Kate and Prince William 'will visit his mother Diana's statue with George, Charlotte and Louis ahead of official unveiling on Thursday'
Prince William will visit his mother's statue with his wife and children for a private moment ahead of its official unveiling, it has been reported.
The Duke of Cambridge is expected to view the memorial with his family privately in Kensington Palace's Sunken Garden before joining his brother Prince Harry for the official event on Thursday.
It is understood he wanted to give wife Kate and children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis a chance to see it before it was shown to the wider world.
A large box now covers the plinth where it is believed the statue has been put in position ahead of the event that falls on what would have been Princess Diana's 60th birthday.
The Duke of Cambridge is expected to view the memorial with his family privately in Kensington Palace's Sunken Garden before joining his brother Prince Harry for the official event on Thursday
Prince Harry is also expected to see the statue separately, the Telegraph reports, but is currently quarantining at Frogmore cottage in Windsor after flying in from his home in California.
Plans for the unveiling ceremony have been dramatically scaled back due to the pandemic with just a handful of guests – the estranged princes themselves and Spencer relatives - in attendance.
There will also be just one pool reporter and broadcaster able to attend.
Harry and William will make separate speeches as they pay tribute to their mother's legacy.
A large box now covers the plinth where it is believed the statue has been put in position ahead of the event that falls on what would have been Princess Diana's 60th birthday
They will also thank sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley for creating the statue, which has been in progress since 2017.
Is it still not known whether the Duchess of Cambridge with join her husband for the event.
It was hoped that Kate would act as a peacemaker between the two brothers we have barely seen each other since Prince Harry's departure for US last year.
The pair have privately told friends that they will do their utmost to ensure their differences do not distract from what they hope will be a moving celebration to recognise their mother’s ‘positive impact’.
The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace was chosen as the ideal location as it was one of Princess Diana's favourite places for reflection when she lived there
Ever since they announced plans for the statue it has been bedevilled by problems. Originally it was hoped to be unveiled in 2017.
But there were delays over the design and, according to insiders, differences of opinion over what period in Diana’s life the statue should represent.
Such divisions led to a committee being set up after her death in 1997 in order to find a suitable way to celebrate her life to conclude that a statue would be wrong.
At the time, her family expressed reservations that no sculptor had ever properly ‘caught’ Diana. There were also real fears that a statue would become a shrine.
The six-strong committee headed by Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the Dukes' former private secretary, has been instrumental in sourcing funds from private investors, said to include Sir Elton John and David Furnish.
The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace was chosen as the ideal location as it was one of the Princess's favourite places for reflection when she lived there.
The statue's sculptor, Ian Rank-Broadley, is most recognised for his depiction of the Queen, which has appeared on all coins in the UK and Commonwealth since 1998.
He also designed a gold coin marking the Queen's diamond jubilee in 2012.