Prince Harry 'taking William's role' in past speech says Levin

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Princess Diana would have been 60 today and to commemorate the poignant milestone her sons Prince Harry, 36, and Prince William, 39, commissioned a new statue to stand permanently in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace – one of her favourite spots.

The statue unveiling was a private event attended by a select number of Diana’s close family and friends and sweet photos from the reunion appeared to show Harry and William at peace with one another.

Diana’s siblings – Earl Spencer, 57, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, 66, and Jane Fellowes, 64, were all in attendance as was the artist behind the sculpture Ian Rank-Broadley.

Garden designer Pip Morrison who helped revamp the garden to reflect Diana’s tastes was also present.

The statue unveiling was the first time William and Harry had been reunited in public since attending their grandfather Prince Philip’s funeral in April.

In a joint statement released following the event, Harry and William said: “Today, on what would have been our Mother’s 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character – qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better.

“Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy.

“Thank you to Ian Rank-Broadley, Pip Morrison and their teams for their outstanding work, to the friends and donors who helped make this happen, and to all those around the world who keep our mother’s memory alive.”

While the brothers have been at odds since the Sussexes bombshell interview with Oprah in March there event saw them publically reconcile.

While there was no live coverage of the event, photos and footage of the ceremony were released to the public shortly after it finished at around 2.30pm on Thursday.

Shortly after it finished, ITV new royal correspondent Chris Ship tweeted: “STANDBY: The unveiling of the statue has taken place … the images will be available shortly.”

William and Harry were snapped walking side by side as they headed for the Sunken Garden.

While the only other pictures to emerge of guests in the lead up to the unveiling were of Diana’s brother Earl Spencer and two sisters  Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Jane Fellowes arriving at the Palace by foot.

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The lack of live coverage will have allowed those present to enjoy the engagement in private.

Prince Harry has previously spoken of the devastating impact his mother’s tragic death has had on his life and may have been glad to observe the event away from the cameras.

However, some royal fans experts and commentators were quick to criticise the lack of coverage on Twitter.

Daily Mail royal editor Richard Eden wrote:  Such a shame there’s no live coverage of this event.”

While commentator Marlen Koenig defended the move, responding: “ It is technically a private event for two men who lost their mom. Wait till people find out that the sunken Garden Is not open to the public except on rare occasions such as a garden tour which I did a few years ago. You can walk around the rim of most of it”

Others speculated it may have something to do with the royal rift as tensions between William and Harry have been running high in recent months.

One Twitter user put:  “It is a shame, but in order to keep the peace this had to be done. Now everything else can move on. Sadly this unveiling became a circus act.”

Photos from the engagement showed Harry and William both wearing huge grins as they unveiled the statue, met the artist and caught up with family.

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