fury as neglected Princess Diana statue snubbed kwa Queen turns green with algae 

Fury as neglected Princess Diana statue snubbed by Queen turns green with algae

Butcher Phil King said: "It looks like she\'s turning into the princess from the Shrek films, not the People\'s Princess we all knew and loved."

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Disrespect: The statue of the People's Princess is a shadow of its former self

A statute of Princess Diana that was once snubbed by the Queen has turned green with algae after years of neglect.

The statue, which was black and white when it was first unveiled 15 years ago, had been attacked by algae and moss to the point that it is now almost unrecognisable.

Carved from Indian granite, the sculpture was initially destined to be the centrepiece for a burial art exhibition but was removed after complaints by Earl Spencer.

Stonemason Andrew Walsh sculpted the statue with a view of presenting it to the people of his home town of Walsall, West Midlands.

But its official unveiling was scrapped after the town\'s mayor branded it "demonic" and "bizarre" while a local MP said it "looked more like Diana Ross."

Outcry: The statue is streaked with algae and moss

Later, the statue was set to be erected in a new bus station, but the Queen refused permission for it to be displayed.

Mr Walsh removed the veneer from the £10,000 figure in a failed bid to lighten the statue and win public approval.

Eventually it ended up outside the funeral directors run by its creator, who normally carves tombstones.

Members of the public are outraged that the already controverial image of a national treasure had been allowed to fall into such disrepair, with green growth on the hair and bust.

Writing on a local Facebook group, Walsall resident Sue Bunch said: "The statue is vile. Not a bit like Princess Diana and I saw her for real when she attended a local opening. She was lovely when I met her."

Sheila Emery said: "It was demonic when first appeared and when altered it is awful."

Original: The statue was dubbed demonic when it was unveiled at the NEC in Birmingham

Others have said it appears more like her image is turning into Princess Fiona from the film Shrek.

Dad-of-two Michael Hawes, 50, from Walsall, who shared pictures on social media of the ageing statue,said: "It just looks so grim.

Read more: Diana\'s legacy: No fitting statue or memorial but the People\'s Princess lives on through William and Harry

"Nobody was really a huge fan of the black Diana but its a bit of a local landmark here and should be looked after.

"It has gone from black to white to green."

Butcher Phil King, from Pelsall, Walsall, added: "Allowing the statue to get into such a sorry state just insults the memory of Diana.

Outrage: The green statue has been compared to Princess Fiona from Shrek

"It has never looked any good but now it is depressing. It is such a shame and it looks disgusting and absolutely nothing like her.

"It looks like she\'s turning into the princess from the Shrek films, not the People\'s Princess we all knew and loved."

The funeral home has since responded to the complaints and said they have now cleaned the statue.

Jacey Campbell of Strongs Memorials, part of Andrew Walsh Funerals, said: "Moss build up will always be an issue with natural carved granite stone but we always endeavour to clean it off as often as we can.

Dislike: The "Black Diana" statue was refused royal approval by the Queen after being toned down

"We are pleased to be able to announce that she has now been cleaned, so that she can once more be admired by the community."

Richard Worrall, a Walsall councillor, said: "I think it deserves prominence somewhere in the borough, but where it is now is not exactly prominent.

"There was a sort of wave of emotion at the time, but now that\'s died down, it\'s a bit of okay public art and we don\'t do too well on public art in Walsall. I think it deserves display.

"At the time I did a consultation and there as a very sizeable majority who wanted it on public display.

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