What if? Yes… What if? If Diana, Princess of Wales, had not had an accident in Paris and had not otherwise survived unharmed to this day?

Then she would be celebrating her 60th birthday today. Probably with her sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren. They would have put aside their quarrels for a few hours, only to get into trouble with each other late in the evening in a tipsy state, as is always the case at family gatherings.

But the family quarrel described above is cancelled, because the princess tragically died in a car accident in 1997. Which is why her sons William and Harry unveiled a memorial statue of their mother today in Sunken Gardens, part of Kensington Palace gardens.

The bronze statue was created by artist Ian Rank-Broadley and shows Diana surrounded by three children. According to the British newspaper The Independent, these are meant to represent the generational influence of her work. The artwork honours Diana’s last phase of life, in which she was an ambassador for humanitarian causes such as the Anti Landmine Initiative.

But back to the initial question: What if? And there is only one thing that comes to mind when I look at the memorial statue: The statue would not have been necessary. William and Harry have put a lot of time, money and commitment into this project over the past few years and unfortunately this leads me to the question: was it worth it?

Diana is still one of the most famous people in the world and we probably all remember exactly what we did when we learned of her death. She has become a myth. Admired, revered and unforgotten. She shook the British monarchy to its foundations and changed it too. However, this artwork does not do her justice.

Diana was not a progressive woman who had revolutionary ideas. Nevertheless, she has used her influence to make a difference and support women, children, people living with HIV and many others. That was progressive about her. Even if that seems strange from today’s perspective. But in the 1980s it was just not usual for a member of the Royal Family to turn up at a hospice and shake hands with an AIDS patient.

I also wonder: where was Kate in the development process? She is, after all, an art historian and could have advised creating something dignified and great. It doesn’t seem to have happened.

But maybe this just reflects the helplessness of the two princes. It seems as if they are still walking behind their dead mother’s coffin with sad, childlike, naïve memories. They meant well. But they have unfortunately not created a dignified and progressive memorial.