1 of 3 | A previously unseen photo of Queen Elizabeth II was released by Buckingham Palace during her Platinum Jubilee in early 2022. File Photo courtesy of Buckingham Palace
Sept. 7 (UPI) — The planned Queen Elizabeth II memorial will be located in St. James’s Park in London, the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee announced Saturday. The memorial’s site will include the section of St. James’s Park that is next to The Mall at Marlborough Gate and land that surrounds a pathway leading to a nearby lake, including the Blue Bridge.
Plans are for the memorial to be revealed by the centenary of her birth on April 21, 2026, the BBC reported. She died Sept. 8, 2022.
“Queen Elizabeth II’s enduring legacy of service and devotion to our country will never be forgotten,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a news release.
Starmer said St. James’s Park is “right in the heart of the capital” and will provide “everyone with a place to honor the late Queen and connect with the shared history we cherish.”
The committee chose the site because of its close proximity to Buckingham Palace and statues of the late Queen’s parents, King George VI and Queen Mother Elizabeth.
The memorial will celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s life and service to the United Kingdom while creating a space for visitors to “pause and reflect,” the committee members said in a press release announcing the memorial’s location.
The British government will support proposed memorial projects and accept funding from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The committee will solicit design proposals from architects, artists and designers later this year.