Diana’s statue

Its awful - end of. She looks dull and lifeless, not to mention too manly and older than she really was. Marble would have been far better to represent her than outdated bronze. They should also have chosen a female sculptor who would likely have made a more sympathic sculpture of another woman. And why on earth the three random children? She is not Mother Theresa! The outfit looks dreadful - I know it was based on something she actually wore but it looks awful in bronze. Diana was known for being fashion forward - I find it hard to believe her sons approved this sculpture, Harry in particular.

I know it s a small thing but what gets me most is she’s not looking at any of the children who are definitely not nursery aged children the girl looks 10/11 with a teenagers face the boy looks about 8/9 The other one looks about 9 too strangely dressed for children with no shoes ?
If it was to depict her nursery years she’d probably be sitting with one 3/4 year old in her lap, one leaning on her and Dianas arm around one or other of them and her face bent down looking with love at them

This is cold and hard not a scrap of emotion or love in it

Surely the sons saw all the prototypes drawings along the way and could have said no at any time even when it was finished

It is pretty awful but, as I understand it, they like it and paid for it. It's good that people can't get to it and cover it in flowers and teddy bears. So we must be grateful.

Perhaps it should have been done by Anthony Gormley, then it would have been interesting.

I think Diana deserved better than this mawkish ugly lump of metal. She looks very masculine in this statue too. Pity.

Total waste of money. Hope it was not mine! Never did like Diana in the first place.

I thought it was very disappointing. She had so many beautiful photos. Especially those with her boys. Why not choose one of those to work from. It just doesn't capture her spirit at all. It's dull.

I wonder what Harry and William really think of it? It's a pity it doesn't depict her with her arms round her sons, think they could have done with that just now!

I think there's actually three children, the third is standing to the rear of Diana.

When you notice that a lot of young women today are very similar build/height, slim, long hair, beautiful, you may think that is nature or nurture ie evolution or trends. Generally they all look alike. I think the sculptor was trying to make a timeless image of todays woman. Unfortunately, by doing that he completely missed the beauty, the initial shyness but then gaining confidence of a woman who glowed with humanity. I was so disappointed with the statue, my first thought was 'butch'. In fact on Platells People page in todays Mail on Saturday, she hit the nail on the head when she said it looked like an east european shot-putter. I think the OP said they didn't like the colour of the statue. That is the colour of the natural patina of bronze, sometimes done artificially to make it look a though it's been there years. I can be rather biased about this as we have an award winning sculptor in the family who does incredible figurative work that actually looks like the subject. I can't believe H&W's statue took four years to complete.

I reckon I could do better with a dollop of plasticine.

I would have enjoyed seeing that MissAdventure particularly the unveiling.

We should stage a competition and unveiling day.
The most unusual diana likeness made from anything we like.

I think it's a bit naff. It would have been better also to have had her two actual sons rather than just generic children.

It doesn’t do Diana justice. She looks too hard and masculine.

Those children are late for school, she is determined to get them there and forgot to put their shoes on.

I was hugely disappointed with this to be honest, wasn't what I was expecting at all - this does not depict her at her best but, as long as the royals are happy

Do not see any resemblance at all. Two random children. She was a very attractive woman. Why not a statue showing that with her her own two lovely boys as they were when she died?

I think it is awfull tbh.
It would be intersting to hear what William and Harry truly thought about it.
But that won`t happen.

love0c

Do not see any resemblance at all. Two random children. She was a very attractive woman. Why not a statue showing that with her her own two lovely boys as they were when she died?

There are three children not two. Presumably Prince William and Prince Harry didn't want to be included, they approved it they commissioned it, if they wanted to be there then they would be.

MissAdventure

I reckon I could do better with a dollop of plasticine.

Go on then.

Callistemon

Those children are late for school, she is determined to get them there and forgot to put their shoes on.

She does look very preoccupied about something

mrswoo

You've got to feel a bit sorry for the sculpter- it was never going to be an easy commission. Having said that; I think the statue is pretty awful.
Everything is wrong with it: it lacks "warmth" and makes Diana look like a lumpy Amazon herding a bunch of bored kids off to school before she rushes off to spend a day in the office.

I think that’s a very apt description.?

I think the children represent her love for all humanity especially the underprivileged hence no shoes.

MissAdventure

We should stage a competition and unveiling day.
The most unusual diana likeness made from anything we like.

Good idea, let’s use plastic bottles and the insides of loo rolls to show a green agenda!
Also some old blu tack I found in a drawer, a bit fluffy but still usable.

It astonishes me how people are so quick to say, not just that they don't like the memorial statue, but that it is horrible!

When you, perhaps, place a memorial stone on your loved one's grave, how will you feel when everyone looks at it and says "yeugh" that's awful, it doesn't honour him/her in any way.

This memorial was what the family agreed to, they believe it is a picture of Diana's character, her caring side. I am sure they did not want a shiny mirror image which only demonstrated her looks. This statue will remain for possibly hundreds of years - it has a lot to say to us, now, and others in the future.