Queen Elizabeth II's wedding tiara plays key role in new memorial with Prince Philip
The memorial will evoke a sense of her "life and service"A new memorial for Queen Elizabeth II will be built in St James’ Park in Central London.
The memorial in honour of the late monarch – who died in September 2022 aged 96 – will also feature her late husband, Prince Philip, whom she was married to for 73 years.
Queen Elizabeth II memorial in St James’ Park
Earlier today (Tuesday, June 24), an announcement confirmed the winning design of the proposed Queen Elizabeth II memorial.
The proposed memorial has no proposed date for its completion yet.
Lord Norman Foster’s design team has won. Their design will feature Prince Philip as well as the queen’s wedding tiara.
We showed them together and, in a way, there was this inseparable quality which we sought to convey.
The winning multi-faceted design will feature a monument of the late queen beside The Mall – the famous processional route used for royal events and ceremonies.
There will be a statue of the queen and Prince Philip, as well as a Prince Philip Gate.
The memorial will also feature gardens, as well as a bridge with a glass balustrade – its design invoking the queen’s wedding tiara. The bridge will have a light, “jewel-like” quality, Lord Foster explained.
Speaking of adding Philip into the memorial, Lord Foster said: “We showed them together and, in a way, there was this inseparable quality which we sought to convey.”
He called it an “honour and privilege” to work on the tribute.
Winning design to feature monuments and garden
The memorial will also include two gardens. This will mean that part of St James’ Park will become re-landscaped.
Speaking about the design, Lord Robert Janvrin, chair of the memorial committee and the late queen’s former private secretary, said it is a balance of “traditional elements and modern elements, informal and formal”.
He added that he wants the memorial to “reflect on an extraordinary life, someone who for a very long reign was part of the way that this nation looked at itself, the way that we changed and evolved”.
Speaking to the BBC, Janvrin added that it should evoke “sense of her life of service”
He said that the queen would have felt “pleased” that the memorial will stand in St James’ Park – visible from Buckingham Palace.
Queen Elizabeth II memorial in St James’ Park winning design
“I think the location is something which would have appealed to her. You can see the bridge from the room where she often sat for paintings,” he told the broadcaster.
He also said he thinks the queen would approve of the proposed bridge, which will emulate her wedding tiara.
The final cost of the memorials has yet to be decided; however, it could cost between £23m and £46m (£31m and $62m).
The final designs for the statues haven’t been decided yet either. However, illustrations of the main monument have shown the late queen on horseback.
Read more: Royal Ascot: Mike Tindall once made Queen Elizabeth II laugh with silly prank
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