The nation’s official memorial to Queen Elizabeth II will be designed by a firm whose boss has previously clashed with the King over their differing approaches to architecture.
However, His Majesty is understood to be aware of the decision.
Foster + Partners have today been announced as the winner of the competition to design the permanent tribute in London‘s St James’s Park, which includes a new bridge with a cast-glass balustrade inspired by the late Queen’s wedding tiara, a Prince Philip Gate and two new gardens.
Its founder, Lord Norman Foster – one of the world’s top architects and the man behind London’s Gerkin, the Reichstag in Berlin and the British Museum’s Great Court – has clashed with Charles over the years, particularly over his repugnance for modern architecture.
He even accused him, as Prince of Wales, for using his ‘privileged position’ to intervene over controversial designs for Richard Rogers’ Chelsea Barracks scheme in London in 2009.
Lord Foster was one of a number of influential designers who penned a deeply critical letter after Charles apparently lobbied the Qatari royal family, a partner in the scheme, to drop a modernist design in favour of something he favoured that was more ‘classical’.
The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee’s selection panel said about the memorial: ‘Situated in the heart of our capital, it will be a space to reflect on and celebrate our longest reigning Monarch for centuries to come’
The late Queen Elizabeth greeting Sir Norman Foster in 2005 at the official opening of The Glasshouse International Centre for Music in Gateshead, which the architect designed
An illustration of the Foster + Partners design for the Queen Elizabeth memorial in St James’s Park
The case ended up in court, during which claims of ‘behind-the-scenes lobbying’ were made against Charles and his team.
Architecture and urban planning have always been a passion project for the King, who founded his own charitable foundation for the ‘built environment’ and created several model communities including Poundbury in Dorset, as Prince of Wales.
He also famously denounced a proposed extension to the National Gallery as a ‘monstrous carbuncle’, and a stainless steel lecture hall at Essex University as ‘a dustbin’.
However, Lord Foster has since held out an olive branch to the King, saying after Charles’ accession that he would very much like to discuss the ‘benefits of change’ in architecture with the monarch.
Foster + Partners were chosen from a shortlist of five concepts and their final plans, which are still a work in progress, will be announced next year.
They were asked to create ‘a masterplan that would honour and celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s extraordinary life of service and provide the public with a space for reflection’.
The Cabinet office said: ‘Foster + Partners’ winning design concept celebrates Queen Elizabeth’s life through a time of great change, balancing tradition and modernity, public duty and private faith, the United Kingdom and a global Commonwealth. The design concept illustrates how she brought these dualities together: two gates, two gardens, joined by a bridge and unifying path.’
The design will include figurative sculptures and a new Prince Philip Gate, to reflect her husband’s long service in addition to her own 70 years on the throne.
Foster + Partners were tasked with creating ‘a masterplan that would honour and celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s extraordinary life of service and provide the public with a space for reflection’
The design will include figurative sculptures and a new Prince Philip Gate, to reflect her husband’s long service in addition to her own 70 years on the throne
Artistic installations will celebrate the nation’s diversity while a new bridge, replacing the existing Blue Bridge, will feature a cast-glass balustrade that recalls Queen Elizabeth’s wedding tiara
It also features gardens dedicated to the Commonwealth and the communities of the United Kingdom to create spaces for ‘reflection and coming together’.
Artistic installations will celebrate the nation’s diversity while a new bridge, replacing the existing Blue Bridge, will feature a cast-glass balustrade that recalls Queen Elizabeth’s wedding tiara.
‘This design concept will be subject to change as it undergoes refining,’ the announcement adds.
The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee’s selection panel were said to have found Foster + Partners’ design, balancing formal and informal elements, ‘impressive and capable of creating an engaging landmark to endure for generations to come’.
The panel also valued their ‘artistry, use of space, technical skills and their sensitivity to the memorial’s location’.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said: ‘Queen Elizabeth II was admired around the globe. Foster + Partners’ fantastic design concept will be a beautiful memorial to Her life and legacy of public service. Situated in the heart of our capital, it will be a space to reflect on and celebrate our longest reigning Monarch for centuries to come.’
During the competition the public were encouraged to give their views on the design concepts to commemorate the UK’s longest reigning monarch.
The Committee also consulted experts in arts, heritage, architecture, structural engineering and accessibility to find the best concept to honour Queen Elizabeth.
Committee Chair Robin Janvrin – a long-serving former private secretary to the Queen – added: ‘Selecting the winner was no easy task. All five of the shortlisted teams produced creative designs of the highest quality.
‘Foster + Partners’ ambitious and thoughtful masterplan will allow us and future generations to appreciate Queen Elizabeth’s life of service as she balanced continuity and change with strong values, common sense and optimism throughout her long reign.’
Committee member Valerie Amos added that the design brought to life her ‘many contributions to the lives of people across the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.’
Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners, Lord Foster, described the commission as ‘an honour and a privilege’.
He continued: ‘I knew The Queen on formal occasions but also enjoyed her informality when attending events as a member of the Order of Merit. We have sought to reflect these qualities of the formal and informal in our design, with an appeal across a wide range of ages and interests. To these ends, we have discreetly stretched the boundaries of art and technology with a deliberately gentle intervention.
Sir Norman Foster inspecting his creation – the Great Court at the British Museum in London
‘Our design will have the minimum impact on the nature and biodiversity of the Park and it will be phased to ensure that the precious route across it will never be closed.
‘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.’
Foster + Partners will now develop its initial concept in close partnership with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee.
They will also work together to select a sculptor to design the memorial’s figurative element. The Committee will announce the chosen sculptor later this year.
St James’s Park has been chosen for the location of the memorial as it is an area of historical and constitutional significance, which also has a personal connection to Queen Elizabeth II.
It is situated opposite Buckingham Palace and was frequented by the Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret, as young girls.
The final design will be formally announced in April 2026 alongside a ‘legacy programme’ to coincide with what would have been Queen Elizabeth’s hundredth birthday year. She died in 2022 at the age of 96.
