Along the Mall, at the foot of the steps to Carlton Gardens about 150 yards from Buckingham Palace, you’ll find two statues – one of King George VI and the other of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
While the monument to King George has stood for many years, the representation of the Queen Mother was only erected in early 2009. Both the King and Queen are depicted at 51 years of age and behind the Queen Mother’s statue you’ll find two friezes, one of which depicts the Royal Family during the Second World War with a focus on a visit to the East End (the Queen Mother is believed to have said at the time that ‘now that Buckingham Palace has been bombed, I feel that I can look the people of the East End in the face‘). The other shows her in later life, with a visit to the races (she was a passionate supporter of horse racing and owned several prize-winning race horses) and a scene at home where she is surrounded by her favourite corgis. You can see all of the photographs that I took on this visit here.
October 28, 2011
London Sights