Shutterstock©Queen Elizabeth II would have been celebrating her 98th birthday yesterday and in her honour a new memorial statue was unveiled in Rutland.
It’s the first commissioned piece since the Queen’s death in September 2022. The statue cost £125,000, was largely funded by donations from businesses and members of the public, and was commissioned by the Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland, Dr. Sarah Furness.
Dr. Sarah Furness says she called for the statue to be built due to the “depth of loss felt in Rutland on the late Queen’s death”.
The bronze statue now on display outside Oakham Library encapsulates a younger monarch, with four beloved corgis excitedly clambering around her feet. Standing at 7ft (2.1m), Queen Elizabeth II wears her crown and what appears to be robes of the Order of the Thistle.
Credit: @royalsbritain on Instagram.
Dr Furness spoke to Oakham Nub News at yesterday’s unveiling. She said: “On what would have been the late Queen’s 98th birthday, today is an opportunity for the children and people of Rutland and the wider country to celebrate this tribute to Britain’s longest reigning and possibly greatest monarch.
“The response to HM Queen Elizabeth’s death in 2022 was extraordinary. Tributes poured in from residents all over Rutland expressing their sense of loss and respect for such an extraordinary woman and monarch. People felt personally bereaved and Rutland’s loyalty to our late Queen is beyond doubt.”
Rutland County Council has said this statue will be England’s first permanent memorial to the late Queen.
Although the royal family are unlikely to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II publicly, the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson took to Instagram to remember her former mother-in-law.
She captioned a smiling image of the Queen: ‘thank you for all you have taught us, for being a steadfast leader and dear friend. You are sorely missed.’
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Hannah McLaren I've worked at DC Thomson for six years! I began as an intern at My Weekly and The Scots Magazine, which was extended by a few months to help out at The People's Friend. I then covered maternity as Celebrity Editor for My Weekly, before I became Multimedia Journalist at The Scots Magazine. Currently I'm writing digital content across each title.
