Cleopatra's Needle originated in the ancient Egyptian city of Heliopolis, in the Temple of Atum, but the Romans moved it to Alexandria in 12 BC. In 1819, viceroy Mehemet Ali presented Cleopatra's Needle to the British, commemorating military victories in Egypt, but it remained in Alexandria until 1877 when transportation was arranged to bring it to London. On the voyage, the ship capsized in a storm, killing six crewmembers. Cleopatra's Needle was thought to be lost, but Spanish trawlers found it afloat a few days later, and after some repairs, it arrived in London on 21 Jan 1878. The obelisk is flanked by two faux-sphinxes, which show the effects of bombings of London during World War II. Today, Cleopatra's Needle shows some wear from exposure to London's damp weather.

倫敦克麗奧佩脫拉方尖碑是一座古埃及方尖碑，位於英國倫敦西敏市的維多利亞堤岸，類似的克麗奧佩脫拉方尖碑還有兩座，分別位於紐約和巴黎。屬於圖特摩斯三世和埃及新王國時期的拉美西斯二世。方尖碑於公元前12年被移到亞歷山大港，在那裡保留了近兩千年，1819年由埃及和蘇丹統治者穆罕默德·阿里帕夏贈送給英國，紀念納爾遜子爵在尼羅河河口海戰的勝利，以及拉爾夫·阿伯克羅姆比爵士在1801年亞歷山大港戰役的勝利。儘管英國政府歡迎這一姿態，但拒絕支付將其運往倫敦的費用。 1878年1月21日運抵。由於國會大廈外的地點被拒絕安放，最後於9月12日安放在維多利亞堤岸。