Royal fans gathered their pet corgis outside Buckingham Palace on Sunday (3 September) to remember Queen Elizabeth II, almost one year since her death.
Around 20 corgi-owning royal enthusiasts dressed their pets in crowns, tiaras and royal outfits to parade them outside the palace in memory of the late Queen who died on 8 September last year.
Corgis were the late queen’s constant companions since she was a child, and Elizabeth owned around 30 throughout her life. Generations of the dogs descended from Susan, a corgi that was given to the queen on her 18th birthday.
Agatha Crerer-Gilbert, who organised Sunday's event, said she would like the corgi march to take place every year in Elizabeth's memory.
“I can’t see a better way to remember her than through her corgis, through the breed that she loved and cherished throughout her life," she told Associated Press.
“You know, I can’t get used to the fact that she’s not physically around us, but she’s looking at us. Look, the sun is shining, I thought it would shine on us today,” added Crerer-Gilbert.
After the Queen died, Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson adopted her two corgis. Muick and Sandy joined the duchess’s five Norfolk terriers at their house at Royal Lodge, Windsor.
Muick and Sandy also made an appearance at the Queen’s state funeral, as the royal corgis were seen waiting for her coffin at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. The dogs were brought out by two pages in red tailcoats.
Royal fans and their pet corgis have gathered outside Buckingham Palace to remember Queen Elizabeth II a year on since the late monarch's death— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Two days before the funeral, Prince William greeted fans waiting in line to see his grandmother’s coffin when a woman asked him about the late royal’s corgis. In the clip, shared on Sky News, William reassured fans that the pets will be properly “looked after”.
This Friday (8 September) will be the first anniversary of the death of the 96-year-old queen.
According to reports, the Prince and Princess of Wales will lead tributes to the late monarch on the anniversary of her death.
Corgi gathering at Buckingham Palace— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Prince William and Kate Middleton will reportedly deliver a message to Britons in honour of the Queen’s legacy. It is unclear, however, whether this will be made in person, broadcast on television, or released on social media.
Meanwhile, King Charles III is reportedly expected to spend his mother’s death anniversary “quietly and privately” at Balmoral in Scotland, where she passed away.
With additional reporting from Associated Press.
