Queen Elizabeth II memorial garden to feature her favourite flowers

Lily of the Valley to appear in the Regent’s Park space which will represent her ‘unwavering service’ with ‘moments of quiet reflection’

A memorial garden to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II will be created in Regent’s Park.
The Royal Parks’ plans for a two-acre garden on the site of a disused plant nursery in the heart of the London park that will be free to the public have now been approved.
The garden will include plants that were significant to Elizabeth II, with a straight path through it to “represent the late Queen’s unwavering loyalty and service with each end offering a moment of quiet reflection”.
It was given planning permission by Westminster Council and is expected to open in 2026 to mark what would have been the late monarch’s 100th birthday.
The space will feature diverse habitats such as nectar-rich planting, meadows, woodlands, and hedgerows with climate-resilient plants to attract wildlife.
The garden will pay homage to the late Queen by using plants significant to the late monarch or with royal associations including Narcissus Diamond Jubilee and Tulipa Royal Celebration.
It will also feature her favourite plants like Lily of the Valley which were included in her 1953 coronation bouquet.
Designed by creative designers HTA Design LLP and their team including horticulturalist Dr Noel Kingsbury, the garden will be guided by sustainable practices.
The former nursery greenhouses will provide reusable steel to create elements of the new pergola and repurposed water tower and concrete from demolition material will be recycled and transformed into growing mediums, making it a landmark for sustainable urban design.
Andrew Scattergood, chief executive of The Royal Parks, said: “The approval of planning permission marks an exciting step forward in the creation of the new garden, which is designed to be a tranquil space for reflection, accessible to all.
“It provides a serene escape from the city’s hustle and bustle.”
The Royal Parks is described as a charity dedicated to caring for the most famous collection of urban parks in the world.
Planning documents described the garden as being “intended to provide a relaxing, but stimulating environment that promotes enjoyment through sight, scent, touch and sound” with “quieter areas for solitary enjoyment”.
“The visual, textural, and sensual elements of the garden have all been well considered to create a garden which meaningfully celebrates the life of Queen Elizabeth II but is also accessible, inclusive and contributes positively to the wider park, a Registered Park and Garden,” it adds.
Regent’s Park is an early nineteenth-century park, designed by John Nash, and is Grade I registered.
Historic England supported the proposal.
The application reads: “The garden is to be called the Queen Elizabeth II Garden in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth II and to be opened for what would have been The Queen’s 100th birthday in 2026.”
When plans were announced in December, The Telegraph’s art critic Alastair Sooke compared the garden with other monuments including the Taj Mahal, Great Pyramids, and [Prince] Albert Memorial in London, saying the emphasis of this was “on tranquillity, not ostentatious impressiveness: a sign, surely, of the times”.
A further national memorial to Elizabeth II is due to be announced in 2026, with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee considering proposals for both a permanent memorial and a “national legacy programme” that will recognise her life of service.
It will be chaired by Lord Janvrin, one of the late Queen’s most loyal and trusted aides who served as her private secretary from 1999 to 2007.
So far, committee members have travelled to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to capture views and perspectives about what a permanent memorial should look like, as well as consulting with the King and Prince of Wales.
An idea that a statue of the late Queen could be placed on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square has not been met with universal approval.
Royal memorials already in London include the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace, the Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens.
The Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park was beset by early problems but the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, in Kensington Gardens is now a much-loved playpark.