The public will have a first look at the new statue of Diana, Princess of Wales, in Kensington Palace Gardens starting Friday.
The bronze image of Diana was unveiled on Thursday, her 60th birthday, by her sons, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex.
The gardens were closed for the day of the unveiling, but the public can now visit and see the new monument.
But many have already complained on Twitter that the portrayal of the former Princess of Wales does not look like Diana, reports BirminghamLive.
The statue of Diana, Princess of Wales, at her unveiling in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace, London, on her 60th birthday
One wrote: “Not too impressed with the statue, one has to say. Doesn’t look very much like it.”
A second added, “The Diana statue really doesn’t look very much like her, does it?”
A third agreed, “Not a fan. It doesn’t look like them and while I understand they wanted to portray their humanitarian work, it doesn’t translate well with these kids.”
A fourth wrote, “I’m just going to say it. The Diana statue is ugly and doesn’t look like it.”
A fifth said, “Am I the only one who thinks the statue of Princess Diana doesn’t really look like her? Where’s her warm smile?”
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And a sixth added, “Be brutally honest – this statue doesn’t look like Diana, Princess of Wales, who was much softer and more beautiful.”
During a brief ceremony watched by Diana’s siblings, William and Harry pulled away a green sheet covering the statue that will remind visitors to their former home, Kensington Palace, of its most famous resident.
The figure of the princess is surrounded by three children and shows Diana with close-cropped hair in her later years.
William and Harry unveil the statue (Dominic Lipinski / PA Images)
Kensington Palace said the statue is intended to reflect Diana’s “warmth, elegance and energy” while the children represent the “universality and intergenerational influence of the princess’s work”.
The artwork by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley was erected in the palace’s sunken garden, one of the places Diana loved most about the palace.
The sunken garden has been redesigned over the past two years and features more than 4,000 individual flowers, including forget-me-nots that were adored by the princess.
The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex helped create the statue of Diana, Princess of Wales, as part of a “collaborative effort,” the sculptor said.
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Following the reveal, artist Ian Rank-Broadley shared how William and Harry shared poignant private moments of fun and joy from their time with their late mother to convey their personalities.
He said he hoped the statue could provide some “comfort” to the two brothers.
“I think your mother is there in the truest sense of the word, maybe in the evening when the site is closed they could easily come here for a moment of quiet reflection and I hope this will give them some kind of comfort or consolation” , he said
Mr. Rank-Broadley added, “My main concern was to do something for the princes. The princess was a very public figure and an icon in many ways, but she was someone’s mother. So I paid the utmost attention to both princes in what they had to say.
“And in many ways it was a collective effort, they made a great contribution, in many ways the sculpture belongs to them too – they contributed to it.”
Sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex after the statue was unveiled (Dominic Lipinski / PA)
When asked what direct involvement William and Harry had in the process, he replied, “Unfortunately, I never knew the princess, I never met her, so I relied on what friends and family would say.
“You get a taste, there may be anecdotes, memories, and particular points of view, so that’s how they contributed.
“You were describing your mother and there were private moments in connection with each other in many ways – you certainly had the feeling that she was a tremendous amount of fun and (loves) joking.
“It helps you create a person. So when I’m alone in the studio and just modeling the clay, I feel like I’m slowly getting to know someone. And towards the end of the assignment, I really had the feeling that I knew a Diana. “
William and Harry unveil the statue (Dominic Lipinski / PA)
The bronze statue shows the princess surrounded by three children who were taken in so that she would not appear isolated.
It is 1.25 times life size and was cast over black by Castle Fine Arts Foundry using the traditional “lost wax technique” with a bluish-green patina.
Her cropped hair, dress style and portrait are based on the last stage of her life – after her split from the Prince of Wales.
Mr. Rank-Broadley emphasized the practical approach of William and Harry: “They regularly sent photos of all the different phases, visits to my studio so that they were aware of the progress.”
The artist once again emphasized the involvement of the royal brothers in the project: “It was our statue, the collaboration was really very good and therefore it’s not just my work.
Diana, Princess of Wales (Stefan Rousseau / PA)
“I was a hand in many ways, and I had the work experience to try and give them what they wanted.”
The three children depicted in the sculpture are a diverse group, with Diana’s picture holding the hand of a girl, a boy standing behind the group, and the princess resting her other hand on the shoulder of a boy who seems to have short afro hair.
Explaining that the children were not based on living individuals, the sculptor added, “I think we felt that the princess could seem isolated if she were on her own.
“And when talking to her friends and family, it was noticeable that she was such a friendly and sociable person and that she had a special warmth for children. And in many ways it alludes to her humanitarian work and shows that she has been a great comfort. “
The artist, to whom his wife Hazel Rank-Broadley, an unannounced guest, came, said: “Bronze confers immortality in many ways, it will naturally last a thousand or two thousand years, so the picture must be right and must in the eyes of the people The family is right. “