Picture via Twitter
The world was shocked when Princess Diana died in a tragic car crash at the age of 36. Over the years, there have been a number tributes to her life, including Elton John's 'Candle in the Wind 1997'.
One of those more controversial memorials is a statue in Harrods, commissioned by Mohammed Al-Fayed, owner of Harrods at the time. He decided to honour Diana and his son Dodi Fayed, who also died in the accident, with a bronze monument.
The piece has stood in Harrods for the past 13 years. It features the mum-of-two and her partner, Dodi, dancing underneath an albatross and an inscription that reads, 'Innocent Victims'. Some have criticised the statue for being in poor taste.
The memorial, designed by Harrods artistic designer advisor Bill Mitchell, is now being sent back to the Fayed family, Refinery 29 reports.
Mohammed sold the iconic British retailer to the Qatari Royal Family in 2010. The store's manager, Michael Ward, has shared that the monument will be returned to Dodi's family.
"We are very proud to have played our role in celebrating the lives of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Al Fayed at Harrods and to have welcomed people from around the world to visit the memorial for the past 20 years," Michael stated.
"With the announcement of the new official memorial statue to Diana, Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace, we feel that the time is right to return this memorial to Mr Al Fayed and for the public to be invited to pay their respects at the palace," he continued.
In January last year, Harry and William announced they would honour their mother's memory with a statue in Kensington Palace's public gardens. The sculpture, which will be designed by the Queen's sculptor Ian Rank-Broadly, is due to be unveiled in 2019.
The Royal Family have also paid tribute to the People's Princess with the beautiful White Garden.
As far as the returning of the Harrods statue, Dodi's billionaire father says it is the right time for the move.
"We are grateful to Qatar Holdings for preserving the Dodi and Diana memorial at Harrods until now," Mohammed's spokesperson told The Times, "It has enabled millions of people to pay their respects and remember these two remarkable people. It is now time to bring them home."
Mohammed has long been adamant that Diana and Dodi were actually murdered on Prince Philip's orders, which is why he chose such a provocative inscription. An inquest into the accident found that there was no evidence to support his claims.
