Royals honour birthday of late Queen Elizabeth with never-before-seen photo – National | Globalnews.ca

The Royal Family is honouring the late Queen Elizabeth II, on what would have been Her Majesty’s 97th birthday, with a new portrait.

The photo, taken by The Princess of Wales, was captured at Balmoral Castle last summer and features the queen surrounded by some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The queen appears perched on a light green tufted sofa, wearing a button up blouse, tartan skirt and black cardigan. She is flanked by Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Lady Louise Windsor, James, Earl of Wessex, Savannah Phillips, Isla Phillips, Lena Tindall, Mia Tindall, and Lucas Philip Tindall.

Members of the monarchy, including Prince William and wife Kate Middleton, shared the touching tribute taken in one of the queen’s most beloved locations to their social media accounts.

The Royal Family also shared an additional photo of the queen to their Facebook page, outlining the history of her unexpected rise to the throne.

“When Her Majesty was born in April 1926, the Princess Elizabeth and her family did not expect that she would one day become queen. Following the the abdication of her uncle King Edward VIII in 1936, her father acceded to the throne,” the post reads.

“When King George VI died in February 1952, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II when she was just 25. Her Majesty went onto to be Britain’s longest reigning Monarch — the only one in history to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.”

The queen died Sept. 8, 2022. Her first-born son, Charles, became King immediately upon the death of his mother.

He was officially proclaimed King Charles III on Sept. 10 during the accession ceremony at St. James’s Palace in London. He will be crowned next month, on May 6, in a coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

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