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Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth has been used to display a rotating selection of artworks, some of them profound, some controversial. These have included a huge blue chicken, a giant rocking horse and a man who climbed up and stripped off. Now, the prime spot has been earmarked for a permanent tribute to the Queen’s husband, 98-year-old Prince Philip.

The plinth was originally designed for an equestrian statue of King William IV. The statue of the Duke of Edinburgh will be commissioned after his death. The Queen’s husband retired from public life in 2016 after 64 years of service. READ MORE: What will happen when Prince Philip dies?

Prince Philip news: The Queen's husband is set to be immortalised in London’s Trafalgar square

Prince Philip news: Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth has been used to display a rotating selection of artworks

The Duke is now enjoying his retirement in the county grounds of the royal estate in Sandringham, Norfolk. He was, at one time, said to be the busiest member of the Royal Family, tallying up 22,219 solo engagements, giving 5,496 speeches, and writing 14 books in the process. Details of the exact nature of the statue have not yet been revealed. The Duke is a Royal Navy admiral, and there is a precedent for honouring sailors in Trafalgar Square.

Prince Philip news: The Duke is a Royal Navy admiral, and there is a precedent for honouring sailors in Trafalgar Square

The granite plinth atop which with Duke will stand was built in 1841 but remained empty for decades owing to a lack of funds. It has previously been identified as a possible site for a future memorial to the Queen; others have proposed statues of Nelson Mandela or Margaret Thatcher. With the Queen and her husband now both in their nineties, the sensitive subject of how they will be memorialised has ramped up in discussions within Buckingham Palace, Downing Street and City Hall, which has responsibility for Trafalgar Square. A source said: “A statue of the Queen on the fourth plinth was the original plan.

Prince Philip news: With the Queen and her husband now both in their nineties, the sensitive subject of how they will be memorialised has ramped up

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