Queen Elizabeth II Monument In Malta Unlikely But Big Plans Underway For Her Old Pieta’ Home
Calls for Malta to erect a public monument for Queen Elizabeth II are unlikely to be heeded, with National Heritage Minister Owen Bonnici stating that the best way to honour the late monarch’s memory is to restore her old Pieta’ home into a museum.
Lovin Malta asked Bonnici whether the government will consider erecting a monument in honour of the late Queen after a petition to this end was circulated online and signed by some 1,400 people.
However, Bonnici said the planned investment in Villa Guardamangia, where the Queen used to live as a princess between 1949 and 1951, is the best way to honour her memory.
“This Villa will remain engraved in history because it is where the Queen lived and spent the best time of her life,” he said.
Villa Guardamangia holds an important place in Royal Family history as being the only home outside the UK where Queen Elizabeth II used to live.
The late monarch had resided in the Pieta’ building during her early years of marriage to Prince Philip, who was stationed in Malta as a naval officer just after World War II.
Queen Elizabeth II had described her time living in Malta as one of the best moments of her life as it was the only time she could live normally.
However, it fell into disrepair over the years until the government purchased it from its private owners in 2019 with an aim of converting it into a museum.
Bonnici said that Heritage Malta immediately undertook consolidation works to prevent the building from collapsing while preparations were conducted to design a project which will be submitted for EU funding under the current programme.
Would you like to visit Villa Guardamangia when it opens as a museum?
READ NEXT: Refill And Reuse Your Water Bottles With This New Pavi-Pama Initiative
