LONDON – The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace may draw tourists from far and wide, but on Sunday visitors to the landmark were treated to a different sort of spectacle: a parade of corgis dressed up in crowns, tiaras and royal outfits.
Around 20 royal fans and their pet corgis gathered to walk their dogs outside the palace in central London to remember Queen Elizabeth II a year since her death.
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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 organized 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 through her life," she said.
“You know, I can’t still 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," she added.
Aleksandr Barmin, who owns a corgi named Cinnamon and has taken the pet to attend past royal-related events, said the parade was a poignant reminder that Elizabeth is no longer around.
“It’s a really hard feeling, to be honest ... it’s really sad that we don’t have (the queen) among us anymore,” he said. "But still, Her Majesty the Queen is still in our hearts.”
Sept. 8 will be the first anniversary of the death of the 96-year-old queen at her Balmoral castle estate in Scotland. She was queen for 70 years and was Britain's longest-reigning sovereign.