Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Branded ‘Sad Embarrassment'
A miniature version of a new statue due to depict Queen Elizabeth II to mark 100 years since her birth has sparked a backlash on social media where some said it was “utterly disappointing.”
Why It Matters
Elizabeth’s death in September 2022 sent shockwaves through Britain while around 28 million people watched her funeral on TV, out of a population of almost 70 million.
It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that the country would want a fitting memorial to its longest-reigning monarch and most popular royal family member, according to polling for YouGov last week which showed 81 percent still view her positively.
And what better time to unveil the design for the memorial than what would have been her 100th birthday, on Tuesday. Unfortunately, though, not all appear to agree that the statue chosen makes the grade.
Queen Elizabeth II’s Centenary Statue Design
“Sorry but the original design was incredible and perfect to honour such an amazing woman,” one fan wrote, in an X post liked 1,300 times and viewed 63,000 times. “But they are going ahead with another boring design, that you'd walk past and not blink twice at. How utterly disappointing.”
In fact, there were multiple designs put forward by a variety of firms who bid for the contract to build the memorial, with five included in the final shortlist. Foster + Partners were then awarded the contract based on a design depicting Elizabeth riding a horse on top of a plinth inscribed, simply called: “Elizabeth II.”
However, a miniature version of the statue that will be built was unveiled on the queen’s centenary and it is somewhat different, showing her standing upright draped in the robes of the knights of the Order of the Garter, a code of chivalry of which she was a member, alongside King Charles III and Prince William.
Lord Janvrin, chair of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, told the BBC the horse version was dropped because it reflected the queen performing her hobby rather than her public duty. She was a keen horse rider in her spare time.
Some might venture that she also rode a horse in her constitutional role during Trooping the Colour, her birthday parade, at points in her reign, though less so in her later years.
Meanwhile, Sculptor Martin Jennings said in a U.K. Government press release in January: “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 standing position.”
Needless to say, not everyone was pleased with the decision.
“This is a sad embarrassment,” one royal fan on X wrote. “There are far superior tributes to Elizabeth II in cities across the Commonwealth. The memorial to her in London-the capital of the senior most realm, and where she lived the vast majority of her life-should be EVEN GRANDER.”
Inspired by Pietro Annigoni
The monument will overlook The Mall at Marlborough Gate, forming the centerpiece of a redesigned memorial space in St James's Park, close to Buckingham Palace.
Created by Jennings, it was inspired by a celebrated 1955 portrait of the Queen by Italian artist Pietro Annigoni, painted when Elizabeth was just 28 years old and newly crowned.
It may be that the Government’s public consultation inviting opinions on a range of possible designs and concepts for the memorial encouraged some royalists to grow attached to their favorite proposals and equally to experience some disappointment at what might have been.
It is unclear whether people might have felt differently had they simply been presented with the current statue, having never seen the alternative options.
Plans for the New Queen Elizabeth II Memorial
The monument will stand more than 7m high, with the Queen herself depicted at 3m-tall on top of a 4.3m plinth. A smaller companion statue of her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, will be positioned nearby looking upwards, reflecting his role as consort. Famously, Philip entered the room a few paces behind Elizabeth in recognition of her status as queen.
The wider memorial, designed by Foster + Partners in collaboration with landscape architect Michel Desvigne, will transform parts of St James's Park into a new civic space named Queen Elizabeth II Place.
Plans include landscaped gardens, a cast‑glass bridge inspired by the Queen Mary Fringe Tiara worn by Elizabeth on her wedding day, and additional artworks celebrating the Commonwealth and the nations of the United Kingdom.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla viewed models of the statue and the wider memorial at a presentation in London this week, joined by senior members of the royal family and the Prime Minister.
Sir Keir Starmer said the memorial would offer "a place of reflection for generations to come" and described the late Queen as a figure whose constancy had helped shape modern Britain.
Construction of the memorial is expected to continue over the coming years, with the full site scheduled for completion later in the decade. When finished, the statue will stand as one of the most prominent public tributes to Queen Elizabeth II, marking a century since her birth and a reign that spanned eras of extraordinary national and global change.
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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 4:22 AM.