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  • Friday, 23 January 2026

Queen Elizabeth II statue will be standing and not on horseback

Queen Elizabeth II statue will be standing and not on horseback

The memorial committee has announced that a statue of her standing rather than on horseback would be on display at the national monument to late Queen Elizabeth II, rather than horseback as previously shown. The memorial, which includes three statues and a tiara-shaped glass balustrade for a bridge, will be built in St James' Park in central London, near Buckingham Palace. Karen Newman, who also made waxwork models at Madame Tussauds, including Prince Philip, has been named as the designer of a second smaller sculpture. In an update from the memorial committee and Cabinet Office, the main statue on The Mall will depict Queen Elizabeth standing up and not riding a horse, as shown in earlier illustrations.

King Charles has been kept up with the plans and has been advised of the changes, with the final plan to be unveiled in April 2026 to coincide with the centennial of the late King's birth. However, Martin Jennings, the sculptor of the mall statue, said it would show the horse-loving monarch standing rather than riding.

My design for the Queen's monument will emphasize her position as the head of state and honors a tradition that depicts kings and queens from the House of Windsor in a standing position,
Jennings said. According to the Cabinet Office, the previous horse-riding photographs were only intended to illustrate the size, extent, and location rather than the final model. The statue will not be far from memorials to the late Queen's parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, who were on display and wearing formal robes.

Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022, will be near the Marlborough Gate in St James' Park, and a statue of her husband Prince Philip will be located nearby. The project includes a glass balustrade on a bridge across a lake, commemorative gardens, and at another entrance to the park, Karen Newman has revealed a sculpture that will be created. She has shot portraits of actors such as Charles Dance and Roger Daltrey, as well as Second World War heroes such as Noor Inayat Khan and Violette Szabo. But she was also 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.

The late Queen's sculpture, according to a Newman, was a great honor.

She was a legendary and unifying figure in our national story.
I am very excited to capture our late Queen's strong and complex personality,
the sculptor said. Lord Norman Foster, the architect who is leading the team, said her
talent and sensitivity would bring a profound sense of dignity to the job. The project's cost, which has a budget between £23 million and £46 million, has been criticized by the anti-monarchy group, Republic, who has said that the royals should pay for the monument rather than the government.

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