This Saturday, July 1st marks Princess Diana’s would-be 56th birthday.
And in a touching tribute Kensington Palace have confirmed Prince William and Prince Harry will head to their mother’s resting place at her family home, Althorp House in Northamptonshire, to re-dedicate her grave.
“The service, which will fall on what would have been the Princess’s birthday, will be conducted by The Archbishop of Canterbury and attended by her family,” a statement from the palace explained.
Diana’s sons will be joined by Duchess Catherine, Prince George and Princess Charlotte and it’s believed the service will be lead by the Princess of Wales’ brother, Earl Charles Spencer.
A re-dedication ceremony involves prayers, readings and an address from a minister – in this case, The Archbishop of Canterbury.
Following the 36-year-old’s public funeral in London on September 6, 1997, the princess was taken back to a private island on the grounds of Althorp Park, which Charles Spencer resides in.
At the time, her brother explained it would be her final hope for peace in a secluded location away from the world’s prying eyes.
In 2014, Diana’s former chef Darren McGrady took to social media exposing photos of the overgrown burial site covered in moss.
“Sad to see Earl Spencer has neglected Diana’s resting place. Please tidy up the vegetation on the island,” he said at the time.
However a spokesperson for Althorp hit back at the claims saying that the overgrown nature of the grave was “part of the ancient landscape over time” and said they had left it that way to “lend privacy to the Princess’s final resting place.”
Since then, it has undergone refurbishments.
Now more than ever Prince William and Prince Harry have opened up about their immeasurable loss.
Most recently Harry slammed the palace’s decision to let him walk behind Diana’s coffin at her funeral.
“My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television,” he told Newsweek. Adding: “I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances.”
While William admitted to GQ how much it pains him that Diana isn’t around to meet his wife and children.