THE unveiling of a new statue of Queen Elizabeth II, which was due to take place at York Minster on Friday, has been postponed as a 'mark of respect'.
As The Press reported last week, the Minster has been consulting with the Royal Household over when to unveil the statue following the Queen's death.
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, had originally been scheduled to unveil and bless the statue outside the cathedral on Friday.
But in a statement released late this afternoon, Minster authorities said: "The ceremony to unveil and bless a new statue of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II at York Minster on Friday has been postponed, as a mark of respect for the period of Royal Mourning.
"A new date to unveil and bless the statue will be announced in due course."
The statue has been designed and carved by York Minster stonemason, Richard Bossons, for a niche in the West Front of the cathedral.
Intended to honour the Queen's life of service and dedication to the nation, the statue was commissioned by the Chapter of York, the governing body for York Minster, to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The creation of the statue is said to have brought together centuries-old craft skills and traditional techniques with modern technological advances, having utilised new digital scanning methods, photogrammetry and a state-of-the-art five-axis Bretton stone saw.
The Queen herself chose the final design of the statue which is carved out of Lepine stone.
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