Equestrian statue of king Edward VII in Toronto - gifted by India in 1969

The statue of king Edward V in Queen's Park, Toronto.  torontosavvy.me

Above Image: The equestrian statue of King Edward (in Queen's Park, Toronto, Canada). It is quite impressive, a bit flattering,  as you may see him  in full military regalia  riding  his horse, Kildare,. The man who made this fine statue is Sir Thomas Brock the  famous sculptor  and artist who did Queen Victoria’s memorial at Buckingham Palace. The statue  in  the northern part of Queen’s Park, Toronto  was  opened in 1850. Set atop the horse with straight back, the king's balding head is noticeable. A surprising fact is he does not have a headgear befitting his military dress.  He served as the King of the United Kingdom  for a brief period of about 10 years. The King Edward Hotel (on 37 King St. E. Toronto  ) is named after him.  A weird fact is  there is a long history of the horse’s testicles being paintedin  different colors every year by University of  Toronto students perhaps to  keep your eyes open for a motley  of color in the park. It is likely, it may be a subtler expression of English king's  interest in voluptuous women.  https://www.toronto.com/news-story/5153866-7-monuments-of-queen-s-park/

King Edward's statue, Queen's park, Toronto, Canada, gettyimages.in

Statue of King Edward, Toronto, Canada. /torontosavvy.me

Above Image: The statue of   King Edward's  previous home was Coronation park, New Delhi.  The 15-foot bronze equestrian statue  was originally there  in 1922 to commemorate King Edward VII’s historic role as the Emperor of India.  In 1969 this 5 ton bronze statue headed Toronto, 12000 km away from India.  Gifted by India  no sooner had the statue arrived in Toronto than the ex-ruler's sculpture was mired in controversy.  Many Canadians did not  want to keep the statue there.  One Harry R. Jackman, a wealthy insurance executive, put an end to the confusion and bore the  shipping costs.  He, to the astonishment of the media,  openly confessed without any reservation, “I was not after Edward VII”,  “I was after the horse.”   It was placed in Queen’s Park in 1969 despite public outcry and criticism.


King Edward VII statue in Delhi. zikredilli.com/f

Above image: Unveiling of All India King Edward VII Memorial, 1922 ( Source: Royal Collection Trust, UK).  It was  a symbol  British domination in the subcontinent. In reality India was their milch cow siphoning out  vast revenue from the subcontinent.  King  George V laid the foundation of the park in December, 1911 when he came to Delhi  to attend the colorful and pompous  Coronation Durbar.. The Indian freedom fighters and patriots were highly critical of this expensive  show of royal splendor and  extravaganza in a land that was looted and exploited by them, leaving the natives emaciated and poor. 

Equestrian statue of King Edward, Toronto. torontosavvy.me

Above image::  When the statue arrived, the Art Gallery of Ontario  expressed no interest. Nor the Royal Ontario Museum had expressed in keeping this statue. of the ex-king of the British Empire  where the sun had never set.   At last  the  city council decided on the final resting place for the English king - Queen's park  The then Mayor William Dennison unveiled  the statue . which is set  halfway between the University of Toronto and Bay Street. The statue is a symbol  of  British Imperialism in Canada. Incidentally, . when Canada became a free  country in 1867, Victoria was the queen and she was the one who  chose Ottawa as the capital. Victoria Day is officially held on the Monday right before May 25................................... 

Tit-Bits:

King Edward VII of Britain (brief note):

 King Edward XII of Britain.  en.wikipedia.com

Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841- 6 May 1910), King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland  was also the Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.  He was the eldest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Edward had close relation with the European  royalty. 

Earlier he  was Prince of Wales and heir apparent to the British throne. But he had to wait  for almost 60 long  years. to enjoy of the trapping of an English king. By that time, wilting under age, he almost became bald  His mother Queen Victoria hung on to the throne and 'because of  her  long  reign  Edward   did not enjoy any  political  power and took to the casual and fashionable life of royal elite.  Widely traveled across the empire,  he was just carrying on the  ceremonial public duties,  representing  Britain on visits abroad. His tours of North America in 1860 and the Indian subcontinent in 1875 were popular successes. However, he failed to have a good relationship with his mother because of his  soft corner for the bewitching dames and  philandering. 

Though married  to Alexandra of Denmark (10 March 1863.),  Edward continued to have mistresses and had romantic escapade with elite women.  Edward  left England on 26 September 1875  for India on an extensive eight-month tour; on the way, he visited Malta, Brandis and Greece. His advisors remarked on his habit of treating all people the same, regardless of their social status  or color. When Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901, Edward became the King of  United Kingdom.  He died on the 6th of May 1910  and was buried at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. 

Tit-Bits 

 King Edward VII monument in Toronto  -vandalized:

Equestrian statue of King Edward, Toronto. vandalized in June 2020 torontosun.com

Above image: Recently in June 2020 the equestrian statue of king Edward  VII  in the Queen's park north of the provincial Legislature was vandalized by some to vent their anger ageist the  city cops. Graffiti sprayed on to the monument in red is visible on the bronze  horse. When King Edward visited Toronto in September 1860 as the Prince of Wales the city council headed by Mayor Adam Wilson had a proposal to have the young prince open the park. One member suggested that the park be named in honor of the prince. The Globe quoted Baxter, a city councilor,  as saying it was “a disgrace to the city to think that the park where the gallows had been so often erected should have been lately dubbed with the name ‘The Prince’s Park.' 

Toronto telegram cartoon Jan.27, 1969.torontoist.com

Above image:  Apparently Canadians did not like the English king's statue  installed in Toronto's famous park. A funny cartoon appeared  suggesting the Toronto public might be more enthusiastic about a statue of Lorne Greene  of  Western TV series ''Bonanza''  fame.  (Toronto Telegram, January 27, 1969).

https://torontoist.com/2014/12/historicist-here-comes-the-equestrian-statue

https://torontoist.com/2014/12/historicist-here-comes-the-equestrian-statue/