Queen unveils new statue
The Queen yesterday unveiled a new statue of herself sitting on a horse in Windsor Great Park, the first public statue of herself to be unveiled by her in the UK.
The bronze equestrian statue, presented by the Crown Estate, is roughly one and a half times life-size, and sits at the highest point of Queen Anne’s Ride.
The work was commissioned by the Crown Estate from sculptor Philip Jackson in honour of the Golden Jubilee, and portrays the Queen as she would have been seen riding in the Great Park in the 1970s.
Ian Grant, chairman of the Crown Estate, says: “The statue unveiled today by the Queen is in honour of her Golden Jubilee. As well as being a fitting tribute to the Queen, it will be an enduring and affectionate reminder of an historic milestone in her reign.
“I believe it will provide much interest and pleasure to the two million or so visitors who presently come to the park every year, and for future visitors for generations to come.”
The statue was also blessed, in accordance with tradition, by The Reverend Canon John Ovenden.
A spokesperson for the Royal Household said that the horse which the Queen is depicted sitting astride is not a specific mount, as she wanted to avoid appearing to have a favourite.
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“Philip took a photograph of her on a horse, and studied a variety of animals, but there is no single animal upon which this sculpture is based,” she said.
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