Britain’s royal family is unveiling plans to mark what would have been Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday with a central London memorial, a digital archive and a new charity. The St. James’s Park proposal includes a translucent "unity" bridge and statues of the queen and Prince Philip, with a bronze statue by Martin Jennings inspired by Pietro Annigoni. A digital remembrance site will host archival materials and user-submitted memories, while The Queen Elizabeth Trust launches with a £40 million endowment to fund community hubs and green spaces.
Royal Family Unveils Plans to Mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th Birthday — Memorial, Charity and Digital Archive
King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited an exhibition of the late queen's fashion on Monday. - Aaron Chown/Pool/Getty Images
Britain's royal family will mark what would have been Queen Elizabeth II's 100th birthday by unveiling detailed plans for a central London memorial, a new charity and a digital remembrance project.
Events and Tributes
Several events are scheduled to honour the country's longest-serving monarch, who died nearly four years ago at the age of 96. King Charles III and Queen Camilla will visit the British Museum to view designs for the proposed memorial, while Princess Anne will officially open the Queen Elizabeth II Garden in Regent's Park. In a video published on the Royal Family's YouTube channel, King Charles will reflect on his mother's life and legacy.
The sculpture will be inspired by Pietro Annigoni's portrait. - Oli Scarff/Getty Images
St. James's Park Memorial
The proposed scheme would reshape parts of St. James's Park, introducing a translucent glass "unity" bridge intended to evoke the tiara the queen wore on her wedding day. The plans also include statues of the late queen and her husband, Prince Philip.
The bronze statue of the queen will be created by sculptor Martin Jennings, drawing inspiration from Pietro Annigoni's famous portrait of Elizabeth in the robes of the Order of the Garter, looking into the distance, the UK Cabinet Office announced.
The memorial paying tribute to the late queen will sit in London's St. James' Park. - Foster + Partners/PA
Digital Remembrance
Alongside the physical memorial, officials will launch a digital remembrance site containing archival material from the queen's reign. The online platform will allow people worldwide to share personal memories and "tag" them to events and locations on the site, creating a searchable collective tribute.
The Queen Elizabeth Trust
A new charity, The Queen Elizabeth Trust, will be set up with a one-off £40 million endowment (around $54 million) to continue the late queen's philanthropic legacy. The trust will fund projects that strengthen community life, such as local community centres and green spaces.
Other Commemorations
Later in the day, Charles and Camilla will host representatives from charities the queen supported, along with people celebrating their own 100th birthdays, at Buckingham Palace. Commemorative stamps and coins have been issued, and Buckingham Palace is mounting a months-long exhibition featuring the largest public display to date of the queen's fashions.
Officials say the combination of a physical memorial, a digital archive and a new charitable trust aims to honour the queen’s public service and create lasting, tangible benefits for communities across the UK.
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