It’s Bark-ingham Palace! £1.2m Lotto winner creates lavish Windsor Castle replica so her DOG can enjoy the Royal Wedding

• Susan Crossland, 53, has spent more than £5,000 on the 2m high replica castle for the Royal Wedding
• Archie, the 10-year-old Lhasa Apso, will be kitted out in Union flag top hat and tuxedo for the wedding
• The castle replica took seven designers from The Russell Beck Studio around 244 hours to complete

A Lottery winner has had a replica of Windsor Castle – complete with red carpet, throne and hot tub – built for her pet dog so it can enjoy the Royal Wedding as much as her.

Susan Crossland, 53, has spent more than £5,000 having a 2m high, hand painted castle made for her dog Archie. 

The 10-year-old Lhasa Apso will be kitted out in a Union flag tuxedo and top hat for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding. 

Mrs Crossland said: ‘I love royal weddings and I love the royals. I just thought it might be a bit quirky to have something nice for Archie so I had him a Windsor Castle made and he absolutely loves it.’

Lottery winner Susan Crossland with her dog Archie

She said she is planning to host a barbecue on the wedding day and says Archie will ‘just be pottering about in his Windsor Castle’.

‘It’s worth it. He’s my dog at the end of the day. Why not spoil your dog?’

Mrs Crossland won £1.2 million with her husband Michael on the Lotto in 2008.

The couple, from Mirfield, West Yorkshire, have a 2m by 2m structure in their back garden.

The structure took a team of seven designers from The Russell Beck Studio 244 hours to complete. It weighs an impressive 155kg and used more than 15 litres of paint.  

Mrs Crossland said: ‘We have been preparing our veranda, getting out the flags and buying lots of red, white and blue trimmings in recognition of the big day.

‘Archie is obviously a big part of the family so we couldn’t have him missing out.

Archie the Lhasa Apso sits on his throne at home in Mirfield, West Yorkshire

‘We love to spoil him and I couldn’t believe it when I heard about a gentleman who was up for all types of projects – no matter how crazy.’

She said: ‘I want it to be just perfect for him and to replicate Windsor Castle as far as possible.

‘Archie obviously can’t go to Windsor Castle so we wanted to make him his very own castle – and we know he will love it.’

Mrs Crossland said she wishes she was going to the wedding and said of Ms Markle: ‘I think she’s really nice and together they look as happy as anything.’ 

Archie the Lhasa Apso sits in his hot tub (Danny Lawson/PA)

When she won the lottery 10 years ago Mrs Crossland described how she had taken on her father’s line of numbers after his death and won with that sequence on the anniversary of his death.

She said she believed it was ‘heaven sent’ – her father wanting her to look after her two sisters and brother who all have learning difficulties.

Mrs Crossland said the siblings were to be split up after the death of her parents but her good fortune has meant she has been able to care for them all in her purpose built home.

Pooch palace creator Russell Beck said: ‘This was my very first request for a pooch palace but I have to say I have loved working on this project.

‘It has, however, made our studio dog very jealous. I think he is very upset that it is going and that it will not be his.’

Mrs Crossland said she was hoping to find a good home for the castle after the wedding – somewhere where dogs or children can enjoy it.

She said: ‘Although I had it done for Archie – and he does love it – I would like after the weddingto take it off him, if he’ll let me, to donate it to a place where lots of other people can enjoy it – either for dogs or maybe it can go for a place when children can play in it.

‘It would’ve been an ideal present for the new (royal) baby.’

 Archie the pampered pooch will enjoy the royal wedding from his castle

Source: Read Full Article