Harry, Robin noted, had a tense jaw and was making bigger hand gestures, which might indicate he was “less comfortable than he was trying to appear.”
Robin noted that the brothers seemed “very much in sync. [They’re] walking at the same pace, mirroring outer arm, hand and body movements. But William seems more aware of the cameras than Harry.”
“William looking reminiscent of his grandfather’s body language, strong, confident and slightly cheeky. He’s looking very much the older brother here,” the expert added. “His body language is more formal than Harry’s accentuated by his buttoned up jacket. Overall he seems more aware of the importance visually of this meeting.”
He added, that Prince Harry appeared “to be struggling showing tension in his lip corners, jaw and eye brows.”
Another body language expert, Darren Staunton, added, “Although it was clearly a very powerful and emotional event for both William and Harry I think it’s very obvious especially as a body language expert that the two brothers still have a very very strong bond between each other. I did not see any micro expressions, which are fleeting flashes of emotion that someone tries to bask in uncomfortable situations so for example if someone were feeling anger put trying to convey calmness make sure the motion would still emerge or as we say leak out, I did not see any such gestures, especially for Prince William.”
He continued, “From the eye contact and non-verbal communication that was visible between the two it was clear they were sharing a very powerful connection and I believe no matter what the situation between the two they will undoubtedly remain supportive of each other despite the past disagreements.”
Called “America’s Number ONE Gossip Columnist” by The National Enquirer. Rob ‘Naughty But Nice’ Shuter breaks celebrity news every day on his website NaughtyGossip.com where he delivers all the dish about the stars we love in his naughty but nice signature style. You can also catch him co-hosting and breaking celebrity news on Good Day New York, The Today Show, The Talk, Wendy Williams Show, CNN, Extra and Z100’s ‘Elvis Duran.’ Previously, Rob was the Huffington Post’s only celebrity columnist and the former executive editor of OK! Magazine. Rob has also hosted his own Saturday night talk show on Mark Cuban’s channel and his own daily morning show, ‘The Gossip Table,’ on VH1! Breaking some of the biggest entertainment stories, including Jamie Lynn Spears’s pregnancy news, Britney’s first post-meltdown interview, Eva Longoria’s wedding, and baby exclusives for Jessica Alba, Tori Spelling and Mathew McConaughey’s tots, Rob always knows where to find the best scoop. Before Rob was one of the world’s most successful entertainment reporters, he was a publicist working for Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys, P. Diddy, Jessica Simpson and Jon Bon Jovi! Now he is bringing all this experience to his new show on I HEART MEDIA in his unique cheeky way, that is always a pinch and never a punch!
Prince William and Harry reunite to unveil Diana statue! Prince William and Harry reunite to unveil Diana statue