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Prince Harry with his mother, Princess Diana, in 1987.Credit:AP
The new Kensington Palace work, which has not been seen by the public, was partly paid for by singer Elton John and his husband David Furnish.
Commissioning the statue in 2017, William and Harry said: “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.”
Brotherly relations soured following Harry’s marriage to Meghan in 2018 and deteriorated further when the couple recorded a bombshell television interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year.
Princess Diana, Prince Charles and Prince William in Alice Springs in March 1983. Credit:Gerrit Fokkema
Harry told Winfrey he loved his brother “to bits” but confirmed a deep rift had opened up between them.
“We’ve been through hell together. I mean, we have a shared experience. But we, you know, we’re on . . . we’re on different paths,” he said.
“The relationship is space at the moment. And, you know, time heals all things, hopefully.”
He said William and Charles were “trapped” within the monarchy, and claimed someone in the royal family had expressed concern about how dark the skin of Meghan’s firstborn child Archie would be.
Asked after the interview whether the royal family was racist, William shot back: “We are very much not a racist family”.
The pair released separate statements following Philip’s death and did not walk side-by-side in his funeral procession.
But in a sign of a potential thawing, Harry this week mentioned his brother in a speech to recipients of The Diana Award for young people who spearhead social change.
“Later this week, my brother and I are recognising what would have been our mum’s 60th birthday, and she would be so proud of you all for living authentic life with purpose and with compassion for others,” he said.
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“Our mum believed that young people have the power to change the world.
“She believed in your strength because she saw it day in and day out and in the faces of young people exactly like you, she witnessed a boundless enthusiasm and passion.”
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