Touching designs for major memorial to Queen Elizabeth unveiled for first time

The final shortlisted designs for the national memorial to have been unveiled, including a bronze cast of a Windsor oak tree, a giant canopy of stone lily pads and a statue of the late Queen next to . The five early design concepts have been displayed as part of an online public exhibition which opened today.

Other ideas include audio installations, a "tranquil family" of romantic royal gardens inspired by the Georgian architect John Nash, "forest bathing in the heart of the city", and a "graceful and strong" stone bridge with cascading water. The public is being encouraged to view the proposed designs for the competition run by Malcolm Reading Consultants and offer feedback by May 19.

The exclusively revealed last year that , which Prime Minister later said will provide "everyone with a place to honour the late Queen and connect with the shared history we cherish".

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The late Queen died peacefully at Balmoral Castle on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. Elizabeth II, whose reign spanned 70 years, dedicated her life to her royal duty.

After a year of consideration by a specially appointed committee headed by Lord Janvrin, the late Queen’s former private secretary in the wake of her passing, St James’s Park has been chosen and approved by the King. The location of the memorial was chosen because of its closeness to the ceremonial route of The Mall, and Buckingham Palace, and its historical and constitutional significance, but also because of a poignant personal connection to the late Queen - the nearby statues of her beloved parents.

The bronze tributes to King George VI, who died at the age of 56 in 1952, and the Queen Mother, who died aged 101 in the Golden Jubilee year of 2002, stand just a short distance along The Mall. The announcement of the final design will coincide with what would have been the Queen's 100th birthday year in 2026.

Lord Janvrin, chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, said: "Queen Elizabeth II's extraordinary life of service profoundly touched countless individuals, and she was a figure of great respect and admiration. Memories of her long reign are still fresh for so many of us and we need to capture the essence of them for future generations."

He added: "In recognition of this, it is only fitting that we invite the public to express their views on these design concepts.

"We are delighted to be working with some of the best architects, artists and designers in the to produce a landmark memorial of outstanding beauty that celebrates and honours the life of Queen Elizabeth II."

Hailed as one of the most significant design initiatives in modern British history, the memorial in St James's Park, close to in the heart of London, will provide the public with a permanent memorial to the country's longest-reigning monarch, who died in 2022.

A panel of committee members will select the winning concept and work with the team on the final design, which is expected to be unveiled in 2026, which would have been the late Queen's 100th birthday year.

The committee will also select an artist, through a separate process, to create a figurative representation of Elizabeth II for the site on The Mall in central London.

The five design concepts are:

1. A "tranquil family" of royal gardens inspired by John Nash's original landscape of the park, linked by a natural stone tessellated path by Lord Foster of Foster + Partners with artist Yinka Shonibare, ecologist Professor Nigel Dunnett and landscape architect Michel Desvigne Paysagiste.

Other elements include a statue of the Queen alongside Philip on Birdcage Walk next to a Prince Philip Gate and, on the other side of the park, an equestrian statue of the Queen in a new civic space called Queen Elizabeth II Place at Marlborough Gate. The plans also incorporate a contemporary wind sculpture for reflection, audio installations of the Queen's voice, a digital conservatory and a translucent Unity Bridge.

2. Bridge of Togetherness - A memorial walk inspired by the idea of "togetherness" with 70 lily pad stepping stones by Heatherwick Studio with sculptor and ceramicist Halima Cassell, MRG Studio, Webb Yates and Arup. At the centre of the bridge is a limestone sculpture of the late Queen, whose childhood nickname was Lilibet, protected by a giant canopy of eight carved sculptural lily pads, with the stone chosen because it will "age with dignity".

3. An innovative stone bridge over soil, tree roots and water, featuring a gentle cascade of water onto the lake, to represent the late Queen as the bedrock of the nation, has been designed by J&L Gibbons with production designer Michael Levine, and William Matthews Associates. It aims to capture a "meandering flow of geology carrying people through an ephemeral choreography of blossoming and colour beneath the high tree canopy" and includes glades to invite "forest bathing in the heart of the city".

4. The Queen's Oak - An exact bronze cast of an "awe-inspiring" ancient oak from Windsor Great Park, representing the late Queen's strength and endurance and symbolising the monarchy, is the central focus of a design by Tom Stuart-Smith with Jamie Fobert Architects and artist Adam Lowe of Factum Are. The digitally scanned replica tree would stand on a plinth in the lake, with a curved stone bridge as a viewing platform. There would also be a serpentine memorial path, for all ages and abilities, which incorporates inlaid bronze casts of significant objects from the late Queen's life and a "sonic soundscape" of memories from those she impacted.

5. A thread of pathways and landscapes "gently woven through the natural fabric" of the park with a pair of "elegant bridges" have been suggested by Wilkinson Eyre with artists Lisa Vandy and Fiona Clarke. Aiming to impose the "lightest footprint" on the park, the thread, with symbolic spaces for reflection, focuses on seven themes of the late Queen's life - reign, faith, Commonwealth, values, nature, family, and Prince Philip.

The final design will be submitted to the King and Prime Minister Keir Starmer for approval. The proposed designs are available to view at