No Trafalgar Square Queen statue for four years as fourth plinth reserved for art commissions

29 September 2022, 09:44 | Updated: 29 September 2022, 13:04

The Mayor of London has not ruled out putting a statue of Queen Elizabeth II on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth - but said the site is booked up for the next four years.

It will not be possible in the foreseeable future due to the planned art exhibits commissioned

A spokesman said on Wednesday: “The Fourth Plinth will continue to showcase new works by world-class artists for the foreseeable future. There are planned Fourth Plinth exhibits for the next four years."

MPs in the House of Commons had broadly voiced support for a statue of the late monarch on the vacant plinth.

The Mayor's office said that the Mayor would support a statue of the monarch: "A statue of the Queen at a suitable location in London is a matter for the Royal family to consider, and of course the Greater London Authority stands ready to support them in their wishes."

The news comes as Windsor Castle reopens, meaning members of the public will be able to see the Queen's final resting place.

The Fourth Plinth scheme is one of the most prominent public art commissions in the world, allowing artists to showcase their works in one of the tourism hotspots of the UK's capital city.

The scheme was first proposed in 1994 by Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith, who was chairman of the Royal Society of Art at the time. Ms Leith told the Guardian that she would prefer to see the scheme continue:

“It’s really important that the contemporary stuff stays in the square. Each sculpture has had its fans and its detractors. Even if you hate what’s there, you know it’s coming down next year.”

In recent years, a fly-like drone perched on a sculpture depicting a giant ice cream cone and a golden rocking horse have taken turns in occupying the plinth.

The current occupant of the plinth is Samson Kambulu's new commission: Antelope. The work depicts John Chilembwe, an anti-colonialist pastor who in 1915 led a revolt against British rule in Nyasaland, now Malawi.

The winning commission has been criticised by some, because the revolt led to bloodshed including the decapitation of a British settler.

Read more: "We had to take urgent action": PM defends mini-budget despite financial turmoil

Read more: Two million without power in Florida as Hurricane Ian moves inland leaving trail of destruction in its wake

Mr Khan said the work would “encourage discussion about the fight for freedom and equality”. The commission that is set to follow Kambalu’s work, created by the artist Teresa Margolles, depicts the faces of 850 transgender people.

Works are chosen by the Fourth Plinth Commission, appointed by the Mayor's Office. The commission takes a long list of contemporary proposals in sketch form and reduces them to a short list of six.

From this, the winning proposal is approved by the Mayor and funded by the Great London Authority at a cost of £140,000, plus a £30,000 artist’s fee. There is a new artwork roughly every two years.