Why Won't Prince Charles Be In Attendance At Diana's Statue Unveiling?

Princess Diana's statue unveiling is set for July 1, and her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, will be in attendance — but with a twist. Due to their rumored feud, the brothers will make separate speeches, according to The Sun. "The brothers will be physically together for the ceremony but want to make their own personal addresses. You might have thought they'd go for a joint statement and speech but that's not the case. Each has insisted on preparing their own," a source told the outlet.

It seemed they were on the right path after they were spotted chatting at Prince Philip's funeral, but that did not repair the situation between them. "They will both move heaven and earth to be there. They commissioned the statue together. It is very important for them. There is, of course, hope the memory of Diana can repair their relationship but that seems a long way off right now," the source added.

The big question on everyone's mind is if Prince Charles will attend the statue unveiling. Keep reading for more details.

Prince Charles will be noticeably absent during the July 1 unveiling of Princess Diana's statue, according to Page Six. A source told the UK Times (via Page Six) that Charles would rather stay out of the public eye for this event. "He does find it terribly difficult," according to the source. "These moments have the potential to resurface old wounds, and it brings back memories for him; happy, sad, regretful. Since Diana's death, he has felt it's best to keep those memories to himself and leave his sons to it."

This isn't the first time Charles skipped out on an event honoring Diana, according to Metro. On July 1, 2017, there was a service at Diana's grave, but Charles was reportedly in Canada. He will apparently be in Scotland when the statue is unveiled. Coronavirus restrictions seemingly put a damper on the guest list and Kate Middleton will be absent from the event as well. Meghan Markle is also bowing out since she recently welcomed her second child, Lilibet.

Though Princess Diana's statue unveiling no doubt stirs up painful memories for Prince Charles, he may be skipping out on the occasion for reasons beyond past regrets over his ex-wife. According to SheKnows, "It's been an exhausting year with the loss of Prince Philip, the constant royal headlines and the ongoing pandemic — it might be easier for Charles to take a breath and throw himself into his work." Not to mention, Diana was reportedly most similar to Prince Harry in temperament, while Charles has "never been the most outwardly affectionate individual" (via SheKnows). In the wake of Harry's royal rift with the rest of his family, his similarities with his mother will be on full display at the statue unveiling and may present emotional difficulty for Prince Charles. 

When Harry and Meghan Markle launched their Archewell Foundation in 2020, they did so with the tagline, "I am my mother's son. And I am our son's mother" (via Town & Country). The blurb was accompanied by a photo of young Harry sitting on Princess Diana's shoulders, a touching tribute that underscores Harry's close relationship with his late mother. As SheKnows notes, "The Duke of Sussex might be a constant reminder to Charles about his ex, and a day that is in her honor could trigger some mixed emotions and allow those recollections to come flooding back." Speaking of mixed emotions, what would Diana think of Harry's split from the family?

Per Page Six, Princes Harry and William first fell out when Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from the monarchy and moved stateside. In a 2019 interview, Harry further distanced himself from his brother by revealing the two were "on different paths," something which would have reportedly upset Diana. "Diana said to me quite clearly on several occasions that she saw Harry as the wingman for William in what would be a very solitary, somber job as future king," royal biographer Andrew Morton revealed to Page Six in June. He added, "She would have been very upset at the way these two have split apart." 

In April, Morton also appeared on talkRadio and expressed that Diana would not have approved of Harry openly criticizing his family members, because she believed he "is supposed to be there [for William] as a back up in the nicest possible way" (via Express). That said, the once-inseparable duo are still bonded for life based on the unique experiences they've shared growing up together. Perhaps the statue unveiling will serve as another milestone for healing.