See images of planned Queen Elizabeth II memorial - with glass bridge and Prince Philip tribute

An architect who once criticised the King has won the bid to design a memorial in honour of his late mother Queen Elizabeth II.

Lord Norman Foster will oversee the replacement of the current bridge in St James's Park with a "very light touch" glass one, inspired by the tiara the Queen wore on her wedding day. He will also transform the wider park with a statue of the Queen in a new space called Queen Elizabeth II Place at Marlborough Gate, a new Prince Philip Gate on the other side at Birdcage Walk, complete with a statue of the late Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen together, and a "family of gardens" around the new bridge.

Lord Foster, known for designing The Gherkin, accused King Charles of using his "privileged position" to intervene in the plans for the former Chelsea Barracks in 2009. The then Prince of Wales, a fan of more traditional architecture, allegedly wrote to the Qatari developers requesting more classical plans be considered over those submitted by Lord Foster.

But in an interview with on Monday, the architect said the pair are now "totally aligned". He insisted his previous "minor differences" with the King were in the past and "absolutely insignificant" as part of the bigger picture.

Bridge to reflect Queen's 'unifying nature' The translucent "unity" bridge will represent the late monarch's ability to bring nations, communities, and the Commonwealth together. "The Queen encompassed, historically, periods of significant change, socially and technologically, but it was all very much with a light touch, and that light touch, the feeling should be that if you visit St James's Park and the site in question later, it will still feel very familiar," Lord Foster told the Press Association.

It will be wider than the current stone bridge, allowing more visitors to enjoy the surrounding gardens, he added. "It will feel better.

It won't be so crowded, although this number of people will be going through it, and the experience will be heightened, but it won't be 'Oh, my god, they've destroyed the tradition of this park'." Described by the designer as "jewel-like.