LONDON – Britain\u2019s King Charles has paid a heartfelt tribute to his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in a video message on what would have been her 100th birthday.<\/p>\n
His moving homage on April 21 came as the final masterplan for the memorial for the nation\u2019s longest-serving monarch was unveiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, as we mark what would have been my beloved mother\u2019s 100th birthday, my family and I pause to reflect on the life and loss of a sovereign who meant so much to us all, and to celebrate anew the many blessings of her memory,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMillions will remember her for moments of national significance; many others for a fleeting personal encounter, a smile, a kind word that lifted spirits, or for that marvellous twinkle of the eye when sharing a marmalade sandwich with Paddington Bear in the final months of her life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Referring to Elizabeth as \u201cdarling mama\u201d, Charles, 77, said she had \u201cremained constant, steadfast and wholly devoted to the people she served\u201d throughout her long life.<\/p>\n
The monarch died aged 96 in September 2022 after a 70-year reign.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch about the times we now live in, I suspect, may have troubled her deeply, but I take heart from her belief that goodness will always prevail and that a brighter dawn is never far from the horizon,\u201d the king said in his message.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor as a young Princess Elizabeth put it in her first ever public broadcast, aged just 14, we can each play our part \u2018to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a belief which I share, with all my heart,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
To mark the centenary of Elizabeth\u2019s birth, the royal family are carrying out a number of engagements this week. On April 20, Charles and his wife Queen Camilla visited a new exhibition, dedicated to her fashion.<\/p>\n
Charles and other members of the royal family will view a scale model of the wider memorial on a visit to London\u2019s British Museum on April 21.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe nation will commemorate her extraordinary reign with a memorial that offers a place of reflection for generations to come,\u201d Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The memorial to the queen will feature a statue by sculptor Martin Jennings of her as a young woman dressed in ceremonial robes.<\/p>\n
The bronze likeness will take inspiration from a celebrated 1955 portrait of her by Italian artist Pietro Annigoni.<\/p>\n
A 28-year-old Elizabeth sat for Annigoni in late 1954 just a couple of years into her reign.<\/p>\n
Mr Robin Janvrin, Elizabeth\u2019s former private secretary and chair of the memorial project\u2019s committee, described the resulting portrait as a \u201clovely, iconic image of the young queen\u201d.<\/p>\n
The combined statue and plinth will stand 7.3 metres high at the entrance to the memorial in London\u2019s St James\u2019s Park, close to Buckingham Palace. <\/p>\n
The memorial will feature a family of gardens through the park with meandering paths and a new translucent glass unity bridge, inspired by Elizabeth\u2019s wedding tiara.<\/p>\n
There will also be a smaller statue of her late husband Prince Philip dressed in his naval uniform looking up at his wife.<\/p>\n
Elizabeth, who was born on April 21, 1926 was not expected to become queen.<\/p>\n
An accident of history brought her to the throne after her uncle Edward VIII abdicated in order to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson in 1936.<\/p>\n
After the abdication, her reluctant father, who suffered from a severe stammer, became King George VI.<\/p>\n
But his death in 1952 saw the young princess accede to the throne aged just 25, setting the stage for her record-breaking reign.<\/p>\n
Since her death, the royal family have endured a turbulent time as a result of illness, family estrangement and scandal.<\/p>\n
Both Charles and his daughter-in-law Catherine, wife of his elder son and heir Prince William, have battled cancer,<\/a> while his younger son Prince Harry<\/a> wrote a wounding tell-all memoir after quitting royal duties with his American wife, Meghan.<\/p>\n