In 2017, Prince William and Prince Harry announced that a statue to mark the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death — and all the amazing work their mother did — will be placed in Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden on July 1, 2021.

But a lot has transpired since then, with Harry and Meghan Markle taking aim at the royals in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, shocking many people both inside and outside the family. According to The Royal Observer, tensions are at an all-time peak as the summer ceremony looms — and Harry has several significant demands.

“Harry is demanding that Meghan be part of the official ceremony. She will not be able to attend in person because of the couple’s second child, but Harry is pushing to have a comments prepared by Meghan included in the event or a video message featuring his wife released to the media the same day the brothers unveil the statue,” a source told The Royal Observer.

And if Harry’s expectations are not met, the family worries that he will do the “unthinkable” and fail to attend.

“It is very possible that Harry does not return to the U.K. for the event,” the source adds. “The cold shoulder Harry received at Prince Philip’s funeral is not helping. Harry was rattled not only by his family’s reaction but also by the negative media coverage he received during his short stay. Now he may bow out of the upcoming trip all together.”

Before Harry and Meghan shared the big news of baby number two, it was reported that the pair, along with son Archie, will both be in attendance in August 2020. The arrival of their daughter would provide them with a convenient reason to remain in the United States.

“The design on the statue was signed off by William and Harry. And even after Harry left the U.K., he was kept up to date on the progress and received photos of the work taking place. What is happening now would break Diana’s heart,” a friend told The Royal Observer.

“Diana loved spending time in the gardens at Kensington Palace. It was her refuge and sanctuary. She would cut flowers from the garden for her desk. Her two boys picked the perfect place for the statue, now let’s hope they both are there when it is unveiled.”

Separate Speeches

When the memorial is publicly unveiled in July, there will be no joint address, indicating the continuing conflict between the once-close siblings.

A source previously told The Sun: “They will both move heaven and earth to be there.

“They commissioned the statue together. It is very important for them.

“There is, of course, hope the memory of Diana can repair their relationship but that seems a long way off right now.

“The brothers will be physically together for the ceremony but want to make their own personal addresses.

“You might have thought they’d go for a joint statement and speech but that’s not the case.

“Each has insisted on preparing their own.

“It is a big concern that their body language will suggest all is not well and they won’t present a united front.”

Now or Never

If the unveiling of Diana’s statue in the summer does not bring Prince William and Harry together, “nothing will” according to a royal author.

However, there are concerns that Harry would not return from his home in the United States for the memorial, since the two brothers have become deeply estranged after the Sussexes abruptly declared their retirement as senior royals last year.

Royal author Duncan Larcombe believes that the monument is the only real thing that can get the two once-close brothers closer.

“The plan for the Diana statue, William and Harry hatched up in happier times. I think it goes back three plus years,” he told The Sun.

“If that statue unveiling doesn’t bring them together, nothing will.

“When the boys were sitting down hatching that plan, it would be utterly unthinkable to both of them that they’d have a falling out and it would make things awkward.”