Prince Harry will be returning to the UK next month. HOLA! USA’s sister brand HELLO! has confirmed that the Duke of Sussex will travel across the pond for the unveiling of the Princess Diana statue at Kensington Palace.
The palace announced last year that the statue, commissioned by brothers Prince William and Harry, will be installed on what would have been the Princess of Wales’ 60th birthday (July 1).
“The statue was commissioned to mark the twentieth anniversary of her death and recognise her positive impact in the UK and around the world,” Kensington Palace said in a previous statement (via HELLO!). “The Princes hope that the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on their mother’s life and her legacy.”
Harry’s trip for the unveiling will come less than a month after the birth of his and Meghan Markle ’s daughter Lilibet Diana. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their second child, Lili, on June 4 in Santa Barbara, California. The royal baby’s middle name is a tribute to her paternal grandmother, Princess Diana, who passed away in 1997.
In the Apple TV+ series The Me You Can’t See, Harry spoke about his late mother and how he wished she were around for his son Archie Harrison . “I wish she could’ve met Meghan. I wish she was around for Archie,” the Duke said of his mom.
Harry also revealed in the mental health series that “grandma” was one of Archie’s first words. “I’ve got a photo up in his nursery and it was one of the first words that he said, apart from ‘mama,’ ‘papa,’ it was then ‘grandma.’ ‘Grandma Diana,’” he shared. “It’s the sweetest thing, but at the same time, it makes me really sad because she should be here.”