William and Harry’s Diana statue to be specially opened to the public to mark anniversary of her death while inner-city children have a picnic inside Kensington Palace.
By Professor Chris Imafidon, multi-award winning and bestselling royal biographer and a member of the Historic Royal Palaces.
DIANA – DEDICATION
African Voice was privileged to be invited to see the statute, which saw the Princess holding the hands of a black boy. The statue of Princess Diana was unveiled by her sons, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex, earlier in July this summer and will be specially opened to visitors on the 24th anniversary of their mother’s death.
The statue of Princess Diana in Kensington Palace gardens will be specially opened to the public to mark the anniversary of her death and on July 1st a new royal biography which was the first ever dedicated to Princess Diana’s contributions to Africa was published.
The Princess of Wales died on 31 August 1997, and this year will mark 24 years since the fatal crash in Paris. Special arrangements have been made to allow visitors to view the memorial – unveiled by her sons, princes William and Harry, last month.
Due to the pandemic, Kensington Palace and its gardens are operating on reduced opening days and are usually only accessible to the public from Wednesday to Sunday.
But Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) said well wishers would be allowed to see the statue from the Cradle Walk around the Sunken Garden where it stands from 3pm to 5pm on Tuesday.
A HRP spokesman said: “We acknowledge that there will be interest in viewing the statue on that day. So we will be providing access to the Cradle Walk, which is essentially the beautiful walkway around the Sunken Garden. We will be opening that up, freely available, for passers-by or anybody who wants to stop and take a moment on that Tuesday, specially for the anniversary.”
Entry to the Cradle Walk will be free and visitors will not be required to make a booking. However, they will not be allowed to leave flowers at the base of the bronze tribute, nor approach it.
Well-wishers usually leave flowers and messages at the ornate Golden Gates of Kensington Palace on the anniversary of her death.
DIANA – DEVOTION
The HRP spokesman said: “We didn’t want to take the shine away from the Golden Gates, and from the kind of tributes that we know will be there.
“It’s special for the group to have that kind of moment.”
The statue, commissioned by William and Harry who were just 15 and 12 when their mother died, is by renowned artist Ian Rank-Broadley.
It shows Diana, with short-cropped hair and a style of dress based on the final period of her life, surrounded by three children.
Public access to the Sunken Garden has always been limited to the walkway – nicknamed “Nanny Walk” – after becoming a favoured meeting point for the many nannies in Kensington.
The artwork, cast in bronze and designed by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, shows the Princess surrounded by three children and depicts her in the later years of her life.
Beneath the statue is a plinth engraved with Diana’s name and the date of the unveiling, while a paving stone in front is engraved with an extract after the poem The Measure of A Man, which was in the programme for the 2007 memorial service for the Princess.
Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden – one of the places Diana loved most at the palace – has been redesigned during the past two years and features more than 4,000 individual flowers, including forget-me-nots, which were adored by the Princess.
DIANA HER LEGACY
Prince Diana’s legacy is best captured in a recent charity bestselling royal biography. “Diana: the untold story of how a phenomenal Princess impacted Africa The untold story of her African legendary impact and legacy-making her, the “Princess of Africa” not just the Princess of Wales.
This book told the unknown story of how the “People’s Princess” impacted Africa, the commonwealth, and the world through her quiet but selfless work for needy strangers. She was the ultimate, scriptural “good Samaritan” and her unique approach inspired a new generation of African royals to help the disadvantaged, dispossessed, disabled, and diseased in their communities, spreading her infectious spirit of giving. 2021 marks what would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday, it is incumbent on us who have directly experienced her work and seen her pure genius to celebrate a life that inspired us via her charities and her character. This is not just another opportunity to memorialize a royal or honour life and legacy like no other, but to share the untold truths about someone who treated Africans as sisters, or brothers. That is Diana Frances Spencer most people don’t know.
More details on the most recent bestselling charity royal biography on Princess Diana – an African portrait is available at Amazon (100% of author’s royalties goes to African health and women charities) … https://www.amazon.com/Diana-At-60-portrait-Phenomenal-ebook/dp/B098FDN59B
For more information about visiting Kensington Palace, visit hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/
Professor Chris Imafidon, is chair, ExcellenceinEducation.org.uk, an alliance of inner-city educational charities and institutions that benefits and partners royal projects and initiatives. He also worked directly with royals, through his education and empowerment initiatives and charitable programmes for underprivileged students across Africa and the commonwealth. He is a multi-Guinness World record holder; internationally renowned adviser to monarchs, governments, presidents and corporate leaders; Mentor to multi-millionaire tech entrepreneurs & many world record holders. His research and innovation have been recognised internationally, winning multiple awards in many continents across multiple disciplines and his mentees are global leaders in pioneers. Professor Imafidon is a regular contributor to #AfricanVoice; authored op-ed editorial for the Britain’s Sunday Times; Mentor to New York Times Bestellers and a Sunday Times Op-ed author. [Twitter @ChrisImafidon; Instagram @CoImafidon; Facebook/Linkedln/ClubHouse –Professor Chris Imafidon]
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