Royal Watch News

Queen Elizabeth's corgis honoured in portrait

Oct 29, 2012, 12:01 GMT

Queen Elizabeth

Britain's Queen Elizabeth's corgis are to be honoured in a royal portrait.

One of the monarch's precious pooches will be represented in a large stained-glass portrait of the 86-year-old royal, who specifically requested one of her beloved dogs be added to the picture of her which is to be unveiled at her Chapel of the Savoy in London on Thursday (01.11.12).

Artist Douglas Hogg - who created the artwork, which sees the queen on a horse in the manner of a medieval knight - said: 'When I was handed [the County Palatine Seal], I was told that Her Majesty had altered the position of the horse's legs.

'She had also added a corgi. It is excellent, because it makes the work more personal and powerful. There is not much she does not know about horses, of course. A dog also jumps up at the horse's foreleg.'

The artwork has been created as part of Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebrations to commemorate her 60th year on the throne.

A spokesman for the Duchy of Lancaster, which commissioned the portrait, told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper: 'We believe that this change was made when the queen's seal was commissioned. Her Majesty added a personal touch of a corgi beneath the horse's hooves.'

Last month, the queen's corgi Monty - who appeared alongside his owner in a short James Bond sketch for the Olympics opening ceremony in July - sadly passed away aged 13.

This only leaves the monarch with two corgis, Willow and Holly - who were also in the Olympics spoof - at Buckingham Palace.