Prince William And Harry To Rededicate Diana's Grave On Her Birthday
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will attend a service to rededicate the grave of Diana, Princess of Wales, 20 years after her death. Royal officials announced that along with the three, William and Kate’s young children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, will also attend the service, to be held on July 1.
However, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, will not be present at the service as they will be in Canada at the time to perform their royal duties on Canada Day, reports said.
Kensington Palace, in a brief statement Wednesday, announced the service will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The memorial has undergone extensive redesign following reports the site had been neglected and was in bad condition, according to News.com.au.
A multi-million dollar project was proposed for the redevelopment of the whole island. Last year, the Spencer family began the first major program of works to the estate gardens in 350 years, saying they would “honor" the memory of Diana in time for the anniversary. Earl Spencer’s third wife, Lady Karen has overseen the renovation project, reports said.
It has also been announced that William and Harry had commissioned a statue of their mother, which will stand in the public gardens of her former home, Kensington Palace, in London. The statue will be the fourth London-based monument dedicated to Princess Diana
Both brothers have spoken extensively this year about Diana’s death , who was killed in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, when Prince William was 15 and his brother Harry just 12.
Princes William and Harry said in a statement in January: "It has been 20 years since our mother's death and the time is right to recognize her positive impact in the UK and around the world with a permanent statue,” BBC reported.
The Diana Award, a charity established to promote the Princess's belief in the positive power of young people, is staging a year-long celebration of her qualities of kindness, compassion and service.
She is buried on an island in an ornamental lake known as The Oval within Althorp Park's Pleasure Garden, which is not open to visitors, The Telegraph reported.
The precise location of Diana’s grave has never been made public. Visitors, who pay to enter the estate are not permitted on the island.
Read: Prince William Says He Is Still Not Over Princess Diana's Death
Althorp has been the Spencer family seat for 18 generations. When her father John Spencer inherited the title of Earl Spencer in 1975, the then-Lady Diana Spencer and her family moved there, reports said.
Since her father’s death in 1992, the estate has been operated by Diana’s younger brother Charles, the ninth Earl Spencer. Dating back to 1508, the estate also features 38 oak trees that were planted to symbolize every year of Diana’s life. Hundreds of white roses and white water lilies were also planted after her death.
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