Prince Harry will join his brother Prince William in marking the 60th anniversary of their mother's birth overnight, despite tensions between the Duke of Sussex and the rest of his family. It follows months of resentment among the royal family over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
The event will provide an opportunity to repair rifts in the royal family, but it might also reveal the gulf between Prince Harry and Prince William. However, two things have occurred in recent months that may help the family recover.
Princess Diana's statue unveiling
Princess Diana, who passed away over two decades, has resurfaced in the news; but it's not for the best of reasons. Given Diana's continued hold on the popular imagination long after she died in a Paris car crash in 1997, the long-awaited event to unveil a statue of the Princess of Wales at her London residence on Thursday was always going to be a big deal.
In 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stated that they will "step aside as senior royals," signaling their departure from the royal family. It was disclosed months after the birth of their first child Archie and was accompanied by an interview with Oprah Winfrey earlier this year.
The Duke of Sussex blamed the intense media focus on his young family and the royals' strict devotion to tradition. He also claimed that an unidentified member of the royal family made a derogatory remark regarding Archie's skin color before he was born. The interview represented the lowest point in Harry's relationship with his family, but the family has been touched by two major occurrences since then.
"We're very much not a racist family," William firmly said to a reporter, reacting angrily to what Harry had stated about the royals in public, as per USA Today. The Princess Diana statue was developed years ago to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her death and to honor her legacy's "positive impact." The commission, which was primarily sponsored by contributions from Diana's many renowned friends, was given to sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, whose picture of Queen Elizabeth II appears on British coinage.
The pandemic halted Diana's installation in the Sunken Garden, one of her favorite locations at the palace where she spent her final years and where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement in November 2017. Now, on what would have been Diana's 60th birthday, the statue will be unveiled.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the brothers will unveil the monument on the grounds of Diana's old London residence Kensington Palace in a low-key event. Prince William and Prince Harry said they hoped the initiative would let visitors reflect on their mother's "life and legacy" when it was revealed in 2017.
According to NDTV, all eyes will be on Princess Diana's sons for any signs of obvious tension despite royal aides' claims that the ceremony on Thursday will be a "very personal" family affair. The brothers, as little boys, created the iconic picture of Diana's funeral, as they marched behind her coffin, heads bent, through quiet throngs in central London.
When they took on additional royal responsibilities, they shared household staff and regularly appeared together to promote common causes, many of which their mother advocated. Prince Harry confirmed rumors that he and Prince William had divided up, in a 2019 tv appearance, saying that they were "on different paths."
Will Prince William and Prince Harry reconcile?
The public should not anticipate a fast reconciliation between the princes, according to royal historian Robert Lacey, since they are battling over core beliefs. While Prince William fights for the monarchy, Prince Harry fights for his wife, as per Fox News.
Lacey's book "Battle of Brothers: William and Harry - The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult," which he also serves as an official adviser on Netflix's "The Crown," has been revised with additional chapters and information. The British historian addressed the royal family's ongoing problems in the original book, which was released in 2020.
According to the publication, the brothers' relationship degraded further in March after Prince Harry and Markle Markle gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey. "The relationship is space at the moment," Harry said during the interview, confirming suspicions that he and his brother were drifting apart.
Harry also revealed to the media magnate that their father Prince Charles didn't answer his phone calls for quite a while. The couple said that before the birth of their first child, an anonymous member of the royal family had voiced concern about how dark his complexion may be, a revelation that even Winfrey was taken aback by. Later, Prince Harry clarified that the individual in issue was not his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II or grandfather Prince Philip.
Related Article: Prince Harry, Prince William Reportedly Quarrel at Prince Philip's Funeral; Will Not Offer Olive Branch to Each Other
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