Many people across the world were saddened by the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022. After 70 years on the throne, she was the longest-reigning monarch in British history, and a widely beloved figure.
Now, a newly-unveiled monument is paying tribute to the late queen — and her love for her pet corgis!
New statue of the Queen — and her dogs
A 7-foot-tall bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth was unveiled on Sunday, in honor of what would’ve been the monarch’s 98th birthday.
The statue, created by artist Hywel Pratley, is located next to the Oakham Library in Oakham, England. It is the first permanent memorial to Queen Elizabeth.
According to Rutland City Council, hundreds gathered for the unveiling. Local school bands and bagpipers performed music.
The most precious thing about this new memorial is that it also includes the queen’s beloved pet Corgis, immortalized in bronze by the monarch’s feet:
According to the city council, the Corgi statues were designed by local school children.
According to the New York Times, Pratley said he wanted the statue to reflect the image of Queen Elizabeth as “an almost motherly figure,” in contrast to the many imposing and stern statues of monarchs like Queen Victoria.
“What most of us remember about Queen Elizabeth is her warmth,” local dignitary Sarah Furness said in a speech at the unveiling. “By showing Queen Elizabeth’s love of dogs, we show her humanity.”
The artist also says he designed the statue to be welcoming to visitors. “We’ve designed it with a bench you can sit on,” Pratley told the BBC. “And there’s a corgi you can pat and I do think it’s inevitably going to be a statue that encourages selfies.”
Indeed, many visitors have already flocked to the statue: according to the Times, a group of Corgi owners showed up with their dogs at the unveiling.
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Queen Elizabeth’s pet Corgis: history
The Queen’s corgis were an iconic part of her life for decades, a source of comfort during times of personal and political difficulties. The adorable dogs also delighted fans around the world.
The royals first got a Corgi in 1933, when Elizabeth’s father and predecessor, George VI (though he was Duke of York at the time) brought home a dog named Dookie.
According to BBC, Dookie was actually quite temperamental, but Elizabeth seemed to have a special bond with him.
The Queen then got a Pembroke Welsh corgi of her own, named Susan, for her 18th birthday.
According to BBC, Susan gatecrashed the wedding of the Queen and her husband Prince Philip by sneaking beneath a rug in the royal carriage.
Susan died in 1959, at nearly 15 years old. She was buried at Sandringham House, a royal estate, and her epitaph called her “the faithful companion of the Queen.”
“I had always dreaded losing her, but I am ever so thankful that her suffering was so mercifully short,” the Queen wrote.
But Susan left quite a legacy: over the next few decades, the Queen owned more than 30 corgis, all descendants of her first dog.
From 1933 to 2018, the Queen always owned at least one corgi, and frequently owned many at a time. She took the dogs with her on her travels, and they lived in a special “Corgi room” in Buckingham Palace where they slept in wicker beds. The Queen cared for them herself, and reportedly made them biscuits at Christmastime.
These dogs certainly got the royal treatment, and became an iconic part of the Queen’s image throughout her life.
Prince Philip was reportedly less fond of the dogs, but for Elizabeth they were an important part of her life. Like so many people, she found a lot of comfort in the dogs, and because they had a connection to her late father and her childhood, they were a connection to the simpler days of her youth.
“Her corgis are hugely important to her,” Royal biographer Penny Junor told the Daily Mail. “They have over the years been closer to her than any human being. The corgis are intensely loyal and loving and they have never let her down.”
And as the UK’s head of state and an emblem of Britain itself, it’s fitting that the Queen had such a connection with a distinctly British dog. Corgis originate from Wales, a neighbor of England and part of the UK. The breed was uncommon in England when they became the royal dogs, but the Queen helped popularize corgis around the world.
In addition to purebred Pembroke Welsh Corgis, the Queen also had a number of “dorgis,” which were corgis bred with daschshunds.
The corgis and dorgis received international celebrity status in 2016, when they appeared with Queen Elizabeth on the cover of Vanity Fair, photographed by Annie Leibovitz. The dogs at the time were Holly, Willow, Vulcan and Candy.
Queen Elizabeth’s pet Corgis were such an important part of her life and iconic part of her reign. It feels so appropriate that they are included in this first memorial statue of her.
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