Who Paid For Princess Diana's Statue?
As much as the world has mourned the death of Princess Diana, no one has been as affected by her fatal car accident in 1997 as her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. When the "people's princess" died at the age of 36, William and Harry were 15 years old and 12 years old, respectively, via Express.
William has remained relatively quiet on how his mother's death affected him, briefly sharing how his grief over his mother resurfaced once he became a parent, reported Today. Harry has recently disclosed how he struggled with substance abuse in the years after her death. "I was willing to drink, I was willing to take drugs, willing to try and do the things that made me feel less like I was feeling," he said in an interview on the "Armchair Expert" podcast (via the New York Times). Both William and Harry have had their own ways of dealing with their grief in the 20-plus years since Diana's death.
Now, the two brothers are celebrating their mother's memory in a more permanent way. Read on to learn all about it!
William and Harry privately raised funds for Princess Diana's statue
Prince William and Prince Harry are honoring the memory of their mother, Princess Diana, just in time for what would have been her 60th birthday. In 2017, the two brothers commissioned a statue of their mother to be displayed in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. The Sunken Garden was said to be one of Diana's favorite places at the palace, so it's the perfect location for her sons to honor her, per the Independent. The statue is slated to be unveiled on July 1 with William and Harry in attendance. as well as some of Diana's close friends and family, according to the Mirror. But how much did the statue cost?
While it's not clear how much the Diana statue cost the royal family, William and Harry did "[convene] a committee to privately raise funds for the creation of the statue," a joint press release from the brothers and Kensington Palace stated on Twitter in 2017. Besides the finances of the statue, William and Harry wanted to honor the anniversary of Diana's death. "It has been twenty 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," the press release continued. "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."