EPA/ANDY RAIN
Prince William and Prince Hary just shared a rare joint statement about plans to honor their mother Princess Diana with a long-awaited statue.
William and Harry shared on Friday that the statue will stand in the garden of their mother’s former home, Kensington Palace, and help visitors “reflect on her life and legacy.” The statue will be installed next year on what would have been the late royal’s 60th birthday — July 1, 2021.
The announcement was shared just three days before what will be the 23rd anniversary of Diana’s death in 1997.
This occasion marks the first time William and Harry have spoken publicly together since Harry and wife Meghan Markle moved to their new home in Santa Barbara, California following their decision to step down from their roles as senior working royals.
Plans for the statue were first announced in February 2017, the year of many commemorations of Diana’s life, as it marked 20 years since she died in a car crash in Paris at the age of 36.
The statue was “commissioned to mark the twentieth anniversary of her death and recognize her positive impact in the UK and around the world,” the palace said in a statement.
“The statue will be installed in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace on 1st July 2021, marking The Princess’s 60th birthday,” the statement reads. “The Princes hope that the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on their mother’s life and her legacy.”