King praises ‘fantastic’ design for Queen Elizabeth II memorial

The King praised the final design for the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II as “fantastic” on what would have been his mother’s 100th birthday.

Charles and Camilla viewed a scale model of the tribute at the British Museum on Tuesday, and maquettes of the late monarch and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

The King told architect Lord Foster: “It’s a wonderful idea for the bridge to be based on the Russian fringe tiara, the one that my mama wore at her wedding”.

He described the memorial, set for St James’s Park in central London, as “fantastic” and praised the idea to add “subtle lighting” at night to the new Queen Elizabeth Bridge, which will replace the current Blue Bridge.

Camilla also remarked on the glass and steel bridge, inspired by the Queen’s wedding tiara also known as the Queen Mary’s Fringe Tiara, saying: “I love that bridge. It’s just lovely. It has a lovely twinkle.”

She expressed surprise when told by Lord Foster that the bridge will eventually be lifted into place overnight so as not to disturb use of the park.

The Queen called the plan “extraordinary”.

The King was also shown a likeness of his mother, in the form of a maquette which depicts Elizabeth II as a young woman in her 20s in her Order of the Garter robes.

Sculptor Martin Jennings told him the bronze statue, which on its plinth will eventually stand seven metres tall, will be positioned with the Queen’s head “slightly turned to catch the evening light”.

Charles was told the figure showed the Queen in the early years of her reign, with the King saying “yes, absolutely”.

The Duchess of Edinburgh, who was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at the event, declared it was how the late Queen would like to be remembered in her younger days.

“It’s a lovely statue. It’s how she would like to be remembered as a young woman,” Sophie said.

She added as she examined the maquette on its plinth: “It’s quite high.”

Jennings revealed it would be the same height as the statue of George V outside Westminster Abbey.

A maquette of the King’s father Philip, around the same age as the Queen’s, shows the duke in his naval uniform with his hands behind his back.

It prompted a chuckle from Charles when Jennings described Philip as a “tall, thin figure”.

Full-scale versions of the statues will form part of the permanent memorial in the park, close to Buckingham Palace, with the national tribute set to be completed in 2028.

The area will also incorporate a family of gardens with meandering paths, a Commonwealth Wind Sculpture by artist Yinka Shonibare, and a bust of the Queen in her 50s or 60s by sculptor Karen Newman on Birdcage Walk.

Jennings told the Press Association afterwards: “The King was seeing the sculptures for the first time and he was taking them in. His response was warm and encouraging.”

Lord Foster told PA: “Her Majesty and His Majesty were really enthusiastic about the project, and because I’ve had the privilege of presenting it several times as it’s grown and evolved, it’s been very much a shared experience.

“His Majesty and Her Majesty have been just wonderfully supporting along the way, and have made points of the design which have been, in the very nature of those exchanges, respected and incorporated into the final project.”

He cited the “the placement” of the late Queen’s statue and the public spaces as “the subject of creative exchanges”.

Lord Foster famously once criticised the King when he was the Prince of Wales for using his “privileged position” to intervene in the architectural development of the former Chelsea Barracks.

But the pair greeted each other warmly at the event.

Lord Foster told PA about their past differences: “I think those have been perhaps exaggerated somewhat in the past.

“And I think I can say, without being presumptuous, that the core values about history, about tradition, and the importance of those issues, those are totally dominant and totally shared.”

He said he hoped members of the public who eventually visit the memorial would “learn about the extraordinary legacy and the values that were embodied”.

“The entire route itself is a memorial which is alive,” he added.

The royals were joined at the event by the under-fire Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who greeted the King with a broad smile and a handshake and patted Camilla on her arm.

Sir Keir, who is in the midst of the scandal surrounding Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador, ignored shouted questions from the media about the crisis as he arrived.

Guests also included artist Dame Tracey Emin and broadcaster Claudia Winkleman, who are trustees of the museum, and the newly appointed official biographer of the late Queen, historian Anna Keay.

They gathered in the museum’s circular Reading Room to see the scale model of the park, featuring tiny trees and people and the new additions.

The memorial is one of three projects honouring the Queen’s legacy, with a new charity, the Queen Elizabeth Trust, and a Digital Memorial, which asks for the public’s memories of the monarch at Queenelizabeth.com, also launched on Tuesday.