A statue of Queen Elizabeth II in Portsmouth may not be installed for more than five years, council says

Councillors passed a motion in October last year, shortly after her death, committing to a public consultation and work to find a suitable site. This would be subject to approval from the Royal Family.

The report, which will be considered by the council’s cabinet on Wednesday (October 3), says the council had been advised to consider a permanent memorial “in slow time” with the lord-lieutenant advising that there was “no immediacy” for any statue.

“The Queen visited Portsmouth many times,” the report says. “The city clearly played a significant part in her reign and Portsmouth has always had very strong links with the crown.

“The city’s commemoration of the late Queen’s reign has to work for residents and for visitors, enhance the public realm, and be of a significant quality to match other statuary in the city.”

The report cites the example of the statue of the Queen Mother in The Mall which was unveiled in 2009, seven years after her death. Due to the prevalence of memorials and statues in Portsmouth, the city council has a monuments policy that sets out criteria for additions. This policy threatened to scupper now-approved plans for a memorial to the HMS Royal Oak.

The policy requires statues to be of a subject that either has a “strong link” to a chosen site, that it is more fitting than any alternative method of commemoration, and that 10 years has passed since their death.

The report says any statue of Queen Elizabeth II “would justify waiving the 10 year waiting period”.

It adds: “Erecting a memorial to the late Queen is an important decision that will require time.

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A new statue may take more than five years, considering the time required for consultation, commissioning, making and installation. There are currently very few statues of Her Majesty as it is not usual to commission statues of a person during their lifetime.”

A statue in Windsor Great Park was erected in 2003 and York Minster recently installed another, although this was to mark the Platinum Jubilee. Councils in London, Stoke-on-Trent and Rutland are among the other local authorities also progressing plans for statues.

The report says any statue in Portsmouth would be of “a similar high standard” to those commemorating Queen Victoria, Admiral Lord Nelson or Charles Dickens. Funding has yet to be allocated by the city council which said it was proposing to limit any further progress until a potential government announcement and would instead initially focus on the Covid Memorial.