[imagesource: Dominic Lipinski / Getty Images]

Yesterday would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday.

To mark the occasion, Prince William and Prince Harry, whose relationship is reported to remain strained, reunited after three months apart to unveil a statue honouring their mother.

The brothers chose the redesigned Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, which was known to be one of Diana’s favourite spots, as the location for the statue.

Town & Country Magazine reports that they were joined by Diana’s siblings – Earl Spencer, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, and Lady Jane Fellowes – along with the statue’s sculptor and the garden designer, among others.

During the unveiling, the two brothers spoke about the meaning behind the statue. “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,” they said.

“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.”

The moment the statue was unveiled was broadcast live across the UK, and the world:

A body language expert, hired by a tabloid trawling for clicks, said that Harry turning to William suggested that some kind of emotional reconciliation might be possible in the future.

Good times.

Sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley said he had tried to capture Diana’s “warmth and humanity while showcasing the impact she had across generations”.

That’s the official stuff out of the way, and now for the reaction online.

Readers of The Daily Mail were true to form with their responses:

STATUE UNVEILING: I feel that these readers are just disappointed William and Harry didn’t get into a fistfight. pic.twitter.com/3TNli41ln3

— The DM Reporter (@DMReporter) July 1, 2021

In summary, Harry bad, William good.

Writing for The Guardian, Jonathan Jones was unimpressed by the sculpture, which he called “a spiritless hunk of nonsense”.

That was far from his most stinging insult:

A larger than life Diana, who stands in an awkward, stiff, lifeless pose and has a face that’s more manly than I remember, modelled apparently with thickly gloved hands and no photo to consult, protects two children in her arms while a third lurks behind her.

It is a religious image that shamelessly plays up to the most mawkish aspects of Diana worship. She deserves to be remembered. But does she need to be turned into a colossal divine protectress of all children?

…this somehow nauseating statue will stand with all the bronze footballers as baffling evidence to future generations that in the early 21st century, people wasted their money, effort and debates on silly, sterile, insignificant works of art. The flower beds are nice though.

At least he finished with a compliment.

I hope the brothers manage to spend some time together away from the cameras, where every gesture isn’t picked apart to build a certain narrative.

[sources:tandc&guardian]