Unpacking The Reasons Queen Elizabeth Did Not Attend Princess Diana’s Statue Unveiling

Prince Willam and his brother Harry were accompanied by some relatives during the unveiling of their mother’s statue in Kensington Palace, but the Queen was notably missing.

For months, the unveiling of Princess Diana’s statue has been on the minds of many followers and fans of the royal family. Her sons, William and Harry, planned the unveiling in honor of her 60th birthday.

Finally, the two brothers reunited yesterday for the long-awaited moment, accompanied by some relatives. However, despite being a special day, the head of the royal family was surprisingly missing. Here is why.

WHY THE QUEEN WAS ABSENT

Many royal family followers wondered why the Queen was absent at Princess Diana’s statue unveiling, with some hoping that whatever made the monarch miss the day must have been a solid reason.

According to reports, the 95-year-old was not in the spotlight yesterday, following a family decision to keep things personal and avoid making it an affair of too many family members.

The decision to not have many royal family members at the ceremony was not a last-minute decision; instead, it had been deliberated on before the occasion, and it was agreed that fewer people be gathered to avoid controversies.

Prince Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, who recently welcomed a baby girl, was another absentee. Markle stayed back in her home base in California to tend to their new daughter Lilibet who joined the family last month.

Duchess of Cambridge watched the ceremony from afar with her kids just as the Queen did. Members of the royal family said they did not want to be a distraction or allow their presence to rob Harry and William of their moment.

Several of Princess Diana’s siblings who had been at the forefront of the campaign were present at the event to support William and Harry pay respect to their late mother.

Earl Charles Spencer, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, and Lady Jane Fellowes were among those who graced the occasion. According to a royal insider, it was only fair to have those who had campaigned for the statue present at the ceremony.

The Duke of Cambridge and his brother the Duke of Sussex unveiled the statue of their late mom in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, more than two decades after a tragic car crash ended her life.

According to the insider, other members of the royal family will visit the site in the future to pay respect to Diana, but everyone wanted yesterday to be about her family.

PRINCE CHARLES COULD BE A DISTRACTION

Prince Charles and Diana endured a turbulent marriage that ended shortly before her death. Prior to the ceremony, followers of the royal family had anticipated seeing the 72-year-old grace the event despite the bad history he shared with Diana.

It was reported that the Prince of Wales had decided against being present at the event alongside his sons as he did not want to cause any undue distraction.

Prince Charles was also not present at the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death; instead, he spent some private time with his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, at Balmoral, the royal family home in Scotland.

THE QUEEN WAS IN SCOTLAND

Along with her 70-year-old daughter Princess Anne, the British monarch was in Scotland for the traditional Royal Week, where she toured the country, visiting several places in an official capacity.

This would be her first visit to Scotland since her husband, Prince Philip, died in April. Despite the void of losing the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen has continued to show strength and commitment to her duty as she relies on her family for support.