Queen statue will show 'grandeur and dignity,' sculptor says

The sculptor chosen to create a statue of Queen Elizabeth II for her national memorial has said he wants to capture the "grandeur and dignity" of Britain's longest-reigning monarch.

Martin Jennings, who has previously depicted King Charles III and the Queen Mother, said he was "elated" to be chosen to portray the late queen.

"She was loved and admired across the globe for her steadfast devotion to duty, borne with grace, decency and restraint."

The statue will be of the memorial in central London's St James's Park, with the final design to be revealed in 2026.

The British sculptor told the PA news agency that he did not have a "defined idea" of how the statue would look yet, and that he would want the Royal Family's approval.

But he said he hoped to convey the appropriate "grandeur and dignity" and that "a certain amount of stillness" would be beneficial.

Mr Jennings added that people had "strong feelings about the queen".

"I will be going through a period of listening to not only what invested organisations and individuals want of it, but taking the temperature of how the populace at large might want to see this representation."

A section of St James's Park visible from Buckingham Palace will be re-landscaped for the national memorial, with a budget previously said to be between £23m and £46m.

The anti-monarchy campaign group Republic has called for the Royal Family to pay for the memorial rather than the government.

"They can pay for their own statue," the group's chief executive Graham Smith said.

The winning design for the memorial, chosen from a shortlist of five concepts, will feature a bridge with a balustrade made of glass, inspired by the shape of the late queen's wedding tiara.

There will also be a statue of her and Prince Philip, to whom she was married for 73 years until his death in 2021, a Prince Philip Gate and new gardens.

The final designs will be put to the King and the prime minister next year.