This statue, unveiled in the small East-Midlands town of Oakham, is one of the first to depict the late Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied here by her beloved corgis.
On 21 April 2024, which would have been her 98th birthday, the first statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II has been unveiled in the small East-Midlands town of Oakham (this date was the queen’s actual date of birth, as opposed to the Monarch’s Official Birthday which is held on the second Saturday of June).
The seven-foot (2.1 metre) tall bronze statue, which shows the queen in elegant robes with three corgis at her feet, was made by sculptor Hywel Pratley, who called the queen “an almost motherly figure.” Pratley first made the model, and then £140,000 was raised by the public to contribute to the cost of its construction. The Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland, Sarah Furness, told The New York Times: “By showing Queen Elizabeth’s love of dogs, we show her humanity”.
More statues are in the works to commemorate the late monarch, including one by Andy Edwards which shows the queen smiling and holding flowers for Newcastle-under-Lyme and two sculptures by Amy Goodman for Andover and Romsey, as well as a possible national memorial in the queen’s honour set up by the royal family and British government. Prior to this, statues of Queen Elizabeth alongside her husband Prince Phillip (made by artist Poppy Field) were unveiled on either side of the entrance to the Royal Albert Hall to mark its 150th anniversary celebrations:
Moreover, visitors to Great Windsor Park have been able to view the Equestrian Statue of Elizabeth II (below) since its unveiling in 2011:
