Queen Charlotte statue returns to Charlotte airport, as lobby expansion accelerates

The Queen Charlotte statue made its long-awaited return Friday to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, with her majesty looking like she got a face lift before landing at the center of the main lobby with her refreshed look.

During an unveiling at the airport, a massive blue tarp dropped down off of the iconic 15-foot-tall Queen Charlotte bronze statue, which rises to the second floor atop a 30-foot pedestal.

The statue that once outside the airport entrance atop a water fountain now greets travelers in the center of the main terminal lobby, now called the “Queen’s Court,” giving passengers a large waiting area where concessions like Queen Charlotte’s Kitchen have opened.

Removal and rehab of the statue was part of the airport’s “Destination CLT,” a $2.5 billion to $3.1 billion capital investment program to renovate and expand the facility.

“We’re very excited to put the queen back in her home,” said Jack Christine, chief infrastructure officer of the airport. “We have been planning this since 2010.”

Following the statue’s arrival, another expansion project is the new security checkpoint on the west side of the new terminal lobby. Checkpoint 1 with eight screening lanes consolidates TSA operations and includes new technology enhancements for more efficient passenger screening.

More baggage areas also will be opening up next month.

“It’s going to significantly help our holiday travel by giving us a lot more space,” Christine said.

Queen Charlotte and CLT’s makeover

The 3,000-pound statue’s makeover was handled by Carolina Bronze in Seagrove. For the last two years, it has been enclosed in box during the airport’s $608 million terminal lobby expansion project.

That project, the single most expensive one in the airport’s renovation list, the current lobby space will increase by 175,000 square feet for TSA security screenings, ticketing, baggage claim and offices. Another 191,000 square feet also will be renovated.

The Queen Charlotte statue was originally located across from the terminal outside in front of the hourly decks. In 2013, the statue was relocated between the daily decks to make way for the hourly parking deck construction.

In October 2021, the queen was sent to Seagrove for restoration. She was returned to the airport in 2021 but was not on public view again until Friday.

Charlotte Douglas is the seventh busiest airport in the world for arrivals and departures. When the terminal first opened in 1982, the airport served 2.8 million passengers. In 2022, CLT saw 48 million customers, according to the airport.

The entire terminal lobby expansion will be complete by 2025.

“This gives us now a new part of the expansion of the lobby as we finish the renovations to the ticket counters, the rest of baggage claim and checkpoint 2 over the next year,” Christine said.

Facts about Queen Charlotte statue

This is not the first time the statues was moved. Ten years ago, the sculpture was moved temporarily from its original location at the front of the airport to between the newly designed east and west parking decks in Daily Parking at the airport.

Here are some facts about the Queen Charlotte statue, according to the airport:

▪ The Queen Charlotte sculpture of her in motion leading backward holding the crown up in one hand has greeted travelers since Sept. 18, 1990, according to the airport’s website.

▪ The Queen’s Table donated $250,000 for a sculpture to symbolize the city.

▪ Washington, D.C., artist Raymond Kaskey’s rendering was chosen from 16 applicants. Kaskey said he made her “leaning backward in the wind because it seemed appropriate for an airport…and the column sets her as a stationary weather vane.”

▪ The sculpture originally stood as the centerpiece in the Queen’s Courtyard between the front parking decks.

Facts about CLT terminal expansion project

Construction on Checkpoint 1 began in March and is expected to open Nov. 5.

The area includes eight screening lanes, 16 travel document checking stations and new technology features for identity verification, automatic screening lanes, four body scanners, bottle liquid scanners for medically necessary liquids larger than the allowed 3.4 ounces, and explosive trace detection screening.

Many of the functions TSA officers did manually will now be automated, said TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers.

New technology includes automatic bin return, three bin stations, additional queue space and X-ray image screening in a remote room. There will still be two standard screening lanes for larger items, such as strollers, Dankers said.

Bags requiring TSA officer check will automatically be diverted on the conveyor belt behind a Plexiglas, along with other security measures, to improve efficiency.

“Our officers are in contact with hundreds of passengers, hundreds of bags every single day, every single hour, and so having this as a tool is certainly helpful,” Dankers said.

In Charlotte, TSA screened more than 8.1 million departing passengers through September this year, an 18% increase compared to last year, according to the airport.

Who was Queen Charlotte?

The city of Charlotte is named after King George III’s wife. Mecklenburg County honors Queen Charlotte’s birthplace in Germany, Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Princess Sofia Charlotte was born May 19, 1744, to Duke Charles Ludwig Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Princess Elisabeth Albertine of Saxe-Hildburghausen. When she arrived in England to marry King George III, she was 17. She gave birth to 15 children in what we know today to be Buckingham Palace. She enjoyed botany, flowers and music, and cared for her husband through his illness.

Queen Charlotte died in 1818. She was credited for introducing the German Christmas Tree tradition to England in 1800 and was instrumental in developing Kew Gardens.

A spotlight on the queen was cast in Netflix’s popular “Bridgerton” series that first aired in 2020. A prequel released this year, “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” generated worldwide buzz.

The period drama also sparked debate about her ancestry and whether Charlotte was Black or biracial.

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