King edward Vii & Caesar
The canine who stayed with his master until the very end
Just like his parents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, King Edward VII adored dogs and he owned a few over the course of his life. But out of all of them, it is his relationship with Caesar, his white and brown wire fox terrier, that really tugs at the heartstrings.
Caesar lived a life of luxury with Edward, accompanying him abroad and sleeping in an easy chair by his master’s bed. Caesar was assigned his own attendant, a footman, to keep him washed and clean. Although never overly concerned with other humans, he became excited whenever he saw his master. At times when he misbehaved, Edward would shake his stick at him and say, “You naughty, naughty dog.” Despite this, Edward never became angry with Caesar and usually broke into a smile soon after the scolding.
When Edward passed away in 1910,
Caesar became depressed, roaming Buckingham Palace in search of his master and refusing to eat until
Queen Alexandra coaxed him.
Knowing how much the king loved Caesar, Alexandra ordered that the dog would lead the funeral procession ahead of all of the heads of state, including King George V and Kaiser Wilhem II.
Alexandra continued to care for Caesar until his own death in 1914.