Queen Mother statue plan on show

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The winning design for a memorial to the Queen Mother has been unveiled.

Sculptor Philip Jackson created the national tribute which portrays her in her younger days wearing Order of the Garter robes.

The bronze statue will stand off the Mall in London beneath a sculpture of her late husband King George VI.

Buckingham Palace said this "reflects the fact that Queen Elizabeth lived for another 50 years." The Queen Mother died in March 2002 at the age of 101.

The Queen Mother was left a widow at the age of 51 when King George VI died in 1952, aged 56.

Commemorative coin

The Palace spokeswoman said: "It is intended that the statues will show the King and Queen at the same age, mounted on plinths simply inscribed with their names and the years of their births and deaths."

Designers were tasked with creating a memorial that took into account the foreign secretary's residence and Carlton House Terrace, which overlook the site.

Materials had to be sympathetic to those existing in the area, including Portland stone, granite, bronze and cast iron.

Plans for the tribute have been approved by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales.

The memorial, which will stand between Marlborough Road and Admiralty Arch, is due to be completed by August.

It is being funded by the sale of a £5 coin produced to commemorate the Queen's 80th birthday and the government previously said up to £2m would be available for the project.