William and Harry reunite for Diana statue tribute

LONDON: Princes William and Harry will set aside their differences on Thursday to unveil a new statue of their mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday.

The brothers will take the wraps off the tribute in the garden of Diana's former London home at Kensington Palace, in a stripped-back ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic.

When the project was announced in 2017, William, 39, and Harry, 36, said they hoped it would help visitors reflect on their mother's "life and her legacy".

Diana, who died aged 36 in 1997 in a high-speed Paris car crash, remains an enduring source of fascination.

On Tuesday, her 1981 Ford Escort -- an engagement present from Prince Charles -- was sold at auction to a South American museum for over £50,000 ($69,200, 58,100 euros).

But despite royal aides describing Thursday's ceremony as a "very personal" family event, all eyes will be on her sons for any signs of visible tension.

As young boys, the brothers provided the enduring image from Diana's funeral, as they walked, heads bowed, behind her coffin past hushed crowds in central London.

When they assumed more royal duties as adults, they shared household staff and frequently appeared together to promote mutual causes, many of which were championed by their mother.

For a time, the brothers and their wives were dubbed "The Fab Four", seen as modernising the royal family and making it more appealing to a younger generation.

But their once-close relationship has visibly soured. Royal biographer Robert Lacey has even called the bad blood the most serious royal conflict for generations.

There have always been tensions between the so-called "heir and the spare", he said in publicity for his new book "Battle of Brothers", "but nothing so profound as this".