This year, Queen Elizabeth II would have turned 100. So, to celebrate the centenary of her birth on April 21, the royal family has prepared a packed program of tributes and festivities. Elizabeth II died on September 8, 2022 at the age of 96, after 70 years of the longest reign in British history. To honor her, three official events will be held in the presence of senior members of the Windsor dynasty, starting with King Charles III.
Together with his wife, Queen Camilla and other members of the family, the monarch will visit the British Museum to see the final model of the future Elizabeth II memorial, in the company of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Lord Janvrin, the Queen’s former Private Secretary. They will meet the artists who imagined the monument, and watch a short film documenting its conception. The memorial will be located in the heart of St. James’s Park, a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace. Two statues of the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, will be erected, as will a new bridge across the artificial lake, whose cast-glass design will be inspired by the Queen Mary Fringe tiara worn by Elizabeth II on her wedding day. The memorial will be divided into several gardens and green spaces, including one dedicated to the Commonwealth.
Also on April 21, Princess Anne, the monarch’s only daughter, will inaugurate the official garden dedicated to her mother in London’s Regent’s Park. It will open its doors to the public six days later. It is already known that it will be located on the grounds of a disused former nursery and will include a large pond with a pergola.
“The straight path through the garden will symbolize the late Queen’s unwavering loyalty and devotion, with each end offering a moment of contemplation,” reads a statement on the Royal Parks website. The garden will feature plants loved by Elizabeth II during her lifetime, as well as species that promote biodiversity. The project even has a participatory character, since the charity that manages the eight Royal Parks is offering visitors the chance to purchase a plot in the garden, for £22 (around €25) per square meter.
Finally, the festivities will conclude with a reception at Buckingham Palace, attended by the royal couple and other members of the family. Guests will include representatives of charities such as Cancer Research UK and the British Red Cross, of which Elizabeth II was patron, as well as subjects of the Crown, who will celebrate their 100th birthday with a cake. The lucky centenarians will receive a card signed by King Charles.
He will also make a speech to celebrate the memory of his mother, according to the Mirror. According to a source close to the palace quoted by the newspaper, this address is expected to be luminous: “The atmosphere will not be one of gravity, but rather of celebration, offering citizens of our four nations and the Commonwealth the opportunity to come together and pay tribute to the exceptional life and legacy of our late Queen.”