Queen Elizabeth Unveils New Statues at Canterbury Cathedral

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have unveiled statues of themselves during a service at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent this afternoon.

They arrived shortly before 2:30pm, and were welcomed by cheering crowds in the Cathedral Precincts. The Dean of Canterbury, the Very Reverend Robert Willis, led the service which was attended by a number of locals from the Kent area.

At the conclusion of the service, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip met with the sculptors and stonemasons who worked on the statues that were commissioned to mark the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 by the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral. The two statues, located at the Great West Door of the Cathedral, stand near statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Queen Elizabeth I.

Earlier in the day, the monarch and her husband officially opened a visitor’s centre called The Wing at the National Memorial to the Few in Capel-le-Ferne, Folkestone. Despite the rain and fog, a number of school students donned ponchos to greet the Queen upon her arrival.

During their visit to The Wing, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip toured the centre (whose aim is to educate and keep the memory of the Battle of Britain alive) and were shown The Scramble Experience, an interactive display bringing the battle to life. They also met with local schoolchildren who are studying the battle and six surviving members of the Royal Air Force who fought in the Battle of Britain.

Also attending the opening was Prince Michael of Kent, who is patron of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad of Bahrain.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Battle of Britain, Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain, Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Memorial, Prince Michael of Kent, The Duke of Edinburgh, World War II.