King Edward VII Statue

Aberdeen’s most elaborate granite sculpture, designed by Alfred Drury RA and carved by James Philip, stands on a polished red Peterhead granite plinth.

The statue depicts King Edward VII holding a sceptre and orb, dressed in the robes of the Order of the Garter—the oldest and most senior order of British chivalry. A bronze ornamental frieze sits below the statue. To the left is Britannia symbolising peace, breaking a sword. At the centre stands St Andrew, Scotland’s patron saint. On the right are three figures representing "Imperial Unity": Britannia with her arm around a figure symbolising the Indian and African peoples, while a third figure—representing Canada and Australia—extends a hand of friendship to "The Mother of Nations." The sculpture bears the motto “Honi soit qui mal y pense”—“Shame on him who thinks evil of it.”