Palace shares royal family photo taken 75 years ago

The Queen was just 21 years old when the image was taken

Buckingham Palace has shared a poignant photograph of the royal family taken 75 years ago, to honour Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen was laid to rest at St George’s Chapel in Windsor on Monday (19 September) following a state funeral service at Westminster Abbey.

The coffin, carried by eight pallbearers, was draped with the Royal Standard, the Imperial State Crown and a large wreath of flowers chosen by King Charles III laid on top.

The photograph, shared by the Palace on Monday evening ahead of the Queen’s private burial, captures the wide smile of the then 21-year-old princess, surrounded by her family.

The late monarch is pictured with her husband, Prince Philip, at her shoulder, her sister, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and her father, King George VI.

The black and white image was taken by British portrait photographer, Dorothy Wilding, known for her portraits of the British royal family, some of which were used to illustrate postage stamps.

The image is now in the care of the National Portrait Gallery, having been donated by the photographer’s sister, Susan Morton, in 1976.

It was taken in the same year that the Queen married Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey, the same venue of her coronation and, as of this week, her funeral.

After the wedding, Philip renounced his title of Prince of Greece and Denmark, to become the Duke of Edinburgh.