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A new statue of Queen Elizabeth II has been revealed – with a very personal feature

The bronze sculpture is thought to be the country’s first memorial statue of the late Queen

Annie McNamee
Written by
Annie McNamee
Contributor, Time Out London and UK
Statue of Queen Elizabeth II in Rutland
Photograph: PA / Alamy
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What legacy do you want to leave behind when your time is up? Perhaps you want to be remembered by your achievements, or the hobby you’ve sunk ungodly amounts of time and money into. 

Being a king or queen means you’re born with a de facto built-in legacy, but a new statue in Rutland has immortalised the late queen Elizabeth II in the way she would’ve actually wanted – surrounded by her corgis. 

It was well known during Liz’s life that she loved her dogs. She had upwards of thirty different corgis throughout her life, and kept them as faithful companions right up to the day she died, so it’s only right they be involved in keeping her memory alive. The 7ft tall bronze statue was unveiled last Sunday (April 22) in Rutland on what would’ve been the late Queen’s 98th birthday.

It was a pretty historical moment, as the statue is thought to be the first posthumous memorial to the Queen in the entire country. Due to illness and other duties no royals were in attendance for the big reveal, but a hoard of corgis from the Welsh Corgi League did manage to find their way to Rutland to celebrate.

The engraving on the side of the monument reads ‘Queen Elizabeth II, 1926 – 2022. Erected as a tribute to her late Majesty through public subscription by Rutland people.’ It depicts Lizzie in her most stately of robes surrounded by three little pups, two of whom are on a lower plinth that was designed to be sat on for the perfect photo-op with the sculpture. 

RIP Liz, you would’ve absolutely loved being with your corgis, at least in some way, for the rest of time.

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