Today is the 113th anniversary of a small dog taking part in Edward VII’s funeral procession, which “endeared him to the nation” and gave rise to one of the most powerful literary emetics ever published.
According to the Victoria & Albert Museum,
The King and Cæsar adored each other and were inseparable. Following The King’s death in May 1910, Cæsar was inconsolable and roamed the corridors of Buckingham Palace looking for his master
When he walked “behind the carriage that held the coffin, alongside a Highland soldier”, previously rigid upper lips across the land began to undulate with emotion.
…setting a precedent which was to be followed by the appearance of Emma the pony at the late Queen’s funeral in September 2022.
In June 1910, a matter of weeks after the funeral, the book, supposedly written by Caesar, emerged to sell over 100,000 copies. It may not be the worst prose ever committed, but…
…it’s not far off.
I don’t for a second doubt that the dog was distressed, but.
One must, as Oscar Wilde said of the death of Dickens’ Little Nell, have a heart of stone… etc.
The dog was even sculpted — both after Edward VII’s death…
…and before, when old Eddy had Fabergé carve him in white chalcedony with ruby eyes and an enamel and gold collar inscribed “I belong to the King”
Whether Elizabeth II had any of her animals immortalised in gemstone, I don’t know, but at least we’ve moved on from all that books-written-by-animals nonsense, haven’t we? We’ve progressed as a species since the–
Here’s the publisher’s blurb:
Inspired by the 1910 bestseller Where’s Master? Muick is the Queen’s loyal corgi. Loving, attentive, but with an occasional tendency to nip ankles. But Muick can’t find his Queen. The courtiers won’t let him into the bedroom. The corgi handlers won’t explain what is happening. Why are all the family suddenly here? Muick gives his own account of events and travels through his grief from Scotland to the funeral as he seeks to make sense of his loss and find a future beyond. Funny, touching and hopeful, Where’s Ma’am is the story of the loss of a friendship like no other and the brave journey back to love and happiness. Illustrated throughout with black and white line drawings, meet the wonderful friends that help a small dog to overcome his biggest challenge.
Still, at least that was the end of it, and things didn’t get any w–
Horse of a lifetime award, eh?
