Khan Skips Royal Event, Unveils Queen Memorial

0:00It's April 22nd. This is Entertainment and Celebrity News today. AI-powered stories from the spotlight. London Mayor Sir Sadeek Khan skipped an expected appearance with Princess Anne at the opening of the Queen Elizabeth II Garden in Regent's Park. Instead, he showed up at the British Museum alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla, and other royals, plus Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to check out. Design plans for the Queen Elizabeth Memorial. His office cleared it up quick, saying he was there for the official reveal of recommendations from the Memorial Committee. Buckingham Palace stay quiet, leaving it to Khan's team to explain the switch. Khan has long shown respect for the late Queen, calling her a unifying force back in September 2022 when she passed. He got knighted by King Charles at Buckingham Palace this year for public service, and during National Morning, he backed the public's grief over any protests. At the museum, the King called the scale model fantastic, loving the glass bridge idea pulled from Queen Mary's fringe tiara that his mom wore at her.

1:03Wedding. Other royals chimed in, too, with the Duchess of Edinburgh saying the statue captures her as a young woman just right. The Memorial, shaped by top designers and sculptors, features a 7-meter tall bronze statue of the Queen, inspired by a classic portrait, plus one, of Prince Philip in uniform. It includes a later years bust, a Commonwealth wind sculpture, and that tiara bridge all set to wrap up by 2028 in a new park space.