King Charles To Meet Stonemason Who Created Statue Of Queen
November 9, 2022
The King will later unveil the first statue of Queen Elizabeth II to be installed since her death.
King Charles III and the Queen Consort will meet the stonemason who created the statue as they attend the unveiling at York Minster on Wednesday.
The monarch will enter York at Micklegate, the traditional royal entrance into the city, where he will be greeted by well-wishers.
The King will then head to Doncaster to formally confer its city status.
The King and Queen Consort will pass through Micklegate Bar where monarchs traditionally stop to ask the Lord Mayor's permission to enter the city.
The York Minster bells will herald the arrival of the royal couple and they will be welcomed by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, the acting Dean of York, Canon Michael Smith and children from the cathedral's Minster Mice weekly service.
After a short prayer service the King will meet stonemason Richard Bossons, who created the statue of the late Queen, and his assistant Rita Dawe.
The King and Queen Consort will leave the Minster through the Great West door for the unveiling and blessing of the sculpture.
The 6ft 7in (2m) statue sits in a niche on the minster's west front and was intended to honour the Queen in her Platinum Jubilee year.
The design had been chosen by the late monarch and was originally due to be unveiled in September, but this was postponed after the Queen's death.
The Archbishop of York said: "I think for the King personally it's going to be a time of sadness, because this is his mother. But also it is an honour for us to receive him and to welcome him.
"It will be a time of great thanksgiving, we have so much to be thankful for. I believe the new King Charles has made a very impressive start."
The King and Queen Consort will then travel to Doncaster to confer city status in a special ceremony at the Mansion House.
Their Majesties will be met by the Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire Dame Hilary Chapman, the civic mayor Cllr Ian Pearson and junior civic mayor, Evia Shaw-Lewis.
Road closures will be in place in both cities during the royal visits.
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