A statue of the British Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), accompanied by three corgi dogs, will will be opened on Sunday in Rutland, East Midlands, reports The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
This is the first statue of Elizabeth II to be erected after her death in September 2022. The author of the work, sculptor Hivel Pretley, depicted the Queen in ceremonial robes, based on the image of the late 1950s - early in the 60s. In addition, the sculpture itself, commissioned by Rutland's Lord Lieutenant Sarah Furns, was created with private donations. As noted in the article, the £125,000 (US$154,000) needed to build it was raised in a short time.
About 50 corgi dogs will participate in the unveiling of the two-meter bronze statue. This part of the ceremony is organized by the Welsh Corgi League, which unites all dog lovers of this breed. After the statue is presented to the public, they must make a ceremonial pass near the sculpture to the tune of the Scottish dirge Sleep, Dearie, Sleep played on bagpipes. It was to this tune that Britain said goodbye to Her Majesty during the funeral on 19 September 2022.
The future Queen of England received her first dog on her 18th birthday from her father, King George VI (1895-1952). She was a Pembroke Welsh Corgi bred in West Wales named Susan. Elizabeth has favored this breed ever since and all her dogs, of which she has had about 30 since the gift in 1944, are descendants of Susan. The maximum number of Welsh Corgis the Queen has owned at one time is 13.
In addition, she was accompanied by Dorgi dogs, bred at Buckingham Palace by crossing royal corgis with dachshunds. In 2015, it became known that the head of state decided not to get new pets, so that after her death the dogs would not be left without an owner. However, according to the media, until recently Her Majesty was accompanied by two Dorgas - Kandi and Mick.
Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on 8 September 2022, after which her body was transported to London with a stop in Edinburgh. From September 14 until the day of the funeral, September 19, the Queen's coffin was on display at the Palace of Westminster in London, the building that houses the kingdom's parliament. During that time, more than 250 thousand people said goodbye to her. Her Majesty found her final resting place in the George VI Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle near London. The Queen's husband, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Elizabeth II's father and mother George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002), and her sister Margaret (1930-2002), are also buried there.