Captured in the memories of those who were there, or saw footage of the funeral procession of Edward VII, is the image of “Caear,” the King’s Wire Fox Terrier, following the funeral cortege. The dog preceded even crowned heads of Europe (including Kaiser Wilhelm, that some say was an insult that helped fuel the bad blood leading to WWI). It’s likely that fewer people have seen for themselves, however, Edward’s tomb where even death, his beloved dog keeps eternal vigil.

At the foot of the tomb sculpted by Bertram Mackennal is the curled up figure of Caesar. Born “Caesar of Notts” in 1898, Caesar was sired by Cackler of Notts from the kennels of Kathleen, the Duchess of Newcastle. Caesar had been given to the King by Lord Dudley in 1902 to replace “Jack,” the King’s earlier terrier who sadly had died choking on food. A larger view of the tomb can be seen here.

Caesar himself is not buried under the tomb seen here. After Edward’s death, the dog lived with Queen Alexandra at Marlborough House in London, where he died on April 18, 1914. Caesar was buried on the grounds and given a marble headstone.

Image: This photo of Caesar was mass produced as a postcard produced by the Rotary Photo Company. It was have been published between the King’s funeral and the dog’s death – at some point between May 1910 and April 1914. Source: Wikicommons where it is listed as being in the public domain