Royal Family unveil plans to mark major milestone with four engagements

Svar Nanan-Sen
Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:56:50 +0000

The Royal Family will gather across several London locations next week to mark what would have been Queen Elizabeth II's 100th birthday, with commemorative events scheduled for Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st April.

The King and Queen will lead the tributes alongside other members of the family, attending four official engagements over the two days.

The programme begins with a visit to a major fashion retrospective at The King's Gallery before moving to the British Museum for the unveiling of memorial designs.

The Princess Royal will separately inaugurate a new memorial garden in Regent's Park, while the commemorations conclude with a Buckingham Palace reception bringing together centenarians celebrating their own 100th birthdays on the same date as the late Queen's centenary.

TRENDING

Stories

Videos

Your Say

The fashion exhibition at Buckingham Palace represents the most extensive display of the late Queen's wardrobe ever assembled, bringing together more than 300 pieces.

Visitors will encounter garments spanning Her late Majesty's entire life, from her christening robe through to bridesmaid outfits, her wedding gown and the dress worn at her Coronation.

Caroline de Guitaut, Surveyor of The King's Works of Art, will guide Their Majesties through the collection, with many items being shown publicly for the first time.

Designer Erdem Moralıoğlu will be present, having lent an ensemble from a previous collection that drew inspiration from the late monarch.

Students from King's Foundation programmes in embroidery, millinery and atelier work, supported by Chanel and le19M, will also meet Their Majesties after studying pieces from the Royal Collection for their graduation projects.

At the British Museum on Tuesday, Their Majesties will examine the completed design for the national Queen Elizabeth Memorial, accompanied by the Prime Minister and members of the memorial committee chaired by Lord Janvrin.

Lord Norman Foster, who designed the memorial, will present a scale model in the Reading Room alongside artwork displays and a short film showcasing design elements.

The three artists commissioned to create sculptures for the site—Martin Jennings, Yinka Shonibare and Karen Newman—will present their maquettes to The King and Queen.

Both the scale model and sculptural maquettes will subsequently remain on public display at the museum.

Representatives from the Queen Elizabeth Trust, the legacy charity established in the late monarch's memory, will also attend, followed by a reception in the Great Hall for organisations involved in developing the memorial projects.

The Princess Royal will perform the official opening of The Queen Elizabeth II Garden, a two-acre sanctuary designed as a fully accessible space for quiet contemplation in central London.

Dr Linda Yeuh, Chair of The Royal Parks, will welcome Her Royal Highness before a tour highlighting the garden's design features, created through collaboration between The Royal Parks and HTA Design.

Blacksmith Ian Thackray, a King's Foundation graduate, will explain the water feature's significance and present The Princess with a gilded metal flower made specifically for the site.

The garden incorporates a circular pond supporting wildlife, plantings of species meaningful to the late Queen, and a viewing platform overlooking Regent's Park.

Environmental sustainability underpins the design, with climate-resilient planting projected to deliver a 184% net gain in biodiversity when the garden opens to the public on 27th April.

The commemorations will conclude with a reception in the Marble Hall at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Their Majesties alongside other Royal Family members.

Guests will include representatives from organisations the late Queen supported as patron throughout her reign, among them Cancer Research UK, the British Red Cross Society, the Jockey Club, the Royal Kennel Club and the Army Benevolent Fund.

In a particularly poignant element of the celebration, centenarians marking their own 100th birthdays on 21st April will attend the gathering.

As birthday cake is served, the King will personally present these guests with their centenary cards—continuing a tradition his mother maintained throughout her reign of sending congratulatory messages to those reaching the milestone age.