ダイアナ元妃像、ウィリアム・ヘンリー両王子が除幕　母を共に追悼

【ロンドンＡＦＰ＝時事】英ロンドンにあるケンジントン宮殿の庭園で１日、故ダイアナ元皇太子妃の生誕６０周年に合わせ、元妃の像がお披露目され、兄弟間の確執が取りざたされている長男ウィリアム王子（３９）と次男ヘンリー王子（３６）が共に除幕を行った。（写真は英ロンドンにあるケンジントン宮殿の庭園で、故ダイアナ元皇太子妃像の除幕を行うウィリアム王子＜左＞とヘンリー王子）
　両王子が共に公の場に姿を見せたのは、４月に執り行われた祖父フィリップ殿下の葬儀以来。両王子は珍しく共同名義で出した談話で、「母の６０歳の誕生日であったはずのきょう、私たちは母の愛と強さ、人格を追憶している。母はこうした資質により、世界中の善に向けた力となり、数えきれない人々の生活を向上させた」と表明。「私たちは毎日、母が今も生きていればよいと思っており、この像が母の人生と遺産を象徴するものとして永遠に受け止められることを願う」と述べた。
　除幕式は新型コロナウイルス流行の影響で簡素に行われ、元妃の弟スペンサー伯爵らごく少数が出席。メディア関係者の参加も制限された。ヘンリー王子は以前からメディアによるプライバシー侵害を批判し、複数の報道機関に対する法的措置も取っており、除幕式での報道機関制限は王子の強い要望によるものだったとも伝えられている。
　１９９７年に仏パリで事故死したダイアナ元妃の葬儀で母のひつぎの後ろを歩く姿が印象的だった両王子は、一時はそれぞれの妻キャサリン妃とメーガン妃と共に、王室を近代化し若者世代にアピールする存在と受け止められ、「ファブ・フォー」と呼ばれていた。
　しかし、親密だった関係はその後、目に見えて悪化。ヘンリー王子は２０１９年、テレビのインタビューでウィリアム王子との不仲説について問われ、「異なる道を歩んでいる」と明かした。ヘンリー王子夫妻は２０２０年に英王室を離脱し、現在は米国に暮らしている。夫妻は、王室での息の詰まる暮らしで心の健康を害したと訴えている。
　英王室関係者の伝記を手掛ける作家ロバート・レイシー氏は、王室では「王位継承者とその兄弟」の確執は珍しくないが、ウィリアム王子とヘンリー王子の対立は数世代さかのぼっても「ここまで深刻なものはなかった」ほどだと指摘。今回の除幕式は、王子兄弟の関係修復に向けた重要な第一歩となるとの見方も出ている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/07/02-14:11）

Princes William and Harry set aside their differences on Thursday to unveil a new statue of their mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday.
The brothers took the wraps off the bronze likeness in the sunken garden of Diana's former London home at Kensington Palace, in a stripped-back ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Today, on what would have been our mother's 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character ?- qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better, they said in a statement.
Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy.
The rare joint statement was a public show of togetherness after strained ties between the brothers since Harry's wedding to the US former television actress Meghan Markle.
Their once close relationship has visibly soured, amid allegations by Meghan of bullying and the couple's shock move to the United States, which was followed by claims of royal racism.
William, 39, and Harry, 36, were last seen together at the funeral of their grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip, after his death in April.
Royal commentators have said their reunion to pay tribute to Diana could be a vital first step in healing the rift, which one biographer called the most serious in generations.
The pared-down ceremony was attended by only a handful of guests, including Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, and her two sisters, Sarah McCorquodale and Jane Fellowes.
Media attendance was limited, reportedly at the insistence of Harry, who has criticised intrusive reporting and taken legal action against a string of publications.
The brothers -- dressed in dark suits -- were seen smiling and chatting to guests, including the sculptor, Ian Rank-Broadley, and garden designer Pip Morrison.
The garden has been planted with more than 4,000 flowers, including Diana's favourite, Forget-me-nots.
- 'Warmth, elegance, energy' -
The siblings smiled as they took the wraps off the statue of Diana, depicted in the later years of her life, surrounded by three children.
Kensington Palace said it aimed to reflect Diana's warmth, elegance and energy. The children represent the universality and generational impact of her work, it added.
Diana died aged 36 in 1997, in a high-speed Paris car crash. She remains an enduring source of fascination.
On Tuesday, her 1981 Ford Escort -- an engagement present from Prince Charles -- was sold at auction to a South American museum for over £50,000 ($69,000, 58,000 euros).
As young boys, the brothers provided the enduring image from Diana's funeral, as they walked, heads bowed, behind her coffin past hushed crowds in central London.
When they assumed more royal duties as adults, they shared household staff and frequently appeared together to promote mutual causes, many of which were championed by their mother.
For a time, the brothers and their wives were dubbed The Fab Four, seen as modernising the royal family and making it more appealing to a younger generation.
But Harry and Meghan's departure, their very public claims earlier this year about the suffocating nature of royal life, and personal criticisms, have created bad blood.
- 'Football chat' -
Harry had confirmed rumours that he and William had fallen out in a 2019 television interview, revealing that they were on different paths.
The former British Army captain has been seen as more impulsive than his elder brother, who is second-in-line to the throne.
Most pointedly, he and Meghan, who is mixed race, accused an unnamed senior royal of racism, claiming the relative had asked what colour skin their unborn son, Archie, would have.
As the royal family promised an investigation, and focus turned to diversity in the palace, William shot back to declare: We are very much not a racist family.
At Prince Philip's funeral, Harry and William were seen talking after the service at Windsor Castle. But there have been little indication since of any thaw in the frosty ties.
Harry, who flew in from California last week, was pictured in British newspapers attending a charity event for sick children on Wednesday.
The Daily Mail also quoted an unnamed royal source as saying the brothers had been in contact about England's win over Germany in the European football championships.