New monument to late Queen to be built in St James’s Park
A national memorial to Elizabeth II will be located in St James’s Park, just a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace, the Cabinet Office has announced.
The central London site, also close to both the Commonwealth headquarters and statues of the late Queen’s parents, is considered the best choice.
The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Memorial is on the other side of the Mall, near Carlton Gardens.
Completed in 2009, it incorporates a Grade II-listed statue of George VI by William McMillan, unveiled by Elizabeth II in 1955, and a statue of the Queen Mother by Philip Jackson, which Her Majesty unveiled in 2009.
The Commonwealth Secretariat is based in Marlborough House, just off Pall Mall.
Other sites considered included the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey, where Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2 1953.
The site was approved by both the King and the Prime Minister,
Sir Keir Starmer said: “Queen Elizabeth II’s enduring legacy of service and devotion to our country will never be forgotten.
“The national memorial will be located in St James’s Park, right in the heart of the capital, providing everyone with a place to honour the late Queen and connect with the shared history we cherish.”
The monarch travelled up and down The Mall in horse-drawn carriages and state cars watched by huge crowds countless times over the decades, making the journey for jubilees, state visits, on her coronation day, and for birthday celebrations, royal weddings and funerals.
Lord Janvrin said: “The Mall and St James’s Park at the ceremonial heart of our capital provides a location closely identified with so many events of the late Queen’s life.
“It is a fitting site for the national memorial in her honour to remember and celebrate her extraordinary contribution to our lives throughout her long reign.”
Architects, artists and designers will be invited to submit proposals later this year to fit the brief of providing a memorial, which will serve as a space for contemplation and community and be of appropriate scale and ambition to match the late Queen’s impact.
Public funds will be used to pay for the memorial, but the UK Government will also make funding available for memorial projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A national legacy
The form the new memorial will take has not yet been decided, but the Queen Elizabeth memorial committee will now move the project into the design phase.
The committee is chaired by Lord Janvrin, 77, one of the late Queen’s most loyal and trusted aides. He served as her private secretary from 1999 until 2007.
He is considering proposals for both a permanent memorial and a national legacy programme that would recognise her life of service and aim to combine tradition with modernity.
Earlier this year, members of the committee travelled to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to canvass views and perspectives.
Lord Janvrin has held private audiences with both the King and the Prince of Wales since undertaking the UK-wide visits, and is thought to have updated them on the committee’s research and ideas.
The King is taking a “very close interest” in the project, and other members of the Royal family are being consulted.
The committee, which met for the first time in February at Buckingham Palace, is expected to announce the memorial in 2026, which would have been the late Queen’s hundredth birthday year.
