New memorial to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

9 January 2006

A new monument to Queen Elizabeth will be sited off The Mall, in London, near the existing statue of King George VI, husband of Queen Elizabeth and father of the present Queen.

Designers, architects and artists throughout the UK, Commonwealth and worldwide are invited to submit expressions of interest by 31 January for an appropriate memorial. The budget for the project is set at £2 million and it is expected to be completed in the summer of 2007.

Expressions of interest will be assessed by a panel on criteria including the quality of previous work, relevant previous experience, fee and references.

The selection panel will put together a shortlist of designers who will be invited to prepare costed proposals. The shortlisted designers will submit designs for consideration by the selection panel and by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. 

Further details about the project, including downloadable site photographs and plans, are available at a dedicated web site: www.qmmemorial.gov.uk, which has been launched today.

Notes to Editors:
1. The site for the memorial to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother is on the north side of The Mall in London between Marlborough Road and Admiralty Arch. The existing statue of  King George VI in this location was created in 1955 and shows the king dressed in naval uniform. It is envisaged that the existing site will be modified to include a memorial to Queen Elizabeth. The site lies within an area managed by the Royal Parks, which will maintain the memorial on completion. 

2. The closing date for designers to register expressions of interest is 31January 2006.

3. The initial selection panel will comprise: The Keeper of the Privy Purse, The Director of the Royal Collection, The Principal Private Secretary to The Prince of Wales, and The Director of the Property Section, Buckingham Palace.

4. The memorial project will be managed by the Royal Household, in association with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

5. A special £5 coin produced by the Royal Mint to celebrate The Queen's 80th birthday this year will be sold to raise funds for a national memorial to the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Further information on this coin can be obtained through www.royalmint.gov.uk.

To be released at 11.00 GMT on Monday, 9 January 2006.