William and Harry Unveil Statue of Diana

The Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex unveiled a statue in honour of their late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales on July 1st which would have been her sixtieth birthday. The statue was placed in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace. Her brother, Charles, Earl Spencer and her sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, were also in attendance.

1000th Garter Knight Honours Mummy

A rare request has been granted to Prince William when he was installed as the 1000th knight of the Order of Garter last month. William honoured his late mother with a red scallop being placed on his crest design for his chair stall in St. George’s Chapel. The sculptor of the crest, Ian Brennan, praised William for the unusual request and said, “it is a really nice gesture that Prince William has acknowledged his late mother in the design. It is also fairly unusual in royal circles.”

Diana died on August 31, 1997. Last summer, he and his brother, Prince Harry paid tribute to their mother at a concert with the sales from the tickets going to charity.

The Telegraph.co.uk article, Prince William's tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, can be read here.

Belgian's Princess Astrid Participates in Mine Ban Convention

Before her untimely death in August 1997, Diana, the Princess of Wales, reached out to the victims of land mine explosions in Angola and Bosnia despite drawing political controversy with her humanitarian efforts.

Since that time, The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction was established on September 18, 1997. That same year on December 3rd, the Convention of Ottawa was signed by representatives exceeding 100 states “thereby expressing their determination to put an end to the suffering and casualties caused by anti-personnel mines.”

It is not a forgotten cause. The Convention is celebrating its 10th anniversary and 155 states have gathered in Jordan to continue the work of banning land mines. As part of the Belgian delegation, King Albert’s daughter, Princess Astrid, departed for Amman yesterday to take part in the Eighth Meeting of the States Parties Mine Ban Convention. She was greeted by Prince Miraad Bin Raad upon her arrival. The convention is set for November 18th to November 22nd. This is the first time that the convention has met in the Middle East. In a letter greeting to the delegates of the convention, Prince Miraad reminded them of their commitment to ridding the world of land mines and wrote: “It will be a time for all States Parties to reflect upon what they have achieved in the last decade and what still remains to be completed. In general, great progress has been made in ridding the world of anti-personnel mines yet many challenges remain. As States Parties, we must maintain our stamina and not lose sight of our ultimate goal... that of a 'mine free world.' To this end, mine affected countries must wholeheartedly recommit themselves to this cause and donor interest must be sustained in the long term.”

Photo: Petra