A final shortlist of designs for the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II have been unveiled. The competition has been hailed as one of the most significant design initiatives in modern British history. The final design is expected to be revealed in 2026.
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Five shortlisted designs for a national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II have been unveiled.
The monument, which will provide the public with a permanent memorial to the UK’s longest-reigning monarch, will be located in St James's Park, close to Buckingham Palace in central London.
The public can view the proposals and offer feedback until 19 May via the online exhibition managed by Malcolm Reading Consultants.
According to the Cabinet Office, the construction budget will be between £23m and £46m, depending on the selected design. Public funds will pay for the memorial, and from the various submissions, the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee will select a winner.
The winning concept is expected to be unveiled next year, as 2026 would have been the late Queen's 100th birthday year.
Here are the five shortlisted Queen memorial designs:
Royal gardens
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, a wind sculpture for reflection, audio installations of the Queen's voice, a digital conservatory and a unity bridge.
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, protected by a giant canopy of eight carved sculptural lily pads, with the stone chosen because it will “age with dignity”.
Stone bridge
An innovative stone bridge featuring a 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".
The Queen's Oak
An exact cast of an "awe-inspiring" 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 tree would stand on a plinth in the lake, with a curved stone bridge as a viewing platform. There would also be a memorial path featuring bronze casts of significant objects from the late Queen's life and a "sonic soundscape" of memories from those she impacted.
Interwoven pathways
A thread of pathways and landscapes "gently woven through the natural fabric" of the park with a pair of "elegant bridges" have been proposed by WilkinsonEyre with artists Lisa Vandy and Fiona Clarke.
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 proposed designs are available to view here. The final design will be submitted to the King and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for approval.