‘Like Gandalf’: Fans react to the Queen’s new birthday portrait

Her Majesty’s new photograph shows her standing between two white ponies

Britain Queen's Birthday (Royal Windsor Horse Show/henrydallalphotography.com)

The Queen’s newest birthday portrait has sparked delight and joy among her fans on social media.

In the photograph, Her Majesty stands with two of her Fell ponies, Bybeck Nightingale on her left and Bybeck Katie on her right.

The two all-white ponies will feature in the Royal Windsor Horse Show’s “A Gallop Through History” display in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Photographer Henry Dallal snapped the new portrait of the Queen in March in the grounds of Windsor Castle, against the backdrop of a blooming magnolia tree that marked the arrival of spring.

He was previously commissioned to take an official portrait of Her Majesty to mark her 90^th birthday.

The monarch is well known for her love of horses and the equine world, and she has been breeding and racing horses for more than 60 years.

Fans of the Queen praised the “majestic” new photograph and wished her many happy returns.

Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter tweeted that it shows the head of state in “what is arguable one of her most happy spots; surrounded by horses and nature”.

Australian television host Kylie Speer wrote: “It looks like a still from a film! Happy birthday today, thank goodness for the Queen and such a remarkable reign of grace, love and service.”

Replying to a tweet posted by the royal family’s official Twitter account, a fan of the Queen wrote: “Three pearl beauties. Happy birthday, another milestone reached with dignity, beauty and integrity.”

Another said: “Happy birthday, Your Majesty! As my husband says, ‘This is what heaven looks like!’ When current events give us little to smile about, this photo is a welcome reprieve.”

“Magnificent horses and suitably chosen to blend in with the coloured background and Her Majesty’s hair colour,” a third noted.

Some people compared the Queen to the fictional character Gandalf the White from the Lord of the Rings.

“Powerful and pure like Gandalf!” one person tweeted with a picture of a scene that shows the JRR Tolkien-invented wizard standing in a cape and a white horse.

Another joked: “Whoever made the Queen do Gandalf cosplay deserves a raise tbh.”

A third added: “Actually crying at the resemblance of this new photo of the Queen and Gandalf.”

Her Majesty is celebrating her birthday privately in her Sandringham estate in Norfolk and is staying at a property loved by the late Duke of Edinburgh.