Queen Elizabeth II statue will be standing and not on horseback

The national monument to the late Queen Elizabeth II will feature a statue of her standing, rather than on horseback as previously illustrated, the memorial committee has announced.

The memorial, including three statues and a tiara-shaped glass balustrade for a bridge, is going to be built in St James's Park in central London, near Buckingham Palace.

The designer of a second smaller sculpture has also been announced as Karen Newman, who once made waxwork models at Madame Tussauds, including Prince Philip.

But in an update from the memorial committee and Cabinet Office, the main statue on The Mall will show Queen Elizabeth standing up and not riding a horse, as depicted in earlier illustrations.

King Charles has been kept informed of the plans and consulted on the developments, with the final design to be made public in April 2026 to coincide with the centenary of the late Queen's birth.

But the sculptor of the showcase statue on the Mall, Martin Jennings, explained it would show the horse-loving monarch standing rather than riding.

"After careful research and thought, my design for the Queen's monument will emphasise her role as head of state and proudly follows a sculptural tradition that shows kings and queens from the House of Windsor in a standing position," said Jennings.

The previous horse-riding images had been for illustrative purposes only to show the size, scale and location rather than the final design, says the Cabinet Office.

The statue will not be far from memorials to the late Queen's parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and they are shown standing and wearing formal robes.

The main statue of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022, will be near to the Marlborough Gate in St James's Park, and nearby will be a statue of her husband Prince Philip.

The design includes a glass balustrade on a bridge across a lake, commemorative gardens and at another entrance to the park will be a sculpture which it's been announced will be created by Karen Newman.

She has made images of performers such as Charles Dance and Roger Daltrey and Second World War heroines such as Noor Inayat Khan and Violette Szabo.

But she was also once a maker of waxwork likenesses on display at Madame Tussauds, including the late Queen's husband Prince Philip and former prime minister Sir Tony Blair among the models she made.

Newman said it was a great honour to make the sculpture of the late Queen.

"She was an iconic and unifying figure in our national story. I am very much looking forward to portraying the strong and complex personality of our late Queen," said the sculptor.

Lord Norman Foster, the architect who is leading the design team, said her "talent and sensitivity will bring a profound sense of dignity to the work".

The cost of the project, with a budget between £23m and £46m, has been criticised by the anti-monarchy group, Republic, who have said the royals should pay for the monument rather than the government.

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