Princes announce a statue of Diana
SHE will forever be the ‘people’s princess’. Now, 20 years after her death, the public will be able to see Princess Diana again – in the form of a statue being commissioned by Princes William and Harry.
The memorial will be erected in the gardens outside Kensington Palace, so her sons will also be able to see it from their apartments.
Announcing their decision yesterday, the princes said: ‘It has been 20 years since our mother’s death and the time is right to recognise her positive impact in the UK 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 move follows criticism of other tributes, notably the £5million memorial fountain in Hyde Park.
William and Harry have appointed a committee to help choose a sculptor and raise funds for the statue, which is expected to be in place by the end of the year.
Diana brought up the young princes in Kensington Palace, which became a temporary shrine when she and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 – more than a million bouquets of flowers were laid outside the rail- ings. Friends of the Princess praised the initiative yesterday, while arts luminaries called for the public to be involved in the choice of sculptor.
Rosa Monckton, a confidante of Diana who chaired the committee behind the memorial fountain, said she had deliberately ruled out a statue at the time ‘because she spent her whole life being stared at. I didn’t think it was appropriate. But now, 20 years on, it is absolutely right.
‘The boys at that time were not old enough to make any decisions, but now there is a whole generation who didn’t know Diana or what she looked like. It think it is a fantastic idea and the right time to do it.’
But she warned Diana, who was 36 when she died, may prove difficult for a sculptor to capture, saying: ‘She was particularly elusive as a character and it will be very interesting to see what they do.’
The £5million memorial fountain, derided by some as a glorified ditch, was initially beset by problems after it opened late and £2 million over budget in 2004.
It was funded primarily by private donations. But the Royal Parks and the Government had to provide extra cash when it ran over budget.
It was designed for paddling, but several visitors slipped, prompting its closure while it was made safe.
Jolyon Drury, who chairs the Marsh Award panel for public monuments, said: ‘I would welcome a new memorial to Princess Diana.
‘I would think the statue is likely to be figurative, rather than abstract, and I would also hope that they could get a shortlist and get some sort of public competition involved. Princess Diana was someone who really connected with people.’
The committee that will oversee the sculpture is chaired by Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, who was the private secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. He is also a godfather to Prince George.
He will be joined on the committee by Julia Samuel, a godmother to Prince George; Diana’s elder sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale; Gerry Farrell, the co-owner of London’s Sladmore gallery; financier Guy Monson; and John Barnes, chief executive of Historic Royal Palaces.
Mr Drury added: ‘Looking at the people on the star-studded committee, you would think they would choose a traditional statue of her likeness. I would guess it would be a full body statue of her, on a plinth, rather than a bust.’
A memorial garden is already being created at Kensington Palace with the blessing of the princes, who are keen to keep their mother’s memory alive.
Prince Harry told an American TV station last year: ‘I hope she’s looking down with tears in her eyes, being incredibly proud of what we’ve established.’
Diana first moved into Kensington Palace’s Apartment Eight with Prince Charles shortly after their marriage in 1981, and she continued to live there after the couple’s divorce in 1996.