London’s Harrods to remove ‘tacky’ Diana and Dodi statue
Mohamed Al Fayed commissioned the bronze statue, which shows his son and Diana holding hands and releasing a bird, after they were killed in a Paris car crash in 1997
A statue of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi Fayed that has been widely described as “tacky” will be removed from Harrods.
The bronze sculpture of the couple, who died in a car crash in Paris two decades ago, has been on display at the west London department store since 2005.
It was commissioned by Mohamed Al Fayed, who owned Harrods at the time but sold it to the Qatar Investment Authority in 2010.
The store’s boss, Michael Ward, said it was now time to return the statue given that princes William and Harry had commissioned their own tribute to their mother 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,” Ward said.
It was not clear when it would be removed from the basement of Harrods, or whether Fayed would seek to keep the statue on public display.