The Queen has posed for a
very regal new portrait in celebration of her Platinum Jubilee. Pictured
sitting on a cushioned window seat at her home, Windsor Castle, with the
historic residence’s famous Round Tower visible in the distance, Her Majesty
looks happy and content as she marks 70 years on the throne.
The 96-year-old monarch, who
was photographed by Ranald Mackechnie in the Victoria Vestibule in her private
apartments at Windsor, is elegant in a dusky dove blue coat.
The Angela Kelly number
features shiny pearl and diamante scalloped beading, embroidered around the
collar and front trim.
In a special message released
to the nation and signed by Elizabeth R, the Queen thanked members of the public
for celebrating her Jubilee and said she hoped many “happy memories”
would be formed over the weekend.
“Thank you to everyone
who has been involved in convening communities, families, neighbours and
friends to mark my Platinum Jubilee, in the United Kingdom and across the
Commonwealth,” she said. “I know that many happy memories will be
created at these festive occasions.
“I continue to be
inspired by the goodwill shown to me, and hope that the coming days will
provide an opportunity to reflect on all that has been achieved during the last
seventy years, as we look to the future with confidence and enthusiasm.”
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The Queen posed for a new portrait in Windsor
The Queen has been pacing
herself ahead of her busy weekend of events. She enjoyed a short private
break in Balmoral, Scotland although her journey back to Windsor saw her plane
perform an aborted landing due to lightning.
On Thursday, she is set to
kick off the official celebrations by attending Trooping the Colour, her
military birthday parade. She will also be joined by her grandson Prince
William in the evening at the beacon-lighting ceremony as more than
3,000 beacons will be set ablaze across the UK and the Commonwealth in
celebration of the Jubilee.
Other events she is expected
to attend include the service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday,
and the Jubilee Pageant on Sunday when it’s hoped the Queen will make a final
appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to round off the weekend of
festivities.
