The remains and headstone of David Lange have been removed in “mysterious” circumstances – shocking his brother and other family members more than 20 years after the ex-Prime Minister was laid to rest. Lange, who served as Prime Minister from 1984-89, died on August 13, 2005, of renal failure and blood disease at the age of 63. His ashes were buried at Waikaraka Park Cemetery with an understated headstone inscribed “David Lange 1942 – 2005”. David Lange was the 32nd Prime Minister of New Zealand. Photo / Getty Images Widow Margaret Pope has confirmed she sought to have her late husband’s headstone taken from the Ōnehunga cemetery but is keeping quiet about where he now lies. While it is unclear when the headstone and ashes were removed, an Auckland Council spokesperson confirmed it had been “removed by the family” with “nothing suspicious around it”. The council told the Herald that ashes were removed “some time ago”, while the headstone was taken away “more recently”. The gravesite of the former Labour Party leader received occasional tributes and flowers from the public as well as his family, with brother Peter Lange visiting “late last year” to pay his respects. Peter said the headstone was at the lawn cemetery when he last visited. “I visited the grave probably three months ago. I probably go twice a year or something like that. “I remember thinking it was pretty close to the 20th anniversary of his death. “It was a nice stone, actually. A lovely stone. It was very simple and uncomplicated and just very handsome.” The headstone of former Prime Minister David Russell Lange has been removed from its plot at Waikaraka Cemetery. Photo / Anna Heath The artist and accomplished ceramicist was unaware that his sibling had been disinterred when the Herald contacted him, even visiting the graveyard to make sure for himself. Peter, who was at David’s bedside when he died, said he was disappointed to learn that his older brother was no longer resting at the cemetery. “I don’t know anything about it at all. It’s a bit upsetting,” he said. “None of the other family know about it.” He said his brother had wanted to be laid to rest near his home. “I’d rather it didn’t [get removed] because that’s where he wanted to be. One of the reasons was you could see the … house [where] they used to live. “It seemed to be acceptable to most of the family at the time, including Margaret, I would’ve thought. “It’s a bit of a mystery.” Peter Lange is a renowned ceramicist and younger brother of the late David Lange. When contacted by the Herald about the family’s surprise, Pope said: “It’s just a grave marker. And really, it is my business and not the Herald’s.” Peter remained disappointed by the whole situation, but said he had to respect the wishes of Pope, whom the family had lost touch with. “She really did cut us off in a big way. And so we found it easier to just go along with that. “I’ve talked to Naomi [David’s first wife] and I’ve talked to my other sister and we struck ourselves in sort of despair really. There’s nothing much we could do about it. “It just seems like a not very well-mannered thing to do, not consulting anyone. I think it’s just the sort of person she is.” Peter said there was still a dedicated public artwork, the David Lange Memorial in Ōtāhuhu, where the late Prime Minister was born. David Lange's widow, Margaret Pope, at his memorial in Ōtāhuhu. Photo / NZME “It’s a shame but no one is going to lose too much sleep over it. He has got that memorial in Ōtāhuhu, which is pretty impressive. It does commemorate his life to an extent. “I don’t think Margaret will be able to take that away in a hurry.” Peter said his brother would’ve seen the lighter side of the family drama: “David will probably be laughing from wherever he’s looking down.” Pope v Auckland Council Pope said she has tried multiple times to remove David Lange’s name from Auckland Council’s online grave register. “I’ve made about four attempts now ... It show...