Setting their conflicts aside, Princes William and Harry on Thursday came together to uncover a new statue of their mother, Princess Diana. Had she been alive, it would have been her 60th birthday.
Taking down the cloaks, the brothers unveiled the bronze resemblance of the late Princess in the sunken garden of Diana's former London residence at Kensington Palace. The unveiling ceremony lacked guests due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The brothers in a joint statement said, "Today, on what would have been our mother's 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character -- qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better."
"Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy," it said.
This rare moment of the brothers coming together and a joint statement was a public show after strained relations between them since Harry had married the US former television actress Meghan Markle.
Their once-close bond got soured amid Meghan's allegation of bullying and the couple moved to the United States leaving that sent shocks to the world, which was followed by racism claims in the royal family.
William, 39, and Harry, 36, were last seen jointly at the funeral of their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, who died in April.
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However, it is Diana's memory that continues to unite the princes.
The statue holds immense significance as it brings out the brothers effort to portray Diana as someone who connected with the people and remodelled the monarchy, said Robert Lacey, a historian and author of Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult. While on the other hand, traditionalists had criticised her for having destroyed centuries-old traditions.
“Statues are not popular or fashionable or even politically correct things these days. So the fact that Diana, once a rebel, the Royal outcast, is being elevated with her plinth and position, says a great deal about the way the British monarchy is moving on and will be moving on," said Lacey.
Royal watchers who thought the unveiling event would give a sneak into the state of William and Harry's distorted relationship would have been disappointed. A video released after the ceremony showed the two brothers entering her garden together and then removing two ropes to uncover the statue.
Royal commentators believed that the royal brother's reunion to pay tribute to mother Diana could be a crucial step in healing the difference.
The simple ceremony had a handful of guests including Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, and her two sisters, Sarah McCorquodale and Jane Fellowes. Media was limited.
The brothers were seen wearing black suits, smiling and chatting with guests, including the sculptor, Ian Rank-Broadley, and garden designer Pip Morrison.
There are over 4,000 flowers planted in the gardens, including Diana's favourite, Forget-me-nots.
With a smile on their face, the siblings took the wraps off the statue of Diana, drawn from the latter life of the Princess, surrounded by three children.
Kensington Palace said the statue reflects Diana's "warmth, elegance and energy" and the children symbolise "the universality and generational impact" of her work, it added.
Diana was married to Prince Charles from 1981 to 1996, and died in 1997, in a high-speed Paris car crash. She was aged 36 then. Her life and personality remain a source of fascination.
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Princes William was 15-year-old and Harry was 12-year-old at the time of Diana's death.