A major national memorial to Elizabeth II is beginning to take shape in the heart of London – but the desing will no longer have the Monarch on horseback.
Planned for St James’s Park, just steps away from Buckingham Palace, the memorial will be one of the most prominent tributes ever created for a British Sovereign.
The main statue, which is set to designed by Martin Jennings, will stand near Marlborough Gate, overlooking The Mall. Jennings, whose previous works include public monuments to George Orwell and the Queen Mother, confirmed that the Queen will be shown standing, rather than riding, despite her lifelong passion for horses.
This move keep with an unofficial tradition for members of the House of Windsor, who are all shown upright in their statues.
According to the Cabinet Office, the earlier equestrian images were never intended as final designs but served only to illustrate the scale and location of the memorial.
Jennings noted that ‘after careful research and thought, my design for the Queen’s monument will emphasise her role as Head of State and proudly follows a sculptural tradition that shows Kings and Queens from the House of Windsor in standing position’.
The statue of the Queen will be joined by a companion figure of the late Duke of Edinburgh. First proposed as part of a new Prince Philip Gate on Bird Cage Walk, his statue will instead be positioned close to the Queen’s, symbolising the couple’s enduring partnership throughout her 70‑year reign.
Elizabeth and Philip were married for some 73 years, until the Duke’s death in 2021 – making them the longest-married royal couple in history.
Alongside the main monument, a second, smaller sculpture of the late Queen will be created by Karen Newman, an artist celebrated for her portrayals of Second World War heroines and her two decades as a sculptor at Madame Tussauds.
During her time at waxwork museum, she crafted figures of Prince Philip, former Prime Ministers Harold Wilson and Sir Tony Blair, and icons including Stevie Wonder and Yoko Ono.
Newman’s sculpture will be situated on Bird Cage Walk, complementing the larger statue across the park.
Speaking about her statue, she said it has been a ‘huge honour’ to be asked to contribute to the Memorial, noting Elizabeth II was an ‘iconic and unifying figure in our national story’ and is ‘looking forward to portraying the strong and complex personality of our late Queen’.
The memorial will also feature gardens dedicated to the Commonwealth and communities of the UK, and artistic installations celebrating the nations diversity. It will see the replacement of the existing Blue Bridge in the park near Buckingham Palace, which will be replaced with a cast-glass balustrade that is inspired by Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding tiara – Queen Mary’s Fringe tiara – which was also worn by Princess Beatrice for her own low-key nuptials in 2020.
Charles III has been kept closely informed of the plans and consulted throughout the design process. The final design for the main statue will be unveiled in April 2026, marking what would have been Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday.
