Prince William, Harry Have Chosen Ian Rank-Broadley For Princess Diana’s Statue 

London: Prince William and Prince Harry have announced the name of a sculptor, whose portrait of the Queen appears on UK coins, to make a statue of their mother Princess Diana, according to a news report.

Newly engaged Harry and expectant father William revealed in January that they had commissioned the statue of their mother, 20 years on from her death. They have selected artist Ian Rank-Broadley to carry out the work, expected to be unveiled in the grounds of Kensington Palace in 2019, Guardian reported.

Diana suffered fatal injuries when the car in which she was travelling crashed in a tunnel in Paris on August 31, 1997. She was 36. "We have been touched by the kind words and memories so many people have shared about our mother over these past few months," the brothers said in a joint statement.

"It is clear the significance of her work is still felt by many in the UK and across the world, even 20 years after her death," it said. "Ian is an extremely gifted sculptor and we know that he will create a fitting and lasting tribute to our mother," it said.

Rank-Broadley's most recognised work is his depiction of the monarch, which has been on all coins in the UK and Commonwealth since 1998. More recently, his bronze work depicting the realities of war became the focal point of the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire, when it opened in 2007. (PTI)