Everything to Know About Princess Diana's Statue

Kensington Palace said Diana had "gained confidence in her role as an ambassador for humanitarian causes" and the statue unveiled in July 2021 "aims to convey her character and compassion"

Though there have been countless tributes to  Princess Diana  in the years after her death on Aug. 31, 1997, one of the more permanent ones is a  statue at Kensington Palace .

Plans for the Princess Diana statue were first announced in February 2017, the year of many commemorations of Diana's life, as it marked 20 years since she  died in a car crash  in Paris at age 36.

It was December of that year when her sons,  Prince William  and  Prince Harry , shared that they were commissioning sculptor  Ian Rank-Broadley  to  create the statue  for display at Kensington Palace's Sunken Garden — a favorite spot of Diana's.

Joined by Rank-Broadley, Sunken Garden designer Pip Morrison, close family members of Princess Diana and statue committee members in July 2021, William and Harry  reunited at the unveiling  after a year apart due to their  private issues with each other  to reveal the statue of their mother — a towering presence of her surrounded by three children, showcasing her special bond with young people.

Here's everything to know about Princess Diana's statue.

The Princess Diana statue was unveiled on July 1, 2021

Though the statue was commissioned the year marking the 20th anniversary of Diana's death, the presentation of the statue on July 1, 2021, was a reflection of her life. The date signified what would have been Diana's 60th birthday. 

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the number of people attending was scaled down. Neither William nor Harry's wives were in attendance, nor was their father,  King Charles III  (who, at the time, was still Prince Charles).

Together, on the day of the unveiling, the brothers pulled a green cloth off to reveal the sculpture of Princess Diana with her arms around a boy and girl, with a third child in the background.

Ian Rank-Broadley designed the Diana statue

Rank-Broadley is a British sculptor who has worked with the royal family before. He is the artist behind the image of the late  Queen Elizabeth II  that had been used to decorate all British coins since 1998, after having won the Royal Mint competition the year before,  per his official website .

The statue features Diana with three small children

The 8-foot bronze statue consists of four figures, with Princess Diana being the focus. The inclusion of the three children in the tribute is to pay homage to the princess' innate ability to bond with people, particularly young ones. She worked closely with many children-focused charities, including children's hospitals and support for homeless youth. The Diana Award , started in her honor, also  works to develop and inspire positive change  in the lives of young people.

"The statue aims to reflect the warmth, elegance and energy of Diana, Princess of Wales, in addition to her work and the impact she had on so many people," Kensington Palace said in a statement regarding the unveiling. "The figure of Diana, Princess of Wales is surrounded by three children who represent the universality and generational impact of the Princess' work."

The base of the statue boasts Princess Diana's name and the date of the unveiling. On a nearby paving stone, part of the poem  "The Measure of a Man" is engraved  — the same words that had been in the program at her memorial service in 2007, marking the 10th anniversary of her death. 

"These are the units to measure the worth, of this woman as a woman regardless of birth," the poem reads. "Not what was her station? But had she a heart? How did she play her God-given part?"

The Diana statue is not dressed in typical royal garb on purpose

Related: Royal Rebel: 12 Ways Princess Diana Broke with Tradition and Paved a New Path for the Royal Family

While royals often wore hats and gloves at events, Diana opted not to during public outings and engagements.

The Kensington Palace statement said: "The portrait and style of dress was based on the final period of her life as she gained confidence in her role as an ambassador for humanitarian causes and aims to convey her character and compassion."

" She abandoned the royal protocol of wearing gloves  because she liked to hold hands when visiting people or shake hands and have direct contact," Eleri Lynn, the curator of an exhibit on Diana's style, told PEOPLE in 2017. "She also stopped wearing hats because she said, 'You can't cuddle a child in a hat.' "

Listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day for more on Prince William and Prince Harry's reunion for the unveiling of the statue honoring their mother, Princess Diana.

A feuding William and Harry united to honor their mother

On July 21, 2021, William and Harry shared a joint statement.

"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 statement continued, "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."

Thanking their associates in bringing the statue and the garden to life, they also expressed their appreciation for "all those around the world who keep our mother's memory alive."

Neither William nor Harry gave a formal speech during the unveiling ceremony, and it was not addressed how that was the first time they were seen in public together since April of that year, at the funeral of  Prince Philip .

According to CNN reporters , the brothers "seemed at ease during the event, warmly greeting guests and sharing jokes with the small group of attendees."

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The statue is located at Kensington Palace in the Sunken Garden

Kensington Palace is one of the royal residences and where Princess Diana and her sons lived, even after her  divorce to then-Prince Charles .

Per the Historic Royal Palaces , "During her time at Kensington Palace Diana, Princess of Wales was particularly  fond of the Sunken Garden , so to mark the 20th anniversary of her death in 2017, the palace's gardeners transformed the space into The White Garden in her memory."

Ahead of the statue unveiling, the garden went through another overhaul, with more than 4,000 flowers being planted, including roses, forget-me-nots (Diana's favorite flower), lavender plants and more.

Deputy head of Gardens and Estates at Historic Royal Palaces, Graham Dillamore, led the team in charge of preparing the Sunken Garden for the statue's unveiling.

In a statement, Dillamore said, "While she was in residence at Kensington Palace, Diana, Princess of Wales regularly  admired the changing floral displays  in the Sunken Garden and would always stop to talk with me and the other gardeners who cared for it."

The Historic Royal Palaces note that the garden is a popular attraction for visitors "who, like the Princess once did, still enjoy the elegant floral displays."

The Diana statue was met with criticism after its unveiling

Related: All of Princess Diana's PEOPLE Magazine Covers Through the Years

Though erected as a tribute to a mother from her sons, a public sculpture of an incredibly public royal figure still faces criticism as a piece of art.

Art historian and critic Ruth Millington praised Rank-Broadley for using a traditional medium (bronze) to make a less-than-traditional royal monument. Calling the commission "a very difficult task," Millington stated,  per the BBC , the statue is a "poignant memorial."

"Far from elevating her to a high pedestal, he has represented her — as she will always be remembered — as a princess of the people," as quoted by Millington.

In the same article, art critic Elizabeth Fullerton referred to the statue as "an uncontroversial, accessible representation of a female icon."

Fullerton added that the piece "doesn't move the conversation forward in terms of innovation in contemporary art — but then again, that clearly wasn't the aim."

Simon Perry, PEOPLE's chief foreign correspondent who has long covered the British royals, saw the statue after its unveiling and reported, "Plenty of people have said it doesn't 'look' like the princess.  Getting her exactly right would be a nearly impossible act  to pull off. But it had to represent her, without being an avant garde interpretation. In hundreds of years time, people will have to look at her and say, 'Yes, that's Diana, Princess of Wales.' "

"The image I saw cast in bronze was most definitely of the woman I remember," Perry wrote.

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