How large might Queen Elizabeth have become with five twin 15-inch turrets and the desired speed and protection?
Short answerPreserving five twin 15-inch turrets, armor, and roughly 28 knots would push the design toward about 40,000 tons, a much larger jump from the Iron Duke class.
NotesKeeping five twin 15-inch turrets while adding small-tube boilers, high speed, and adequate armor would move the ship toward 40,000 tons. The change cannot be measured as a simple historical jump from Tiger to Queen Elizabeth because Tiger is a battlecruiser and the extra turret changes the battleship's internal balance. A single requirement can quickly propagate through an entire design.