Clarence House in London remains King Charles III and Queen Camilla's official residence, but their country retreat, Highgrove House, is the home of the couple's most sentimental design decision.
The King, who is famously a dog lover, has cared for many Jack Russells over his lifetime, one of which was Tigga, who joined the royal household in the mid-1980s. Tigga was sadly put down by a vet at Highgrove House after failing to recover from a long illness, but today, his legacy lives on through a life-size willow sculpture designed by artist Emma Stothard. Tigga is a permanent fixture on the meadow edge of the Stumpery at Highgrove, the royal residence in Gloucestershire, southwest England.
Tigga was a constant companion to the (then) Prince. He appeared in many family portraits and Christmas cards, including the 1995 'Flowerpot Men' card, featuring Charles sitting casually on a bench in his garden.
Artist Emma Stothard established her business with the help of a loan from The Prince’s Trust, a charity founded in 1976 by King Charles III to help young people achieve a start-up in life. Writing on her website, Stothard shared that she was 'particularly honored' to 'make and personally present to His Majesty The King a large-scale portrait of his beloved Jack Russell dog Tigga.'
Stothard used British willow interwoven with wire and bronze wire to create the unique sculpture. The use of these contrasting willow colors creates a striking form and definition that's distinctive to the Jack Russell dog’s design. It's also built around a sturdy steel armature and coated with a linseed oil and turpentine solution to preserve and protect its longevity for years to come.
Alongside Highgrove, her work is now exhibited in the two-Michelin-starred Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, and many private and public collections internationally.
For anyone who would like to see Tigga, he's on permanent display in The Royal Gardens, which are open to the public from April to October each year. However, he's not the only piece designed by Stothard exhibited at Highgrove.
According to her website, the artist has designed a moon-gazing hare that will join an existing deer and a woodpecker piece this year. There's also a series of Gloucester Old Spot pigs on the Orchard Lawn – a nod to the King's work as a patron of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.
Tigga, along with other Highgrove sculptures, such as a lamb and the Gloucester Old Spot pigs, can be purchased via the Highgrove Gardens website. It's worth noting, however, that each willow sculpture is bespoke and made to order. Meanwhile, this book, available via Amazon below, shares more about the home's expansive gardens through the eyes of the King himself.
Written by King Charles, alongside author Bunny Guinness, this book describes the thinking behind each planting, lessons learned from trial and error, the highlights and triumphs, as well as future plans for Highgrove.
