Her corgis were her pride and joyand as the first statue of Queen Elizabeth II created since her death was unveiled – showing her with her pets – it seemed only fitting to invite some four-legged friends along. The 7ft bronze memorial went on display on what would have been the monarch’s 98th birthday, witnessed by hundreds of people and 46 dogs from the Welsh Corgi League, who barked their approval outside the town library in Oakham, Rutland.
Depicting a young Elizabeth in her robes, with three corgis at her feet – one peeping out from the folds of her gown – the £125,000 statue was created by sculptor Hywel Pratley, who said he had made it so big because: “A life-size Queen Elizabeth is too small. She deserves more.”
Telling HELLO! how he and his team of eight created the statue over several months, using photographs as reference, he said: “It’s a huge honour. I wanted to portray a young, stately Queen in early middle age and I hope I achieved a sense of her benevolence and also how she was a very powerful woman.
“It was important not to go for a smile, but to have warmth. And that was echoed by the corgis, which show her human side. She was a still point for us in a tumultuous world and a rock for a lot of people.”
The corgis, who were added for a “bit of fun” and to “tap into the late Queen’s humanity and address her friendliness”, were modelled on two dogs called Ernie and Lucky.
He spotted them in a park near his home in Chelmsford, Essex and persuaded their owners to bring them to his studio. “I
