Diana, Princess of Wales, would have turned 60 years old on Thursday. The British royal, whose tragic death in August 1997 was mourned by millions worldwide, was known for her progressive approach to her role and her humanitarian work.
On Thursday, a statue of Diana will be revealed at Kensington Palace to mark her birthday. The unveiling will be attended by Prince Harry and Prince William, marking the first time the brothers will appear together since the death of their grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, in April.
The man behind the much-awaited statue – which was commissioned by the princes in 2017 – is Ian Rank-Broadley.
Rank-Broadley is a figurative sculptor whose professional career spans 35 years. He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London from 1974 to 1976 and was awarded the Boise Scholarship to Italy in 1977.
Working out of his studio in Gloucestershire, he has created public commissions at the Armed Forces Memorial (AFM) and National Memorial Arboretum.
His large bronze sculpture The Stretcher Bearers at the AFM borrows from the classical Greek mythology of Patroclus, though translated to depict the grief and loss of modern warfare.
The work shows a dying Patroclus, once a wartime figure and friend to Achilles, being carried on a stretcher by his comrades.
Rank-Broadley is also the artist behind the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, which has been used on the coinage of the UK and Commonwealth since 1998. He also created the Gold Sovereign, a bullion coin showing a bust of the British monarch.
“The making of images has been central to my life. From an early age a compulsion to render in three dimensions has been imperative. The art of creating an image, shaman-like, which would posses qualities that exist in real life translated into a permanent state, was of immense importance to me,” the artist writes on his website.
Throughout his career, Rank-Broadley has mostly created architectural and monumental pieces, some of political figures and religious figures. Working predominantly with bronze, he has also created granite and fibreglass pieces.
He is the recipient of numerous awards, including from Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council, which granted him prizes in 2000 and 2002, as well as the Marsh Award for Public Sculpture in 2008.
The unveiling ceremony of Rank-Broadley's Princess Diana statue will be attended by members of Diana’s close family, as well as the artist.
The statue will stand in Kensington Palace’s Sunken Garden, which has recently been redesigned. The BBC reported that more than 4,000 flowers have been planted for the project, which took 1,000 hours to complete.
Kensington Palace told the BBC the Sunken Garden had been “one of the princess's favourite locations” during her time there.
Located in London’s Hyde Park, the garden will be open to the public starting Friday.
All about the Sevens
Cape Town Sevens on Saturday and Sunday: Pools A – South Africa, Kenya, France, Russia; B – New Zealand, Australia, Spain, United States; C – England, Scotland, Argentina, Uganda; D – Fiji, Samoa, Canada, Wales
HSBC World Sevens Series standing after first leg in Dubai 1 South Africa; 2 New Zealand; 3 England; 4 Fiji; 5 Australia; 6 Samoa; 7 Kenya; 8 Scotland; 9 France; 10 Spain; 11 Argentina; 12 Canada; 13 Wales; 14 Uganda; 15 United States; 16 Russia
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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More coverage from the Future Forum
More on Quran memorisation:
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The years Ramadan fell in May
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Challenge Cup result:
1. UAE 3 faults
2. Ireland 9 faults
3. Brazil 11 faults
4. Spain 15 faults
5. Great Britain 17 faults
6. New Zealand 20 faults
7. Italy 26 faults
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
