Hywel Brân Pratley’s statue of Queen Elizabeth; a photo of Queen Elizabeth in 1968.Photo:Geoff Pugh/Telegraph, Getty Images
Geoff Pugh/Telegraph, Getty Images
“I wanted something that reflected Her Majesty as a Queen rather than as a person for posterity,” Dr. Sarah Furness, the Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland, told the outlet. “But we wanted to do something that reflected her warmth and humanity too.”
Furness said she was “inundated” with letters following Queen Elizabeth’s death in September from people in her county, which is about two hours north of London in the East Midlands. Many likened the loss to a “personal bereavement,” and about $160,000 was fundraised to bring Pratley’s vision to life. The newspaper said that the statue is thought to be the first dedicated memorial to the late Queen.
Hywel Brân Pratley and his new statue of Queen Elizabeth.Geoff Pugh/Telegraph
Geoff Pugh/Telegraph
The sculptor was tapped to capture the late sovereign in “the prime of her life” and reflect the bright future she had ahead then, Furness said. Queen Elizabeth died “peacefully” at age 96 on Sept. 8, 2022, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, hours after her doctors announced they were “concerned” for her health. She had recently celebrated herPlatinum Jubileethat June to mark her historic 70 years on the throne, the longest royal reign of any British monarch.
“She was so indomitable right until the end,” Pratley toldThe Telegraph. “I hope what I’m achieving with the design is a sense of purpose and stability.”
Queen Elizabeth with a corgi at Balmoral Castle in 1952.Bettmann
Corgis became synonymous with Queen Elizabeth during her royal reign, and the monarch owned over 30 corgis and “dorgis” (Daschund-Corgi mixes) throughout her lifetime.Sarah Fergusonadopted the Queen’s final two corgis, Sandy and Muick, following her death last fall and exclusivelytold PEOPLEthey were a treasure to care for.
On a larger scale, plans are reportedly in motion for a national Queen Elizabeth memorial to be created in the U.K. Earlier this month,The Telegraphreported that a team is being assembled to commission the creation and more details will be released in September.
“The Royal household and the Government are understood to have been working ‘hand in hand’ on the project and the membership of the committee will be announced before the anniversary of her death on September 8,” the newspaper reported Friday.
Queen Elizabeth smiles at an engagement in July 2022.Kirsty O’Connor-WPA Pool/Getty Images
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The update came two weeks after the U.K. government releasednew guidanceon the use of Queen Elizabeth’s name for memorialization.
Hinting that a national tribute is being planned, the statement said, “Careful consideration will be given in due course to the commissioning of an official national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II.”
Though Buckingham Palace has yet to make an official statement on what’s happening behind the scenes, the report is no surprise, as an official national memorial has yet to be erected in Queen Elizabeth’s honor.
source: people.com
