Plans for a memorial to Queen Elizabeth II to be unveiled in 2026 to mark her 100th birthday

Statue of Queen Elizabeth II at Ont. legislature A new $1.5 million bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth II will soon be installed at the Ontario legislature.

LONDON — An independent body will unveil plans for a permanent memorial to Queen Elizabeth II in 2026, to mark what would have been the late monarch's 100th birthday, the British government said Sunday.

The Cabinet Office said Robin Janvrin, Elizabeth's former private secretary, has been appointed as chairman of the Queen Elizabeth memorial committee to consider proposals for a "fitting tribute" to the longest-reigning British monarch following her death in September 2022.

The queen died in Balmoral, her beloved Scottish castle estate, at 96 years old after 70 years on the throne.

Janvrin and other officials on the committee will consider Elizabeth's life of public service and the causes she supported, and recommend plans for a national legacy program in the late queen's honour.

"It will be a unique challenge to try to capture for future generations Her Late Majesty's extraordinary contribution to our national life throughout her very long reign," said Janvrin, who worked at Buckingham Palace in various roles from 1987 to 2007.

The recommendations will be presented to Elizabeth's heir King Charles III and the prime minister.

In 1955 Elizabeth unveiled a statue of her father, George VI, on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace.