Statue of Queen Elizabeth II may become permanent occupant of fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square 

A statue of the Queen could become a permanent fixture atop the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square as MPs and Buckingham Palace are set to discuss how to memorialise the late monarch’s historic 70-year reign. 

There is currently just one full-size statue of Her Majesty in the whole of the UK, which was erected in Windsor Great Park in 2002 to mark the Golden Jubilee. 

But any plans for a new tribute will not be revealed until after the official mourning period, with no such discussions taking place ahead of her state funeral on Monday.

‘This is something that we do want to consider very carefully in the fullness of time,’ a government source told the Times.

Other options being considered include renaming streets, parks, racecourses and even London’s Heathrow – the airport where she returned to Britain from Kenya as Queen Elizabeth II following the death of her father George VI in 1952. 

But the most likely memorial will be at Trafalgar Square, where the fourth plinth has been deliberately kept vacant for the past 20 years. 

Since 1998, the plinth has seen a succession of often bizarre and quirky art installations – including an enormous ice cream with a fly on it (pictured)

Any plans for a new tribute will not be revealed until after the official mourning period, with no such discussions taking place ahead of her state funeral on Monday (Pictured: Fourth Plinth sculpture by British artist David Shrigley, entitled ‘Really Good’)

Since 1998, the plinth has seen a succession of often bizarre and quirky art installations – including an enormous ice cream with a fly on it and a huge thumbs up made out of bronze. 

But it will likely feature a more permanent figure in the near future, as Ken Livingstone, the former mayor of London, said in 2013: ‘The understanding is that the fourth plinth is being reserved for Queen Elizabeth II.’

The plinth is a large block made out of slabs of stone and was originally intended to hold an equestrian statue of William IV, who died in 1837, but it remained bare due to insufficient funds. 

Its fate was debated for more than 150 years before it began commissioning art pieces in 1998, but now many see it as the ideal spot for a statue of the Queen on horseback – similar to the one erected in Windsor 20 years ago. 

A spokesman for the Greater London Authority, which is responsible for the fourth plinth, said: ‘A Queen Elizabeth II statue at a suitable location in London is a matter for His Majesty the King and the royal family to consider. 

‘The GLA stands ready to support them in their wishes.’

But some MPs fear the location is ‘not sufficiently prominent’, suggesting any memorial or statue be erected in Parliament Square, outside the Palace of Westminster. 

The fourth plinth’s fate was debated for more than 150 years before it began commissioning art pieces in 1998, but now many see it as the ideal spot for a statue of the Queen on horseback – similar to the one erected in Windsor 20 years ago (pictured)

It comes amid plans to partly pedestrianise the square, meaning any ode to the late head of state could become its centerpiece. 

‘Given Her Majesty was so sensitive to the constitution and the monarch’s relationship with parliament, a statute there would be a fitting tribute,’ David Jones, the Conservative MP for Clwyd West, told the Times.

‘It needs to be sufficiently prominent and in my view being one of four statues in Trafalgar Square is not good enough. You can’t have her statue at a lower level than Lord Nelson.’

Mr Jones suggested Queen Elizabeth II’s reign could be remembered in ‘a variety of ways.’