Prince Harry and William Reportedly Joined by 'Close Family' for Princess Diana Statue Debut

On July 1, 2021, Prince Harry and Prince William will honor their late mother, Princess Diana, at the unveiling of her statue. The brothers who have had a lot of rift in the last few years will be surrounded by close family and friends during the special honor. "Prince William and Prince Harry will attend a small event to mark the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace on Thursday 1st July," a spokesperson for the palace stated according to Us Weekly.

"In addition, to close family of Diana, Princess of Wales, members of the statue committee, the sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, and garden designer, Pip Morrison, will also be present," the statement continued. Back in 2017, the brothers announced they would be honoring their mother with the statue. At the time of their announcement, it had been two decades after her heartbreaking death, and they felt it was the right time to honor her with something a little more permanent.

"It has been twenty years since our mother's death and the time is right to recognize her positive impact in the UK and around the world with a permanent statue," their joint statement read. " 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." They initially had intentions of unveiling the statue last year, but with the pandemic, plans were postponed until it became safer for people to gather.

This will be the first time since Prince Philip's funeral that Harry will have returned home to the U.K., however, he won't be there for long. Insiders say that "he'll be in and out." The prince is already there and quarantining as he gets ready to see his family. His wife Markle and their two children, Archie and Lilibet, will not be in attendance. Markle was not beside her husband the last time he was with his family either, as they thought it would be best if he went to his grandfather's funeral solo. At that time, Markle was also right around the corner from giving birth to their daughter, so that was a factor as well.

While it's being reported that the family is doing their best to work through their differences, it appears they're still in a rough patch. When Markle and Harry chose to step down from their senior roles as royals, they hopped the pond and decided to build their life in the United States in Markle's hometown of Los Angeles, California.