The memorial, the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, is a futuristic waterway in the form of a circle. It was designed by American Kathryn Gustafson, is made from over 500 pieces of Cornish granite and has taken 32 weeks to build. The costs have mounted to £3.6 million, £600,000 over budget.
It is seven years since the princess died tragically young in a car crash in a Paris underpass. Since then a memorial has been dogged by controversy with members of the committee designated to organise it deadlocked over the design. In the end the Government had to force a decision upon it.
Kathryn Gustafson has dismissed criticism of the design. Some people have likened it to a power station outlet and others have said that it lacks grandeur. Gustafson and her supporters say that it represents Diana's life and character with the way it ebbs and flows and with the turbulence seen in stretches of the watercourse.
More controversy and speculation have attended the opening ceremony. This is the first occasion since Diana's funeral when the Royal Family and the Spencers, the Princess's family, have been seen in public together. Those who remember the funeral will remember that Earl Spencer was very critical of the way his sister was treated by royalty. The event went smoothly and members of the two families were seen chatting amicably to each other. Significantly the Queen said that she was opening the memorial "on behalf of Charles, William, Harry and all my family and of all the Spencer family with us today".
"Of course there were difficult times, but memories mellow with the passing of the years."
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain is a memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales. It was designed to express Diana's spirit and love of children.[1] It is located in the southwest corner of Hyde Park in London, just south of the Serpentine Lake and east of the Serpentine Gallery. Its cornerstone was laid in September 2003 and it was officially opened on 6 July 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II. Also present were Diana's younger brother Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, her ex-husband Prince Charles, and her sons William and Harry.[2]
The Area of the Memorial Fountain
The fountain was designed by Kathryn Gustafson, an American landscape artist, and cost £3.6 million. Ms. Gustafson said she had wanted the fountain, which was built to the south of the Serpentine, to be accessible and to reflect Diana's "inclusive" personality. Ms. Gustafson told the BBC "Above all I hope that it provides a fitting memorial for the princess and does credit to the amazing person that she was."[3]
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