Palace releases unseen portrait of Queen Elizabeth II
On the eve of her funeral, Buckingham Palace released an unseen portrait of the Queen.
The photograph was taken by Ranald Mackechnie in May before the Platinum Jubilee celebrations – the picture shows the Queen dressed in blue, smiling at her beloved Windsor Castle.
The picture shows the Queen wearing her favourite three0strand pearl necklace and aquamarine and diamond clip brooches which were an 18th birthday present from her father, George VI in 1944.
Mackechnie also took the Platinum Jubliee portrait – released in June – to mark the start of national celebrations for her 70-year reign, the longest of any British monarch.