Britain's feuding princes, William and Harry, will put their differences aside on Thursday to attend the unveiling of a statue to their late mother Princess Diana on what would have been her 60th birthday.

For most of their lives, the royal brothers have been close, united by the shared trauma of losing their mother who died aged 36 in a 1997 Paris car crash when William was 15 and Harry 12.

But since Harry's 2018 wedding to his American actress wife Meghan, relations between them have soured and an explosive interview that the couple gave chat show host Oprah Winfrey in March marked a new low.

In it, Harry, now 36, criticised his father Charles and said William, 39, and the family were trapped, while the couple accused one unnamed royal of making a racist remark.

Biographer Robert Lacey said that in April the brothers quarrelled in the immediate aftermath of the funeral of Prince Philip, their grandmother Queen Elizabeth's husband of more than 70 years, and there was no sign of any improvement.

"The conflict between Diana's two bitterly divided sons does not seem likely to end any time soon," he wrote in the Daily Mail, adding that friends and family were trying to forge a reconciliation.

This week's unveiling in London of the statue, which the princes commissioned four years ago to celebrate Diana's life, provides a rare opportunity for such a rapprochement, with Harry returning from his new home in the United States.

"Unless one of them is going to say sorry, and I think that probably has to be Harry, I can't see this relationship at the moment mending itself," royal commentator Penny Junor said.

"My understanding is the boys are not speaking to one other, certainly not in the way brothers normally speak," she told Reuters.

'WE'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL'

Harry told Winfrey that their relationship was "space at the moment", but hoped time would heal it.

"I love William to bits, he's my brother, we've been through hell together and we have a shared experience. But we're on different paths," he said.

Thursday's statue unveiling in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace where Diana lived, and which is now home to William and his family, will be a small event with the princes, Diana's close family and the sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley among the few attending.&nbsp;

The Daily Telegraph reported that William would take his wife Kate and their three children George, Charlotte and Louis, for a private viewing of the statue before its official unveiling as they will not be present on the day.

Almost a quarter of a century since her death, Diana continues to captivate.&nbsp;

British newspapers regularly pore over her life and the circumstances surrounding her death, while the disclosure last month that a BBC journalist lied to secure a sensational 1995 interview in which she admitted to an affair and shared details of her failed marriage to Charles, made headlines.

 
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Britain's feuding princes, William and Harry, will put their differences aside on Thursday to attend the unveiling of a statue to their late mother Princess Diana on what would have been her 60th birthday.

Britain's feuding princes, William and Harry, will put their differences aside on Thursday to attend the unveiling of a statue to their late mother Princess Diana on what would have been her 60th birthday. For most of their lives, the royal brothers have been close, united by the shared trauma of losing their mother who died aged 36 in a 1997 Paris car crash when William was 15 and Harry 12. But since Harry's 2018 wedding to his American actress wife Meghan, relations between them have soured and an explosive interview that the couple gave chat show host Oprah Winfrey in March marked a new low. In it, Harry, now 36, criticised his father Charles and said William, 39, and the family were trapped, while the couple accused one unnamed royal of making a racist remark. Biographer Robert Lacey said that in April the brothers quarrelled in the immediate aftermath of the funeral of Prince Philip, their grandmother Queen Elizabeth's husband of more than 70 years, and there was no sign of any improvement. "The conflict between Diana's two bitterly divided sons does not seem likely to end any time soon," he wrote in the Daily Mail, adding that friends and family were trying to forge a reconciliation. This week's unveiling in London of the statue, which the princes commissioned four years ago to celebrate Diana's life, provides a rare opportunity for such a rapprochement, with Harry returning from his new home in the United States. "Unless one of them is going to say sorry, and I think that probably has to be Harry, I can't see this relationship at the moment mending itself," royal commentator Penny Junor said. "My understanding is the boys are not speaking to one other, certainly not in the way brothers normally speak," she told Reuters. 'WE'VE BEEN THROUGH HELL' Harry told Winfrey that their relationship was "space at the moment", but hoped time would heal it. "I love William to bits, he's my brother, we've been through hell together and we have a shared experience. But we're on different paths," he said. Thursday's statue unveiling in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace where Diana lived, and which is now home to William and his family, will be a small event with the princes, Diana's close family and the sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley among the few attending. The Daily Telegraph reported that William would take his wife Kate and their three children George, Charlotte and Louis, for a private viewing of the statue before its official unveiling as they will not be present on the day. Almost a quarter of a century since her death, Diana continues to captivate. British newspapers regularly pore over her life and the circumstances surrounding her death, while the disclosure last month that a BBC journalist lied to secure a sensational 1995 interview in which she admitted to an affair and shared details of her failed marriage to Charles, made headlines.

Feuding princes to reunite for unveiling of Princess Diana statue in London

Prince William and Prince Harry are set to reunite publicly this summer to unveil a statue of their late mother Princess Diana. Reports suggest that William is keen to meet his brother in private before they make their public appearance together.&nbsp; 
 
The brothers are expected to come together to unveil the statue at Kensington Palace on July 1 which marks Princess Diana's 60th birthday.&nbsp; 
 
Harry, 36, who is currently residing in California, is expected to attend. A source told Us Weekly that William, 38, is hoping the two can meet before the public appearance, which will be scrutinized by the British tabloids. 
 
This will be the first public outing for the two brothers since Harry and Meghan's explosive tell-all interview to Oprah was aired in March.&nbsp; 
 
"Harry has so much going on in his life work-wise and is busy planning for the arrival of (his)&nbsp;daughter that he’s trying not to overthink the consequences that may arise upon his return to the UK," the source told the publication.&nbsp; 
 
"All eyes will be on them at the unveiling, critics will be analyzing their every move and how they interact with each other," the source continued. 
 
"(William) doesn’t believe that it’s feasible for them to reunite in the public eye without showing signs of tension if they don’t thrash out their differences in advance."

The communication between the two brothers, the insider claims, has been 'sparse'. Despite the tensions between the two, William has reportedly kept the line of communication open, specially to discuss their mother's statue- which the two have together commissioned.&nbsp;

On March 7th, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey that has been viewed by nearly 50 million people globally.

During the two-hour special, Harry revealed that his relationships with his father Prince Charles, 72, as well as his older brother, are strained. Meghan also alleged that a member of the royal family had raised concern about the skin colour of their unborn child during Meghan's first pregnancy. William later stated that no family member was racist.&nbsp; 
 
The statue was reportedly commissioned in 2017 "to mark the twentieth anniversary of her death and recognize her positive impact in the UK and around the world."&nbsp; 
 
When they faced delays, the brothers decided to unveil the statue to mark their mother's birthday. 
 
Diana passed away in 1997 at age 36 from injuries she sustained in a Paris car crash. 
 
"The statue is to reflect on Diana’s legacy, not their feud, and William wants to keep it that way," the source added.&nbsp;

Prince William and Prince Harry are set to reunite publicly this summer to unveil a statue of their late mother Princess Diana. Reports suggest that William is keen to meet his brother in private before they make their public appearance together.

Prince William and Prince Harry are set to reunite publicly this summer to unveil a statue of their late mother Princess Diana. Reports suggest that William is keen to meet his brother in private before they make their public appearance together. The brothers are expected to come together to unveil the statue at Kensington Palace on July 1 which marks Princess Diana's 60th birthday. Harry, 36, who is currently residing in California, is expected to attend. A source told Us Weekly that William, 38, is hoping the two can meet before the public appearance, which will be scrutinized by the British tabloids. This will be the first public outing for the two brothers since Harry and Meghan's explosive tell-all interview to Oprah was aired in March. "Harry has so much going on in his life work-wise and is busy planning for the arrival of (his) daughter that he’s trying not to overthink the consequences that may arise upon his return to the UK," the source told the publication. "All eyes will be on them at the unveiling, critics will be analyzing their every move and how they interact with each other," the source continued. "(William) doesn’t believe that it’s feasible for them to reunite in the public eye without showing signs of tension if they don’t thrash out their differences in advance." The communication between the two brothers, the insider claims, has been 'sparse'. Despite the tensions between the two, William has reportedly kept the line of communication open, specially to discuss their mother's statue- which the two have together commissioned. On March 7th, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex gave a bombshell interview to Oprah Winfrey that has been viewed by nearly 50 million people globally. During the two-hour special, Harry revealed that his relationships with his father Prince Charles, 72, as well as his older brother, are strained. Meghan also alleged that a member of the royal family had raised concern about the skin colour of their unborn child during Meghan's first pregnancy. William later stated that no family member was racist. The statue was reportedly commissioned in 2017 "to mark the twentieth anniversary of her death and recognize her positive impact in the UK and around the world." When they faced delays, the brothers decided to unveil the statue to mark their mother's birthday. Diana passed away in 1997 at age 36 from injuries she sustained in a Paris car crash. "The statue is to reflect on Diana’s legacy, not their feud, and William wants to keep it that way," the source added.

Prince William keen on meeting Harry privately before they reunite publicly to unveil Princess Diana's statue

Britain&#39;s Prince William and his younger brother Harry have commissioned a statue in honour of their mother Princess Diana who died in a Paris car crash 20 years ago to be erected outside their official London home, their office said on Saturday.

Diana, the first wife of the brother&#39;s father the heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, was killed when the limousine carrying her and her lover Dodi al-Fayed crashed in a Paris tunnel in August 1997.

William was 15 and Harry was 12 at the time.

&quot;It has been 20 years since our mother&#39;s death and the time is right to recognise her positive impact in the UK and around the world with a permanent statue,&quot; William, 34, said in a statement.

The princes have formed a committee to advise on the sculptor and to raise private funds to pay for the statue which will be located in a public garden at Kensington Palace.

Work on the statue will begin soon and it is hoped that the statue will be unveiled before the end of the year, the statement from their office said.

The first permanent memorial to her, a 210-metre (689-foot) long fountain was unveiled in Hyde Park in 2004 after years of bureaucratic wrangling and squabbling over the design.

It had to be closed down a number of times after its opening and a committee of lawmakers later said it was &quot;ill-conceived and ill-executed&quot;.

William announced earlier this month that he would move into Kensington Palace with his wife Kate and children, George and Charlotte, from his current home in eastern England when he gives up his job as an air ambulance pilot to focus on royal duties full-time later this year.

(Reuters)

The statue will be located in a public garden at Kensington Palace

Britain's Prince William and his younger brother Harry have commissioned a statue in honour of their mother Princess Diana who died in a Paris car crash 20 years ago to be erected outside their official London home, their office said on Saturday. Diana, the first wife of the brother's father the heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, was killed when the limousine carrying her and her lover Dodi al-Fayed crashed in a Paris tunnel in August 1997. William was 15 and Harry was 12 at the time. "It has been 20 years since our mother's death and the time is right to recognise her positive impact in the UK and around the world with a permanent statue," William, 34, said in a statement. The princes have formed a committee to advise on the sculptor and to raise private funds to pay for the statue which will be located in a public garden at Kensington Palace. Work on the statue will begin soon and it is hoped that the statue will be unveiled before the end of the year, the statement from their office said. The first permanent memorial to her, a 210-metre (689-foot) long fountain was unveiled in Hyde Park in 2004 after years of bureaucratic wrangling and squabbling over the design. It had to be closed down a number of times after its opening and a committee of lawmakers later said it was "ill-conceived and ill-executed". William announced earlier this month that he would move into Kensington Palace with his wife Kate and children, George and Charlotte, from his current home in eastern England when he gives up his job as an air ambulance pilot to focus on royal duties full-time later this year. (Reuters)

UK princes commission statue to honour late mother Princess Diana