Caesar (1898–1914) was a Wire Fox Terrier owned by

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

. He was bred in the kennels of

Kathleen, Duchess of Newcastle Kathleen Florence May Pelham-Clinton, Duchess of Newcastle-under-Lyne OBE (née Candy; 1872 – 1 June 1955), was a well-known conformation show judge and dog breeder who influenced the Borzoi and Wire Fox Terrier breeds. Early life Born in 18 ...

, and became the constant companion of the King. After the King's death in 1910, the dog attended the funeral and walked in the procession in a prominent position ahead of nine kings and other heads of state. Caesar has been the subject of paintings, and a hand crafted hardstone model created by the

House of Fabergé The House of Fabergé (; Russian: Дом Фаберже) was a jewellery firm founded in 1842 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, by Gustav Faberge, using the accented name ''Fabergé''. Gustav's sons – Peter Carl and Agathon – and grandsons follo ...

Early life

Caesar was born Caesar of Notts in 1898, and was sired by Cackler of Notts. He came from the kennels of

, and was given to King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

Lord Dudley Baron Dudley is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created circa 1440 for John Sutton, a soldier who served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The title descended in the Sutton family until the 17th century when Frances Sutton, the heir app ...

in 1902 to replace the King's dog Jack who had died after choking on food.

Royal life

During his life with the King, he had a

footman A footman is a male domestic worker employed mainly to wait at table or attend a coach or carriage. Etymology Originally in the 14th century a footman denoted a soldier or any pedestrian, later it indicated a foot servant. A running footman deli ...

assigned to him to clean him and was allowed to sleep on an easy chair next to the King's bed. He wore a collar that read "I am Caesar. I belong to the King". Caesar would always greet the King excitedly, and the King would often say "Do you like your old master, then?" while the dog was jumping up and down in excitement. Edward would never hit Caesar, but instead tell him off by shaking his walking stick at him while calling him a "naughty dog".

Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, (20 June 1858 – 2 August 1944) was a British diplomat and statesman who served as Viceroy and Governor-General of India from 1910 to 1916. Background and education Hardinge was the second ...

, reminisced about spending time with the dog whilst on the

royal yacht A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head. The royal yacht is most often c ...

, "Whenever I went into the King's cabin, this dog always went for my trousers and worried them, much to the King's delight. I used not to take the slightest notice and went on talking all the time to the King which I think amused His Majesty still more." Caesar frequently caused problems for the King, escaping in Marienbad whilst chasing white

peafowl Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are refe ...

and on another occasion killing rabbits owned by

Lord Redesdale Baron Redesdale, of Redesdale in the County of Northumberland, is a title that has been created twice, both times in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was firstly created in 1802 for lawyer and politician Sir John Mitford (later Freeman-Mi ...

's daughters. The King even considered Caesar to be an obstacle to the

Entente Cordiale The Entente Cordiale (; ) comprised a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom and the French Republic which saw a significant improvement in Anglo-French relations. Beyond the immediate concerns of colonial de ...

. He asked his personal attendant, Lawrence Wrightson, to look after Caesar should he die before the dog. Edward VII Funeral Charger and Caesar

The King ordered hardstone models of his favourite dogs and racehorses from the

. Caesar was at the King's side on the Norfolk estate when the initial wax models were revealed by the company. The model of Caesar was made of

chalcedony Chalcedony ( , or ) is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, composed of very fine intergrowths of quartz and moganite. These are both silica minerals, but they differ in that quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, while moganite is monoclinic. ...

rubies A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...

, enamel and gold, and included Caesar's collar in the design. The finished model did not arrive until after the King's death, and was purchased by Dame

Margaret Greville Dame Margaret Helen Greville, ( Anderson; 20 December 1863 – 15 September 1942), was a British society hostess and philanthropist. She was the wife of the Hon. Ronald Greville (1864–1908). Family background Born Margaret Helen Anderson, she ...

, who gave the figure to

Queen Alexandra Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...

. A painting of the dog was also created by Reuben Ward Binks for the King. After the death of the King on 6 May 1910, Caesar refused to eat, and would spend time whining outside the King's bedroom. At one point, he managed to sneak into the King's bedroom and was found hiding under his bed by Queen Alexandra. The Queen encouraged him to eat once more and restored him to his normal self. Caesar attended the funeral of Edward VII, and led the funeral procession with a highlander walking behind the carriage that carried the King's coffin. He was placed ahead of the heads of state in the procession, including King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

and eight other Kings, an act of which Kaiser

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until his abdication on 9 November 1918. Despite strengthening the German Empir ...

of the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

disapproved.

Later life

Grave_at_the_Royal_Pet_Cemetery,_Marlborough_House

Within a month of the funeral an unofficial book was published, ''Where's Master?'', giving a first person account of Caesar from the king's death up to the funeral, something which made Queen Mary furious. The book was successful, running to nine reprints in the first year. After the King's death, a portrait of the dog was painted once more, this time by

Maud Earl Maud Alice Earl (1863-1943) was a British-American artist, known for her canine paintings. Her works are much enjoyed by dog enthusiasts and also accurately record many breeds. Biography Alice Maud Earl was born in Marylebone, London, to Georg ...

. The painting entitled ''Silent Sorrow'', features Caesar resting his head on the King's favourite chair. The Steiff company produced stuffed toys based on Caesar around 1910. He remained in the Royal household after the death of the king, although

Alice Keppel Alice Frederica Keppel (''née'' Edmonstone; 29 April 1868 – 11 September 1947) was an aristocrat, british society hostess and a long-time mistress of King Edward VII. Keppel grew up at Duntreath Castle, the family seat of the Edmonstone baro ...

, long-time mistress to the King, had enquired of Queen Alexandra about what was to happen to Caesar. Despite her previous dislike of the dog, the Queen took interest in the terrier's care and tended to spoil him with treats, confessing to a friend that she was making up for the King being so strict towards him. Caesar died following an operation in April 1914. The Fabergé figurine now forms part of the

Royal Collection The Royal Collection of the British royal family is the largest private art collection in the world. Spread among 13 occupied and historic royal residences in the United Kingdom, the collection is owned by King Charles III and overseen by the ...

, while Caesar was included in the sculpture of the King and Queen atop their tomb in

St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in England is a castle chapel built in the late-medieval Perpendicular Gothic style. It is both a Royal Peculiar (a church under the direct jurisdiction of the monarch) and the Chapel of the Order of the Gar ...

. In the sculpture, Caesar lies at the feet of the king.

References

{{reflist Pets of the British Royal Family Individual dogs in politics 1898 animal births 1914 animal deaths Edward VII Dogs in the United Kingdom Individual animals in England

Early life

Royal life

Later life

See also

References