Unveiled on July 1st, 1992, by Queen Elizabeth herself, the statue is the first equestrian statue of Her Majesty in the world and it was dedicated in honor of her 40th year of ruling and Canada’s 125th anniversary.
The statue stood till 2019 on the east side of Parliament Hill. Due to archeology and other work, it was temporarily relocated to the roundabout in front of Rideau Hall’s main gate, the official residence of the Governor-General, the queen representative in Canada.
Made by sculptor Jack Harman, the 4-meter statue stands on a 3.7 meters tall granite base. It depicts Queen Elizabeth riding astride on her horse Centenial, whom she received as a gift from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in commemoration of their 100th anniversary.
Queen Elisabeth II (1926) was born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary to the Duke and Duchess of York. In 1936, her father succeeded the throne, and the 10-years-old princess became second in line to rule the kingdom. As a member of the royal family, she took on various royal duties, and during WW2, she volunteered in the Auxiliary Territorial Service, serving as a mechanic and driver. After her father died in 1952, she became the Queen of Great Britain, head of the Commonwealth, and the queen regnant of the seven independent Commonwealth countries, including Canada. On August 2nd, 1973, on her visit to Canada, Her Majesty was invited to select a horse from the RCMP stables. The chosen horse, then named Jerry, stayed with the RCMP for a few more years, and on May 15th, 1977, the horse was presented to the Queen at Windsor Castle and was renamed Centenial. To this date, it was the second of eight horses that were presented to the queen by the RCMP.
Also located on Parliament Hill are the Queen Victoria statue, which was unveiled in 1901, and the monument Women are Persons which commemorates the Famous Five group who fought for Canadian women voting rights.
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