Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years, and no icon was more associated with the late monarch than the humble corgi. the mourning corgi became one of the dominant pop culture images of the death of the queen last september. But now the queen’s last pets, Muick and Sandy, are enjoying their retirement in the dark. lived with the disgraced Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Fergie. (The late queen actually did not intend, as Suggested Internet Runaway Jokeso the dogs would be killed after their death.) With the coronation of Charles III, British retailers tried to recapture the Corgi-mania of last year’s Platinum Jubilee, when it was possible to buy corgi-themed cakes, beer (also known as as “corgi juice”) and minced meat balls.
Two pretenders have emerged to claim the corgi crown.
The first candidate is an obvious one: the namesake of the more recent King Charles, the Cavalier King Charles spaniel (and its much less popular cousin, the King Charles spaniel). King Charles II was famous for his love of little spaniels: the chronicler Samuel Pepys reported that he accompanied a “dog the king loved” when Charles came to Britain to claim the crown in 1660.
These dogs emerged as icons of Charles’s reign shortly after his death, and his descendants have carried his name ever since. Aldi offers shoppers a series of limited-edition beers with Cavaliers, while restaurant chain Bill’s promised free dog treats “fit for royalty” to any King Charles spaniel who dined with their owners over coronation weekend. King’s Road in London Chelsea hosted a parade of over 100 Cavalier King Charles spaniels the day of the coronation of King Charles.
But it turns out that the Cavalier King Charles spaniel is not Charles thirdfavorite dog of Get into beth and tinkerbell, Queen Camilla’s Jack Russell Terriers. The duo are on message: Beth and Bluebell were rescues who came to Camilla from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, one of Britain’s oldest and most famous animal welfare charities. They serve as a reminder of the couple’s personal values and, perhaps more importantly, of Camilla’s charity work, one of the ways she has tried to rehabilitate her image. Camilla herself is tapping into the potential star power of her pets: observers noted that Beth and Bluebell they were embroidered in gold thread on the front of the dress she wore for the coronation. (According to the BBC, royals declined to comment on the dogs.)
Often when we talk about animals, what we are In fact we are talking about humans and the human values we believe they represent. Jack Russells are perceived as hardy, no-nonsense little dogs, descendants of ratting terriers that provided vermin control and, at one time, entertainment in rat bait pits. In a nation that remains obsessed with class (as much as it tries to pretend otherwise), Jack Russell terriers have an unusually broad appeal across social boundaries. You are as likely to find them snapping at the feet of a pack of Labradors in a lord’s field pile as you are to find them peeking through the netting curtains of a widow’s council house. The same is not necessarily true for the Prince and Princess of Wales’ cocker spaniels, who they occasionally appear in their family photos.
If Prince William wants to harness the power of his grandmother’s fluffy brand, he would do well to choose a lesser-known breed of dog. now.
No wonder some retailers have jumped on the dogs as potential icons of the new king’s reign. Waitrose, the supermarket of choice for wealthy Brits, has a crowning range featuring Beth and Bluebell – their likenesses grace the brand image. commemorative cookie tinsand the celebrating subjects could nibble on their coronation quiche of paper plates decorated with the two dogs. There was even a succulent pot in the shape of a Jack Russell and a Jewel-the-Jack-Russell cake, each sold in aid of the Home Cats and Dogs Battersea. Cath Kidston, one of Middle England’s favorite lifestyle brands, has hedged her bets: her coronation memorial plaques It came as a pair with two designs, one featuring the late Queen Elizabeth with a corgi, the other King Charles with Beth and Bluebell.
UK retailers clearly bet that canine-themed food and commemorative royal souvenirs would win public affection and hard-earned disposable income, as with all corgi products. The problem is that Beth and Bluebell as icons of Charles’s reign were introduced quite late compared to corgis, which began appearing in photographs of Princess Elizabeth when she was still a child, and Pembroke Welsh corgis are almost entirely unknown to the world. public. . If Prince William wants to harness the power of his grandmother’s fluffy brand soon, he would do well to choose a distinctive-looking but now lesser-known breed of dog. (He might consider, for example, an English Setter or another dog from the British Kennel Club’s list of vulnerable landraces.)
The UK loves to think of itself as a nation of animal lovers, rarely passing up an excuse to involve animals in any major event. I spent a mock dog coronation photo shoot in East London a few days before the big day, and last week thousands of voters brought their dogs to the polling booths to vote in local elections. The star appearance of Beth and Bluebell reinforces that the new king shares such a fondness for animals. But more importantly, companion animals have the ability to make the distant and impersonal feel familiar. Just as the corgis gave us a glimpse into the queen’s private life, Beth and Bluebell help humanize the king: We can project our love for our own dogs onto people and pets we’ve never owned. met.