Princes William and Harry announce Princess Diana's statue will be installed next year

Princes William and Harry came together to announce that their mother Princess Diana's long-awaited statue will be installed next year. The announcement was made by Kensington Palace on behalf of the royal siblings on Friday, three days prior to the Princess of Wales' 23rd death anniversary.

Prince Harry, 35, shifted to Los Angeles with his wife Meghan Markle, 39, and their son Archie Harrison in March. The couple stepped down as senior members of the British royal family the same time.

This is the first time, a rare occasion when Prince William, 38, and his younger brother Harry have come together in memory of their mother. They released a joint statement saying that Diana's statue will be installed on what would have been her 60th birthday — July 1, 2021, BBC reports. The statue will stand in the garden of their mother's former home, Kensington Palace, and help people "reflect on her life and legacy."

The announcement comes from the Kensington Palace offices of William and his wifeKate Middleton, just three days before what will be the 23rd anniversary of Diana's death in 1997 – Monday, Aug. 31.

Plans for the statue were first announced in February 2017. The year also marked 20 years since Diana died in a car crash in Paris. She was just 36 at that time.

The statue was "commissioned to mark the twentieth anniversary of her death and recognize her positive impact in the UK and around the world. The statue will be installed in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace on 1st July 2021, marking The Princess's 60th birthday," the palace statement said. "The Princes hope that the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on their mother's life and her legacy," the statement added.

William and Harry commissioned Ian Rank-Broadley for the statue after consultations with senior officials and friends. He is thesculptor behind the image of their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II on all British coins since 1998.

Royal sources said that the installation of the statue has been delayed because of the COVID-19 health crisis. They added that design stages had been progressing well.

Initially, William and Harry formed a committee including Diana's sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale and their former chief of staff, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, to help find a suitable designer and concept.

In December 2017, when he was chosen Rank-Broadley said: "It is my sole and highest intention to fulfil the expectations of Their Royal Highnesses in creating a lasting and fitting memorial to their late mother Diana, Princess of Wales."