July 1, 2021, Princess Diana of Wales would have turned 60 years old. The world never misses an opportunity to remember a humane member of the royal family of the United Kingdom. Prince Harry and Prince William, in memory of Princess Diana, unveiled a statue that represents Diana herself caring for the children, in her former home. Immediately, fans expressed two different opinions.
A private ceremony was held at Kensington Palace in London on Thursday, July 1, to honor Princess Diana and commemorate her feats and generosity. All over the world, Prince Charles’ ex-wife was appreciated for her charitable activities, constant visits to shelters for abused women and the homeless, and support for the sick and hungry.
The statue precisely reflects the look of the Princess of Wales: the hairstyle, silhouette, clothing details, facial features. Close to the statue of the Princess of Wales, there are also statues of children, which symbolize Diana’s charity on a global scale. Despite all the troubles in the Royal Family, the sons, Prince Harry and Prince William met live to pay tribute to their late mother and shared a note on their Instagram account, saying: “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.”
Commissioned by her sons in 2017
Prince Harry and Prince William, commissioned the statue in 2017, 20 years after Princess Diana died in a car accident. Previously created statues in honor of the late Princess Diana spread horror to those around them, but this one is considered to be one of the essential ones. The sculptor had to face a rather difficult task: to precisely recreate the contours of the face of the Princess of Wales, as Diana was the most photographed person on the entire planet, and this is why any slight inaccuracies would be spotted immediately.
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The statue is slightly larger and is depicting Diana wearing a dress that was spotted on a Christmas card, in 1993. It is this appearance that was chosen not in vain because it reflects the last stage of Diana’s life, during which she gained great self-confidence and was named an ambassador of humanity. The depiction of children in the sculpture was chosen to honor Diana’s interest in interacting with youth and collaborating with non-governmental organizations focused on youth welfare.
Beautiful or provocative and insensitive?
To some of the gathered fans of Princess Diana, the statue seemed as beautiful and elegant as Diana herself and caused emotional excitement. When people saw the new work of art, they opened up that they would love to talk to her and spend the afternoon, get to know her communication in person, and believe that she would agree to have lunch with everyone. According to a number of people, Princess Diana was an icon of the royal family and her appearance, along with charity, is worth far more than a post on Instagram. However, The Guardian critics interpreted the statue as simply reminiscent of nausea-provoking aesthetic ugliness, soulless and blank piece of bronze.
According to British art expert and critic Johnathan Jones, Princess Diana deserves to be honored but is not worth being turned into an insensitive column surrounded by anonymous children. Some people claimed that the statue is extremely provocative, forcing those around them to crave the naked body of Princess Diana. Many believe that Princess Diana deserves a much better and more professional finishing of her portrait.
