A statue of Princess Diana, which was unveiled on what would have been her 60th birthday, may have been inspired by an earlier Christmas card.
Prince Harry and Prince William reunited on 1 July to reveal the sculpture, which has been placed in Kensington Palace’s Sunken Gardens, surrounded by thousands of their late mother’s favourite flowers.
The monument features Diana wearing a knee-length pencil skirt, a chunky buckled waist belt and an open-collared, front-pleated shirt. She is surrounded by three children, who “represent the universality and generational impact” of the princess.
Diana’s outfit is strikingly similar to one she wore on her 1993 Christmas Card with Prince William and Prince Harry, the first she sent out as a single parent after her separation from Prince Charles was announced.
The card saw Diana standing in the middle of the two boys, as Harry looked up at his mother, and she gazed down at William. She is seen wearing a front-pleated pale blue shirt, and a black pencil skirt cinched at the waist with a matching belt featuring a large gold buckle.
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While the front-pleated shirt seen on the statue is most similar to the 1993 Christmas card, Diana was pictured wearing belted skirts on a number of occasions.
Another photograph with Harry and William from a summer holiday in Mallorca in 1988, shows her wearing a red, belted skirt which she paired with a flowing white blouse.
The bronze statue, which was created by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, aims to reflect the “warmth, elegancy and energy of Diana”.
In a joint statement, Harry and William described their mother as a “force for good”.
“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.
“Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy,” the statement said.
