She was a rescue dog who only hoped for a good home and she ended up becoming the symbol of the reign of a Queen of England. Farewell to Beth, the little terrier who loved Queen Camilla and who has just taken her final bow.
Buckingham Palace announced today that Beth, a Jack Russell, had passed away. She had an untreatable tumour and was put to sleep at the weekend. In a post on social media, the Palace said it was a ''sad farewell' to the little dog who had ''brought such joy, whether on walkies, helping on official duties, or curled up by the fire.''
Beth was, of course, a much loved pet and the photos the Palace shared of her, including one nuzzling The King and another cuddling The Queen, showed that. But Beth has a place in history all of her own. For when Queen Camilla was crowned, she asked for symbols that were important to her to be embroidered on her Coronation gown. And in star position were representations of Beth and her fellow rescue dog, Bluebell.
You don't have to look too hard on the Bruce Oldfield designed gown to find these two doggie stars. At the very front of the underskirt of Queen Camilla's gown are the two pets that stole her heart. Right in the centre. Beth facing Bluebell, Bluebell facing Beth. In the official portrait of The Queen, taken by Hugo Burnand, they are absolutely at the heart of everything. While the top of the photo shows Queen Camilla in her crown, the bottom shows what matters to her and that is her dogs.
It's a striking image of what matters to an unexpected queen, a consort who was still at the centre of a debate over whether she would be crowned just over a year before it actually happened. Now, it seems bizarre to think there was ever any question about whether Camilla would be queen. Her place in the history books is assured and, as a symbol of that, is the little rescue terrier who came from Battersea Dogs Home and who is now the eternal emblem of a Queen of England.
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