New sculpture of late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip – plus corgis – divides opinion

A newly unveiled sculpture of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and two corgis in Northern Ireland, intended to pay tribute to the late monarch, has received somewhat mixed reviews from the public.

While the local council told CNN that the bronze statue of the Queen “has been warmly received by most who have seen it in person,” some on social media have ridiculed it for not looking like her.

“Could be anyone,” wrote one commenter on a Facebook post from the council announcing the work’s unveiling. Another wrote that the sculpture was “beautiful” but didn’t “look like our late queen or represent how she always dressed.”

Although the council limited comments on its original post, the debate spread to X, formerly known as Twitter, where pictures of the sculpture gathered hundreds of thousands of views and several users compared it to the infamous bust of Cristiano Ronaldo. “Even the corgi is confused,” another user wrote.

The sculpture, among the first work commemorating the late Queen in the United Kingdom, was created by artist Anto Brennan as a commission from Antrim and Newtonabbey Borough Council. It was installed in Antrim Castle Gardens, about 19 miles (30 kilometers) north of Belfast, and unveiled on Friday.

It depicts Elizabeth, gazing into the distance, dressed in a tweed skirt, rubber boots, checked vest and headscarf, with a handbag hanging from her left arm, and two of her famous corgis at her feet. Behind her stands a likeness of her husband, Philip, his hands behind his back.

The council acknowledged that “art can sometimes spark diverse opinions” but said that it “was particularly pleased with how the (Elizabeth) sculpture complements its surroundings, standing adjacent to the statue of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and accompanied by two lovingly crafted corgis.” CNN has reached out to Brennan for comment.

Elizabeth, who died in 2022, was one of the most photographed people in the world, and was the subject of thousands of paintings and sculptures. As such, there have been several controversial depictions of her and other members of the British royal family over the years.

A portrait of Catherine, Princess of Wales that featured on the cover of Tatler magazine earlier this year similarly split opinion in the media and online, with one critic describing it as “intolerably bad,” and others calling it “beautiful.”

Meanwhile, the first official portrait of King Charles III since his coronation also proved divisive, with its depiction of the monarch against a fiery red background that appears to almost swallow him whole.

And famously, in 2000, Lucian Freud painted a portrait of the Queen that seemed the antithesis of earlier, romanticized depictions of her, and divided both critics and the public.