Diana statue: Commentators on Meghan and Kate’s absence

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Princess Diana’s two sons came together today to unveil a statue of the late royal to mark what would have been her 60th birthday. The statue was unveiled by the brothers in a small ceremony on the grounds of Kensington Palace which was Diana’s former home. So, why didn’t Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, join their husbands?

The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace was redesigned to coincide with the unveiling of the statue today.

These gardens were a favourite of Princess Diana and includes some of her favourite flowers.

The two brothers put aside their long-standing hostility to mark the occasion, with Prince Harry flying from his new Californian home to London to be there for the ceremony.

The July 1 ceremony marks the first appearance of the two together since the funeral of their grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh in April.

In the run-up to the ceremony Kensington Palace was vague about the guest list.

The palace said Prince William and Prince Harry would be joined by Diana’s “close family.”

The ceremony was a low-key event just a handful of guests were present at the unveiling of the statue.

The Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Diana’s two sisters and her brother attended as well as the members of the statue committee and those who helped redesigned the garden, such as Pip Morrison who was the garden’s designer.

The two brothers walked out together into the redesigned Sunken Garden.

Neither prince delivered a public speech at the event, instead keeping it a very private and intimate ceremony.

There were many notably absences including the Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan Markle.

Meghan remained at the couple’s new home in Santa Barbara, California to look after the couple’s baby daughter, Lilibet Diana, who was born last month.

Whilst it was unlikely Meghan would attend, many expected Kate to be there, but she was not.

According to Page Six family sources said Kate’s absence was to reduce reports of family “drama.”

Whilst an anonymous royal source told Harper’s Bazaar said: “It was always going to be the two brothers.”

Perhaps the absence of Kate and Meghan was an attempt to downplay the royal feud and to make the day about Diana as opposed to the now-famous royal rift.

Prince William and his wife reportedly took their children to see the statue privately before the unveiling.

Originally the ceremony was supposed to be a much larger affair, with not only close family members in attendance but members of the public too.

In particular, those who had met with and worked alongside Diana in the past were expected to attend.

However, due to pandemic restrictions, the event was scaled back and the guest list was drastically cut.

According to Page Six, a source close to the family said: “Catherine’s absence speaks volumes, I think keeping the numbers down is a perfect ‘excuse’ for Catherine to stay away.”

It seems both brothers wanted the occasion to focus on their much-loved mother rather than their ongoing feud.

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