Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden filled with 4,000 flowers ahead of statue unveiling

Princess Diana’s memorial statue will be surrounded by thousands of flowers that have significant meaning to the late Princess.

• Princess Diana’s memorial statue will be placed in the Kensington Palace Sunken Gardens.
• The statue is surrounded by many flowers that pay respect to the late Princess.
• In other royal news, Princess Diana's statue unveiling guest list reveals surprising link to Meghan Markle.

A statue of Princess Diana is set to be unveiled to mark what would have been her 60th birthday. The statue will be situated in the Sunken Gardens at Kensington Palace, which has been planted with thousands of flowers to commemorate the Princess.

It has also been revealed that there are sentimental reasons behind the flowers that have been planted in the garden. The flowers planted include Princess Diana's favorite flowers, forget-me-nots, ballerina roses, which she loved as a child, and a specific variety of sweet peas called Spencers, which bloom at Althorp House. 

The garden has also been planted with lavender and the 'Diana's Memory' breed of dahlias which were created in tribute to the Princess following her death.

The garden redesign was commissioned by Prince Harry and Prince William and the new layout was created by garden designer Pip Morrison. The statue itself was designed and crafted by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley. 

The redesign began in October 2019 and since then, there have been five gardeners who spending around 1,000 hours planting the 4,000 flowers in the garden. 

Pip Morrison stated about this design, “This has been a very special project to work on, as the Sunken Garden was a favorite place of Diana, Princess of Wales."

He continued to say, "We have worked carefully to ensure that the new layout and planting scheme complements the statue, providing a calming place for people who visit Kensington Palace to remember The Princess."

The deputy head of gardens and estates at Historic Royal Palaces, Graham Dillamore, confirmed in a statement that PRincess Diana was very fond of this place. 

He said, “While she was in residence at Kensington Palace, Diana, Princess of Wales regularly admired the changing floral displays in the Sunken Garden and would always stop to talk with me and the other gardeners who cared for it.”

Fans loved the sentimental reasons behind the flowers that have been planted and many took to social media to share their delight. One fan commented, “Gosh it must be breathtaking,” another said, “Beautiful - perfect choices.”

The unveiling will take place on Thursday 1st July 2021 at a private event that has been restricted for public access. 

Kate Middleton and the Cambridge children will share a private moment with Prince William ahead of Diana’s memorial unveiling and will not attend this unveiling. 

Prince William and Prince Harry will both be in attendance and will reunite to pay tribute to their late mother.