King Charles pays tribute to his “darling mama” as the final design for Queen Elizabeth II’s national memorial is unveiled in London.
LONDON: King Charles paid a heartfelt tribute to his “darling mama” on what would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday.
The monarch’s video message coincided with the unveiling of the final masterplan for a national memorial to Britain’s longest-serving sovereign.
Charles said his mother had “remained constant, steadfast and wholly devoted to the people she served” throughout her long life.
The queen died aged 96 in September 2022 after a reign spanning 70 years.
“Much about the times we now live in, I suspect, may have troubled her deeply, but I take heart from her belief that goodness will always prevail,” the king said. He echoed a sentiment from her first public broadcast at age 14, affirming his shared belief in working to “make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place”.
The centrepiece of the memorial will be a 7.3-metre bronze statue of the queen as a young woman in ceremonial robes. Sculptor Martin Jennings drew inspiration from a celebrated 1955 portrait by Italian artist Pietro Annigoni.
Robin Janvrin, the queen’s former private secretary, described the Annigoni portrait as a “lovely, iconic image of the young queen”. The statue will stand at the entrance to the memorial gardens in London’s St James’s Park, near Buckingham Palace.
The memorial design includes family gardens with meandering paths and a new translucent glass “unity bridge”. This bridge is inspired by the queen’s wedding tiara and will be accompanied by a smaller statue of her late husband, Prince Philip, in naval uniform.
Charles and other senior royals will view scale models of the statues and the wider memorial at the British Museum. The queen, born on April 21, 1926, was not originally expected to ascend the throne.
Her path to the crown followed the 1936 abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII. This event led her reluctant father to become King George VI, and upon his death in 1952, Princess Elizabeth became queen at age 25.
The period since the queen’s death has been turbulent for the royal family. Both King Charles and the Princess of Wales have undergone cancer treatment, while Prince Harry published a critical memoir after stepping back from royal duties.
Prince Andrew is currently facing a police investigation concerning his connections to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The family’s challenges contrast with the enduring legacy being cemented by the new memorial.
