Queen Elizabeth II memorial to pay tribute to her private faith and public service

A memorial that honours Queen Elizabeth II will transform St James’ Park into a tribute that will celebrate her “unifying force” across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

Headed by renowned UK architect Norman Foster, the memorial will feature a glass “unity bridge” inspired by Elizabeth’s wedding tiara, and statues of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch on horseback, and arm-in-arm with husband Prince Philip.

Queen Elizabeth was 96 years old when she passed away at Balmoral Castle on the 8th of September, 2022, after more than seven decades on the throne, making her the first monarch to die in Scotland since James V in 1542.

She was also the longest-reigning Monarch in British history and her death triggered an outpouring of grief from across the globe.

The central London park, which faces Buckingham Palace, was chosen as the best site to pay tribute to her reign and will be reshaped with two new areas of gardens and two new gates.

 

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Foster told BBC Radio his idea uses the park site to share the late queen’s legacy and tell the extraordinary story of her life, and revealed the new bridge design was inspired by the Queen Mary fringe tiara which she wore on her wedding day in 1947.

Symbolising the late Queen as a “unifying force” the translucent glass bridge will replace the park’s blue bridge near Buckingham Palace, as per The Guardian UK.

Importantly, the 90 year old architect said the two gates and two gardens in the design reflect the way the Queen balanced tradition and modernity, and public duty and private faith in Britain and the Commonwealth.

“It’s really creating something which is timeless, and reaches across all ages and interests and conveys the values of Her Majesty, which were a mixture of the formal and…delightful informality,” he said.

Foster, who knew Elizabeth personally after she appointed him to the Order of Merit in 1997, said the design will be finalised by April 2026 and the memorial could be completed one to two years after that.

His firm, Foster + Partners, is world renowned and responsible for iconic architectural projects, including the Gherkin building in central London and the Reichstag dome in Berlin.

-with Reuters.

Read more: A Monarch for the ages: Reflecting on the defining moments of Queen Elizabeth II’s 70-year reign