Prince Harry and Prince William Honor Princess Diana at Statue Unveiling

It would have been their mother's 60th birthday today.

britains prince william, duke of cambridge l and britains prince harry, duke of sussex arrive for the unveiling of a statue of their mother, princess diana at the sunken garden in kensington palace, london on july 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday princes william and harry set aside their differences on thursday to unveil a new statue of their mother, princess diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday photo by yui mok pool afp photo by yui mokpoolafp via getty images
(Image credit: YUI MOK)

Putting any lingering tension aside, Prince William and Prince Harry came together and unveiled a new statue of their late mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday. The event took place in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace—reportedly one of Princess Diana's favorite spots (opens in new tab).

Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle, and Prince Charles were absent from the event, along with the rest of the royal family. Instead, Harry and William were accompanied by some of Princess Diana's family members along with the statue committee, sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, and garden designer Pip Morrison. The statue has been in the works (opens in new tab) since February 2017 and aims to "reflect on their mother’s life and her legacy."

According to royal reporter Rebecca English (opens in new tab) and royal reporter Omid Scobie (opens in new tab), underneath the statue there's a plinth engraved with an excerpt from "The Measure of A Man," which was featured in the program of the 2007 memorial service for Princess Diana. "There are the units to measure the worth / Of this woman as a woman regardless of birth / Not what was her station? / But had she a heart? / How did she play her God-given part?"

Here are some of the photos and videos from the event, which includes a look at the new statue:

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(Image credit: YUI MOK)

harry will diana statue

(Image credit: Getty Images)

harry will diana statue

(Image credit: Getty Images)

harry will diana statue

(Image credit: Getty Images)

l r member of the statue committee, guy monson, britains prince harry, duke of sussex, britains prince william, duke of cambridge and garden designer pip morrison chat at the unveiling of a statue of their mother, princess diana at the sunken garden in kensington palace, london on july 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday princes william and harry set aside their differences on thursday to unveil a new statue of their mother, princess diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday photo by dominic lipinski pool afp photo by dominic lipinskipoolafp via getty images

(Image credit: DOMINIC LIPINSKI)

britains prince william, duke of cambridge l and britains prince harry, duke of sussex chat ahead ofthe unveiling of a statue of their mother, princess diana at the sunken garden in kensington palace, london on july 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday princes william and harry set aside their differences on thursday to unveil a new statue of their mother, princess diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday photo by yui mok pool afp photo by yui mokpoolafp via getty images

(Image credit: YUI MOK)

Prince Harry arrived to the U.K. last week and spent five days in quarantine (opens in new tab) at Frogmore Cottage after testing negative for COVID-19. Earlier this week, Harry told the winners (opens in new tab) of the virtual 2021 Diana Awards (opens in new tab) that "later this week, my brother and I are recognizing what would have been our mum's 60th birthday, and she would be so proud of you all for living authentic life with purpose and with compassion for others."

A bittersweet but special moment for the brothers.

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Rachel Epstein

Rachel Epstein is a writer, editor, and content strategist based in New York City. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the site’s day-to-day editorial operations. Previously, she was an editor at Marie Claire, where she wrote and edited culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. She also launched and managed the site’s virtual book club, #ReadWithMC. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop.