Queen Elizabeth's "Strong and Complex Personality" Will Be Honored in New London Monument

Queen Elizabeth wearing a pink hat and coat looking to the side

(Image credit: Getty Images)

London will soon be home to a national monument honoring the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II, and although plans were approved for the memorial last year, there's been a slight U-turn regarding what it will look like.

According to the Cabinet Office (via the BBC), previous designs that were shared were shown "for illustrative purposes only" and instead of a statue showing Queen Elizabeth riding a horse, as originally thought, she'll now be standing.

"After careful research and thought, my design for the Queen's monument will emphasize her role as head of state and proudly follows a sculptural tradition that shows kings and queens from the House of Windsor in a standing position," said sculptor Martin Jennings in a statement.

A drawing of a Queen Elizabeth statue riding a horse with tourists around it — The original design shared featured a statue of the late Queen on horseback.

Queen Elizabeth standing against a blue background wearing a black hat with feathers — Queen Elizabeth died at the age of 96 in 2022.

The Cabinet Office also announced that Karen Newman, who spent two decades working for famed London wax museum Madame Tussauds, has been chosen to create a separate, smaller sculpture of the late Queen located along London's historic Birdcage Walk.

"It is a huge honour to be asked to contribute my work to the memorial for Queen Elizabeth II," Newman said in a statement. "She was an iconic and unifying figure in our national story."

Adding that she plans to portray "the strong and complex personality of our late Queen" in her work, Newman said she wants to show Queen Elizabeth "both as an icon and as an individual."

In addition to the new statues, St James's Park will be home to a new tiara-like glass bridge across a lake as well as special gardens. According to the BBC, The King "has been kept informed of the plans and consulted on the developments," and a final design for the monument will be revealed in April to mark what would have been Queen Elizabeth's 100th birthday.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.