Kensington Palace will be cleaned up ahead of the unveiling of a statue of the late Princess of Wales
According to the Sebastian Shakespeare column in the Daily Mail, officials have succeeded with an application to remove “dead wood” from the grounds of Princess Diana’s former home. Apparently 30 trees will be “pruned” and “chopped back” as part of the clean-up to ensure the venue looks its best for the unveiling in the summer.
Last year Kensington Palace reported that a statue, commissioned by Diana’s sons the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex, will be installed on July 1, on what would have been her 60th birthday. The statue of Diana- who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997- was commissioned by the William and Harry in 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of their mother’s death and to “recognise her positive impact”. Kensington Palace previously said that installation of the sculpture had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will now be unveiled in the Sunken Garden later this year.
The statue has been designed by artist Ian Rank-Broadley, whose portrait of the Queen appears on all UK coins.
The Daily Mail also previously reported that while Prince Harry is due to attend the unveiling, his wife the Duchess of Sussex will likely not be joining him. The couple quit as senior royals last year and moved to Meghan’s native California with their son Archie and although Harry, 36, is expected back in the UK in June to attend a number of key royal events, it has been suggested that Meghan, 39, will remain in the US.
A source told the Daily Mail newspaper: “It should be strongly stressed that there is still an element of uncertainty about this because of the unpredictable COVID situation, but the understanding is the duke is more than likely to come back on his own.”