Prince William and Prince Harry put their ongoing – and major – differences aside on Thursday to celebrate the unveiling of a statue of their late mother, Diana, the Princess of Wales.
But it was a rare show of unity that had fans talking as the Duke of Cambridge signed off a Twitter message from himself and his brother.
“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,” the William, 39, shared on his Twitter account.
“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.Thank you to Ian Rank-Broadley, Pip Morrison and their teams for their outstanding work, to the friends and donors who helped make this happen, and to all those around the world who keep our mother’s memory alive.”
Itt was signed: “— Prince William and Prince Harry.”
“Really lovely to see you and read this tribute to your beautiful mother. More so to end this message with both your names….well done!” shared one royal fan as another added: “I love that this tweet is signed by both brothers. It brings me joy.”
The statue, which was first commissioned in 2017, features Diana with three young children surrounding her. Situated in Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden – which was her favorite spot in the house she lived in – the statue will be open to the public from Friday 2 July.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the event was kept private, and only the princes, Diana’s two sisters and brother, and members of the commissioning committee were in attendance. However, reports from the event alleged that William and Harry were spotted laughing together before the unveiled the art.
The brothers’ relationship had reportedly been frosty for several years, ever since Harry met and married Meghan Markle. But few knew the extent of the rift until the pair’s bombshell Oprah interview aired in March.
Harry alleged that he and William were on “different paths” and that they had given each other “space,” adding: “Time heals all things.”
Among the accusations made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was that Prince William’s wife, Kate Middleton, had made Meghan cry in the lead-up to her 2018 wedding (and then allowed the press to recast the story with Meghan the villain), and that Kensington Palace staff had refused to get Meghan psychological help when she was suicidally depressed because of fears of bad publicity.
Prince William responded to the allegations that same week with a succinct assertion that the royals are “not a racist family”, and confirmed that he hadn’t spoken to his brother since the interview aired.
However, they reunited in April for the funeral of their grandfather, Prince Philip. Due to COVID restrictions Harry was seen sitting on his own in the church, however after the service he walked with William, with the pair seen talking animatedly. William’s wife Kate also spoke with Harry, and the three spent some time walking together.
