King Charles III unveils statue of Queen Elizabeth II at York Minster

King Charles has unveiled the first new statue of his late mother – shortly after being targeted with eggs during his first tour of Yorkshire as monarch.

Sheltering under an umbrella, the King pulled down the cloth covering the statue of Queen Elizabeth II in front of hundreds of people outside the entrance of York Minster on Wednesday afternoon. There were cheers as the statue was revealed.

The King and Camilla, the Queen Consort, had earlier entered the city in dramatic fashion, as eggs were thrown at them by a man in the crowd at Micklegate. They appeared unfazed as a 23-year-old man was arrested.

Weighing more than a tonne and made from French limestone, the statue shows the Queen in the robes of the Order of the Garter. It is the first to be created since Her Majesty's death in September and overlooks York's first new public square in 200 years, which will be named in the Queen's honour.

Before unveiling the statue, the King said: "The late Queen was always vigilant for the welfare of her people during her life.

"Her image will watch over what will become Queen Elizabeth Square for centuries to come."

Eggs thrown at King and Queen Consort on visit to York
The King and his wife Camilla were shown an exhibition on how the statue was created. Credit: PA

Richard Bossons, the stonemason who created the statue, has worked at the minster for 11 years. He won a competition to create the statue in Queen Elizabeth's honour.

The statue, which stands above the West Front entrance, was intended to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and was completed in August, a month before she died.

Mr Bossons, 52, said: "I hope everybody likes it. It is the best I could pull out of myself.

"Hopefully I have done justice to the Queen and the King likes it, and I have done justice to the front of the building."

Before the unveiling, the King and the Queen Consort joined the Archbishop of York and other dignitaries for a service at the minster and looked at a new exhibition explaining how the statue was made.

Their Majesties left York after the statue unveiling to travel to Doncaster, to confer city status at a special ceremony.

On Tuesday the King visited Bradford and Leeds on the first day of his tour of the county.

King departs Doncaster at end of two-day visit to Yorkshire

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