Members of the public are asked how the late Queen should be commemorated in fitting memorial for her 70 years of devoted service to the nation
- Readers of The Mail on Sunday are invited to come up with memorial ideas
- Tell us what you think: Email [email protected]
A call-out has been made by Ministers to the country to suggest the best way to commemorate the late Queen.
Readers of The Mail on Sunday are among millions who, Government sources say, are invited to come up with an idea for a fitting memorial for her remarkable 70 years of devoted service to the nation.
It may seem impossible to think of anything suitable to honour such a record-breaking reign.
Indeed, there are those who think that anything such as a statue or new park would diminish her memory.
In any case, Olympic parks, national gardens and even a train line – the 73-mile, £18billion Elizabeth Line have already been named after the Queen, who died aged 96 last September.
Readers of The Mail on Sunday are among millions who are invited to come up with an idea for a fitting memorial for the Queen’s remarkable 70 years of devoted service to the nation
A National Memorialisation Committee has been set up to establish a permanent memorial and to explore how a legacy project could benefit Britons. A Government source told the MoS that for the first time, public representations would be considered.
One early – and controversial – suggestion was to replace the Queen Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace with something in Elizabeth II’s honour. But that was swiftly rejected. The independent advisory committee – whose membership is yet to be established but which should be announced before the anniversary of the Queen’s death on September 8 – was set up by the Prime Minister and is led by the Cabinet Office.
It is understood it will use a two-pronged approach: setting up a permanent physical memorial such as a statue, funded by public donations, while also launching a legacy community scheme.
The plans will be presented to the King before being publicly announced.
Royal officials are aware that previous memorials have been mired in controversy. For example, a fountain in memory of Princess Diana in London’s Kensington Gardens was criticised as over-hyped, poorly built and monstrously costly.
Also, another memorial to Diana was the focus of a very awkward – and temporary – reunion of her two sons, William and Harry. They managed to put their bitter animosity aside to honour their mother together two years ago this month for the unveiling of a statue of her in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace.
THE TRAIN LINE THAT CAME IN LATE
The Elizabeth Line, named after the late Queen, is the newest rail route on the London Underground and Overground networks.
The Queen and the Duke of Wessex formally opened the line – whose colour is the Royal Purple – on May 17 last year. The route connects Abbey Wood and Shenfield in Essex to Maidenhead and Reading in Berkshire, while stopping in Central London and Heathrow Airport.
Controversy surrounded its development, as it cost way above budget at £18.9billion – £5billion more than the original estimate. And it took 13 years to finish, even though it was supposed to be ready by 2018. Some unexpected beneficiaries were Britain’s birds, however, as during its construction six million tons of earth were removed, half of which were taken to Wallasea Island in Essex to build a 400-acre bird sanctuary.
The sanctuary, called Jubilee Marsh, is run by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
The Elizabeth Line is the newest rail route on the London Underground and Overground
DIANA FOUNTAIN THAT WAS BLASTED BY MPS
The Diana Memorial Fountain was beset by problems when it opened in 2004, with controversy over both its £3.6million cost and what critics regarded as its less than majestic design.
The 690ft fountain, a circular trench filled with water in London’s Hyde Park, was opened by the late Queen Elizabeth. It was closed almost immediately due to flooding, and again after 15 injuries in 16 days when people slipped on the wet stone.
Guards had to be hired to stop people paddling to prevent more accidents, more than doubling the annual upkeep bill. Two years later, a report by MPs branded it ‘ill-conceived and ill-executed’.
The fountain aims to reflect Diana’s life, with water flowing from the highest point in two directions and meeting in a pool at the bottom.
The Diana Memorial Fountain was beset by problems when it opened in 2004 ith controversy over both its £3.6million cost and what critics regarded as its less than majestic design
THE PLINTH? NO CHANCE
One idea that has already been ruled out is a statue on the fourth plinth in the north-west corner of Trafalgar Square. The plinth, built to hold a statue of William IV, has been used since 2000 to host temporary exhibitions of modern sculpture, such as a fly-like drone perched on an ice-cream cone, above.
One idea that has already been ruled out is a statue on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square
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