The Times issues correction over misreported cost of Queen Elizabeth II statue

The Times has issued a correction after it incorrectly reported that a statue of Queen Elizabeth II would cost up to £46 million and be unveiled next year.

In fact, as the paper clarified, the £46 million figure refers to the overall budget for the memorial site in St James’s Park. The designs for the site are not yet complete and are only due to be finalised next year.

The original report created the impression that the statue alone would carry the full cost and be completed within months. In reality, the statue is just one part of a larger commemorative project, and no specific unveiling date has yet been set.

The distinction is significant. Reporting that the statue itself would require tens of millions of pounds risked fuelling criticism over extravagance at a time when public spending is under close scrutiny. By contrast, the actual budget covers an entire memorial complex, of which the statue is only a single element.

This episode highlights how a lack of precision in reporting costs and timelines can distort public debate. Memorial projects, especially those honouring figures of national importance, attract wide attention and scrutiny. Errors of this nature risk undermining trust in the institutions overseeing them as well as in the media outlets reporting on them.

By issuing the correction, the Times has sought to set the record straight. But the incident serves as a reminder that in matters of public symbolism and national memory, accuracy is paramount.