Final Plan Unveiled for Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Statue in London
Final Plan Unveiled for Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Statue in London
London reveals the final masterplan for a central memorial to Queen Elizabeth II, featuring a 7.3m statue of the young monarch and a companion Prince Philip sculpture, with new gardens and a glass bridge.
The final masterplan for central London's Queen Elizabeth II memorial has been unveiled to coincide with what would have been the late monarch’s 100th birthday. The centerpiece is a bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth II in her 20s, dressed in the robes of the Order of the Garter, standing 7.3 metres high on a 4.3-metre plinth. The work is inspired by the celebrated 1955 portrait by Pietro Annigoni and will be crafted by sculptor Martin Jennings, capturing a young queen already at the heart of her reign.
A companion statue of Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, will stand a few paces behind the Queen, as was his usual position in portraits. The Philip figure will be 3.8 metres tall with a 2.3-metre figure on a 1.5-metre plinth, looking up toward his wife of more than seven decades.
The memorial will sit at Marlborough Gate at the edge of The Mall, forming a new civic space named Queen Elizabeth II Place, and will include a glass unity bridge replacing the current Blue Bridge. The bridge is likely to carry the name Queen Elizabeth Bridge and connects the park’s redesigned paths and gardens.
The project, designed by Lord Foster, lays out a sequence of gardens and meandering paths that echo the late queen’s era. The plan draws heavily on the Annigoni portrait’s sense of composure and grace, with the Queen depicted in her youthful regalia and gaze toward the distance. The design team notes the portrait’s origin in an anecdote the Queen shared about enjoying watching people and cars from her childhood window, a detail that informs the statue’s calm, observant expression.
Together, the statues and surrounding spaces are meant to offer a reflective, fitting centenary tribute that anchors a new public space in central London while honoring a long history of royal service.
