The winning design for a new memorial honoring the United Kingdom's longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, will feature a bridge with a jewel-like translucent balustrade, reminiscent of the queen's wedding tiara.
Foster + Partners' design for the memorial in St. James Park near Buckingham Palace in central London will also feature statues of Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip as well as "two gates, two gardens, joined by a bridge and unifying path," according to a press release issued Monday by the London-based architecture firm. The gardens will be "dedicated to the Commonwealth and the communities of the United Kingdom – to create spaces for reflection and coming together," the press release states.
Known for the Vieux Port Pavilion in Marseille, the Gherkin in London, the HSBC headquarters in Hong Kong, Apple Park in Cupertino, and the Reichstag in Berlin among other globally significant architecture projects, Foster + Partners prevailed over four other finalists.
"At the heart of our masterplan is a translucent bridge symbolic of Her Majesty as a unifying force, bringing together nations, countries, the Commonwealth, charities and the armed forces," said Norman Foster, founder and executive chairman of Foster + Partners.
A statement issued by the British government said the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, the group tasked with developing the project, found that Foster + Partners' design balanced "formal and informal elements, impressive and capable of creating an engaging landmark to endure for generations to come."
The publicly funded memorial is expected to cost the equivalent of about $62 million. Its development comes at a time of dwindling government funding for arts and culture in the UK.
The cost to tax payers does not sit well with some people. "When the Queen died she left an estimated £650m [$886 million] to Charles," wrote Graham Smith, the CEO of Republic, an anti-monarchy group, in a post on X.com on Thursday. "No tax was paid on that inheritance. They can and should pay for their own memorial."
According to the British government, the final design will be formally announced in April 2026 to coincide with what would have been Queen Elizabeth's 100th birthday month.
Copyright 2025 NPR
