The Queen Elizabeth memorial statue and where it will stand in honour of late monarch
A national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II will provide a 'fitting' monument and be of an 'appropriate' scale to match the late monarch's impact on national life
A monument honouring the late Queen will be unveiled in St James's Park reportedly in 2026. Members of the public will be able to see the scultpure or statue of Elizabeth II in an area near The Mall at Marlborough Gate and land surrounding a path to the park's lake near Buckingham Palace.
The site was selected because of its proximity to the ceremonial route as well as for The Mall's historical and constitutional significance.
St James's Park also has a personal connection to the late Queen as it is close to the Palace, which is the monarch’s official residence.
The headquarters of the Commonwealth and statues of her parents King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother are also nearby.
A special committee led by the late Queen's private secretary, Lord Robin Janvrin, is working with the British Government and Royal Household on the monument.
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The committee members consulted experts from the four nations of the UK as well as the public on the choice of location, according to the Cabinet Office.
Funding for memorial projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is also to be made available by the UK Government, which has pledged to back the successful St James's Park proposal.
It will provide a "fitting" monument and space for contemplation in additon to being of an "appropriate" scale and ambition to match the late Queen's impact on national life, the Commonwealth and rest of the world, according to the Cabinet Office.
The design phase of the memorial will be launched later this year, with architects, artists and designers invited to submit proposals for the memorial.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "Queen Elizabeth II’s enduring legacy of service and devotion to our country will never be forgotten.
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"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 Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, said Elizabeth II was our longest reigning monarch and gave her life in service to our nation.
He added: "It is only right the memorial is situated in a location that represents the scale of Her role at the heart of British society, and provides a place of reflection for the public."
Lord Janvrin, Committee Chair and former Private Secretary to the late Queen 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."
Lord Janvrin said when the committee was formed in 2023 that it would be a "unique challenge" to attempt to capture the late Queen's "extraordinary" contribution to national life in the UK.
The Mirror reported on Friday that the monument will be unveiled in 2026 to coincide with what would have been Elizabeth II's 100th birthday year.
A location in St James's Park means the statue of Elizabeth II would also be close to the monument to her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria, which is in front of Buckingham Palace.
Andrew Scattergood CBE, Chief Executive of The Royal Parks, said: "We are honoured St James’s Park has been chosen as the location for the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II.
"The park is steeped in rich royal history, renowned worldwide for hosting spectacular royal and ceremonial events, so it feels fitting that the memorial should be situated here."
In April, a seven foot tall bronze statue of the late Queen by Hywel Pratley was unveiled in the town of Oakham in Rutland. It shows Elizabeth II with three corgis and was hailed at its unveiling in April for showing the late Queen's softer side.
Further memorials are planned, with a statue by Andy Edwards expected this autumn in Newcastle-under-Lyme and two sculptures of the late Queen by Amy Goodman.
King Charles and Queen Camilla unveiled London's first statue of Elizabeth II in November last year.
The two metre tall bronze work appears in a niche of the Royal Albert Hall, next to a work depicting her husband, Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, in a space nearby. Both pieces were sculpted by Poppy Field.
After the death of Britain's longest serving monarch on September 8, 2022, London Assembly members agreed a statue should be located in a prominent position.
The fourth plinth of Trafalgar Square was suggested as a possible spot at the time.
