Princes William and Harry come together to unveil the statue of their mother Princess Diana

Princess Diana died aged 36 in 1997, in a car crash in Paris while she was being chased by paparazzi. She would have turned 60 on Thursday.

According to an AFP report, Kensington Palace said Diana's bronze likeness, holding the hands of young boys and girls, reflects her "warmth, elegance and energy". The children represent "the universality and generational impact" of her work, it added.

The brothers took the wraps off the statue in a ceremony with just a handful of people in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic. Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, and her two sisters, Sarah McCorquodale and Jane Fellowes were present at the event.

"Today, on what would have been our mother's 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength and character -- qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better," they said in a statement.

"Every day, we wish she were still with us, and our hope is that this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and her legacy."

The garden has been planted with more than 4,000 flowers, including Diana's favourite, Forget-me-nots, stated the report.

William, 39, and Harry, 36, were seen together last at the funeral of their paternal grandfather Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, after his death in April.

The joint statement issued by the brothers was seen as a public show of togetherness after their relationship soured following Harry's wedding to American television actress Meghan Markle, who made a series of allegations of bullying, suffocating nature of royal life, personal criticism and racism.