Prince Charles will not attend the unveiling of the statue of Princess Diana as the event could “bring old wounds back to the surface” and bring back “happy, sad and unfortunate” memories, a source claimed.
The Duke of Cambridge, 39, and the Duke of Sussex, 36, are expected to put aside all tension for the poignant event held on Thursday at Kensington Palace to mark their late mother’s 60th birthday.
The brothers last paid tribute to their beloved mother together on July 1, 2017 when they attended a private “prayer and reflection” service at her grave in the grounds of Althorp House in Northamptonshire.
However, the Prince of Wales was more than 3,000 miles away on an official visit to Canada.
“He finds it terribly difficult,” a friend told the Times. “These moments have the potential to bring old wounds back to the surface, and they bring back memories; happy, sad, regretful. ‘
Prince Charles will miss the unveiling of the statue of Princess Diana because the event could “bring old wounds back to the surface” and bring back “happy, sad and unfortunate” memories, a source claimed. Pictured with fiancé Lady Diana Spencer at a pre-wedding photocall while staying at Craigowan Lodge on the Balmoral Estate on May 6, 1981
Prince of Wales visiting Lloyd’s in central London to host the first personal Insurance Task Force under his Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI) in London on June 24, 2021
A large box now covers the pedestal on which the statue was believed to have been positioned prior to the event that coincides with Princess Diana’s 60th birthday
The source added, “He’s felt best since Diana’s death to keep those memories to himself and leave his sons to him.”
Another source previously told The Sun: “Charles has made it pretty clear that beyond that he will not be there because he is going to Scotland. A meeting of the three is not planned. Charles will leave it to the boys. ‘
It comes after reports that Prince William will visit his mother’s statue with his wife and children for a private moment before the official unveiling.
The Duke of Cambridge is expected to privately tour the memorial with his family in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace before meeting with his brother Prince Harry for the official event on Thursday.
The Duke of Cambridge is expected to privately tour the memorial with his family in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace before meeting with his brother Prince Harry for the official event on Thursday
It is believed that he wanted his wife, Kate, and children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, a chance to see it before it was shown to the world.
A large box now covers the base on which the statue is believed to have been placed before the event that coincides with Princess Diana’s 60th birthday.
Prince Harry is also expected to see the statue separately, the Telegraph reports, but is currently quarantined at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor after being flown in from his California home.
Plans for the unveiling ceremony have been drastically scaled back due to the pandemic with just a handful of guests – the estranged prince himself and Spencer relatives.
There will also only be one pool reporter and one broadcaster present.
Harry and William will give separate speeches as they pay tribute to their mother’s legacy.
You’ll also thank sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley for creating the statue, which has been in the works since 2017.
It is not yet known whether the Duchess of Cambridge will be attending the event with her husband.
The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace was chosen as the ideal location as it was one of the favorite places to think about Princess Diana when she lived there
It was hoped that Kate would act as a peacemaker between the two brothers we have barely seen since Prince Harry left the US last year.
The two have privately told their friends that they will do their best to ensure that their differences do not distract from a hopefully moving celebration to acknowledge their mother’s “positive influence”.
Problems have plagued the statue since they announced plans. It was originally supposed to be presented in 2017.
But there were delays in the design and, according to insiders, disagreements over what period in Diana’s life the statue should represent.
Such divisions resulted in a committee being set up after her death in 1997 to find a suitable way to celebrate her life in order to conclude that a statue was wrong.
At the time, her family expressed concern that no sculptor had ever properly “caught” Diana. There were also real fears that a statue would become a shrine.
The six-member committee, led by Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, former private secretary of the Dukes, has been instrumental in raising funds from private investors, including Sir Elton John and David Furnish.
The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace was chosen as the ideal location as it was one of the princess’s favorite places to think about when she lived there.
The statue’s sculptor, Ian Rank-Broadley, is best known for his portrayal of the Queen, which has been featured on all coins in Britain and the Commonwealth since 1998.
He also designed a gold coin for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.