Prince Harry was in London on July 1st for the unveiling of a statue of his mother that
was erected at the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace.
Harry was joined by his older brother, Prince William, marking the first time that the two
had been together since their grandfather's funeral back in mid-April.
The brothers put on a united front as they walked together, both seemingly excited to
see the sculpture that they commissioned back in 2017.
Ken Wharfe, former head of Princess Diana's security team, told People magazine following
the special event,
"It was their idea and it was a joint effort."
Harry and William approached the covered statue together, both wearing suits and big smiles
as they made their way over to where it had been placed.
They worked together to grab the green cover and to pull it off at the same time to unveil
the bronze statue underneath.
The brothers stepped back and admired the statue as guests — including Princess Diana's
family — clapped, according to a video provided by the Guardian.
Looking closely, royal watchers could see that Harry and William both reacted to the
statue, and, thanks to a lip reader, we now know what Harry said upon laying his eyes
on the sculpture for the first time.
When Prince Harry and Prince William first entered the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace
on July 1st, they admired the gorgeous landscaping that had been done in honor of this special
day.
According to People magazine,
"More than 4,000 flowers have been planted — in addition to 200 roses, 100 forget-me-nots
(Diana's favorite flower) and 300 tulips of three varieties, there are 500 lavender plants,
50 sweet peas and 100 dahlias."
Harry couldn't help but react to the beauty, saying "this is spectacular," professional
lip reader Jeremy Freeman told the Mirror.
The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex approached the statue and pulled on two strings
for the big reveal.
As they stepped back to admire the work, Harry commented on how great it turned out.
Freeman told the Mirror that Harry said, "wow!
Isn't that amazing?"
upon seeing the statue for the first time.
As he continued looking at all of the detail that sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley included,
Harry repeated the word "amazing."
Although Harry and William may not be on the best of terms at present time, the unveiling
went off without a hitch, and those moments of seeing the statue for the first time will
undoubtedly be cherished for the rest of their lives.
It's one thing to know that Prince William and Prince Harry were pleased with their mother's
statue, but it's almost more meaningful knowing that they could put their reported differences
aside to honor their mother for the day.
For over a year now, rumors have been swirling that Harry and William are on the outs and
the tension between them reportedly only got more intense when Harry and his wife, Meghan
Markle, decided to step back from their royal duties.
During his interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2020, Prince Harry admitted that his
relationships with both his brother and his father were strained, going so far as to point
out that they were still "stuck" in royal life and following the Firm's rules.
Harry also accused his family of being racist towards his son, Archie.
After the interview, Prince William spoke out, saying,
"We're very much not a racist family."
At that time, he had still not spoken to his brother, per NBC News, but their grandfather's
death in early April seems to have expedited their coming together in peace, as brothers.
While the two men obviously have different opinions about being a part of the monarchy,
they clearly do come together in their love for their mother.
The last time the brothers saw each other was at Prince Philip's funeral in April, obviously
a somber moment.
But during the unveiling of Princess Diana's statue in the Sunken Garden at Kensington
Palace, the two appeared to be getting along swimmingly.
They seemed to be laughing and smiling as they walked together for the event and even
as they pulled the cover off of the statue, possibly turning over a new leaf in their
relationship.
However, some thought the supposed feud was blown out of proportion from the very beginning.
As Stewart Pierce, Diana's former vocal coach, told Nicki Swift,
"They had a disagreement like brothers disagree."
Pierce noted how they came together after BBC journalist Martin Bashir landed in hot
water in May for reportedly misleading Diana about their infamous 1995 interview,
"[A]fter the declaration of the Martin Bashir deceitfulness ... we saw the rift is no longer.
Because the two boys came together ... they obviously shared what they were going to say
and then presented it to the world, so as a unified front."
Whether the feud was real or not, it looks like Harry and William might be able to put
the past behind them as they both move, with their families, into the next chapter of their
lives.
It's likely what Princess Diana would want for them, after all.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite celebrities are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don’t miss a single one.