Date announced for Diana statue reveal at Kensington Palace

The gardens at Kensington Palace will see a new addition – a statue of Diana, Princess of Wales – on 1st July 2021. The news was released earlier today via Kensington Palace.

The newly-announced statue will be unveiled on what would have been the 60th birthday of the late Princess. As previously revealed Ian Rank-Broadley will be the craftsman behind the likeness.

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES in 1996. © John Mathew Smith/Flickr

The statue was commissioned by Prince William and Prince Harry to commemorate 20 years since their mother’s death in Paris in 1997, also stating the piece would be displayed in the public part of the gardens at Kensington Palace – Diana’s former home and official residence of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

In 2017, the brothers 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.”

Prince William and Harry commissioned a statue of their mother in 2017. Picture by Stephen Lock / i-Images

The garden is known for its connections to Diana, who would often visit seeking moments of contemplation.

Planted in 1908, the beautiful Sunken Garden transformed part of the gardens, previously occupied by potting sheds, into a tranquil ornamental garden of classical proportions. It was modelled on a similar garden at Hampton Court Palace and celebrated a style of gardening seen in the 17th and 18th centuries.

A garden that has seen many changes and occasions in its history, more recently in 2017, a number of white blooms were planted in honour of Diana transforming it into a memorial garden. In the same year, newly-engaged Harry and Meghan posed there following the official engagement announcement.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry in the White Garden remembering Diana, Princess of Wales (Historic Royal Palaces)

In 2019, as part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of the birth of Queen Victoria the garden was transformed and added to again to include a Victorian plant collection. From next summer it will be the permanent home of this memorial piece to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Monday 31st of August marks 23 years since the tragic death of the Princess in Paris.