PREVIEW

A parade of corgis arranged by the Welsh Corgi League are seen here celebrating the erection of a new statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II in Oakham in Rutland on Sunday 21 April 2024.
Created by well-respected sculptor Hywel Pratley, it features a playful touch as it depicts the late Queen with her beloved corgi dogs. After falling in love with the Welsh breed as a child, Elizabeth II owned more than 30 corgis from her accession in 1952 until her death in 2022.
Around 46 corgis attended the unveiling and parade to Oakham Castle.
The permanent statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II is the first to be commissioned since her death.
The memorial unveiled was commissioned by the Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland as a lasting tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II, England’s longest reigning and possibly greatest monarch.

Following an “extraordinary” response to the death of Queen Elizabeth, donations quickly raised the required funds for the statue. Local businesses donated but most of the funds came from ordinary individuals.
The Lord-Lieutenant’s ambitious aim to have the statue unveiled just 18 months after the late Queen’s death, makes this the first statue of Queen Elizabeth II commissioned after her death to be erected.
The statue was unveiled by Alicia Kearns, MP for Rutland & Melton, and blessed by Bishop of Peterborough, Debbie Sellins. It is free to access and provides a central meeting place for residents and visitors to connect.
The statue was made using local materials and businesses where possible to minimise environmental impact and costs. Mounted on local Ancaster limestone, the bronze statue was cast at the local Le Blanc foundry in Melton Mowbray and installed with the help of local construction company Smithers Purslow.
Around 800 kilos of clay were used over a steel and aluminum armature filled with polystyrene and expanding foam. The mould required about 120 kg of silicone rubber. 587 kg of bronze was melted at 1140 degrees centigrade to cast the statue.