A FAMILY photograph of the two-year-old Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen Elizabeth II, will be the first object featured in the BBC Radio 4 series The Art of Monarchy, which starts on Saturday.
Celebrating Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, the eight-part series explores the history of the monarchy through works acquired by British kings and queens.
Taken in September 1928 by The Queen’s father, the future King George VI, the photograph shows the young Princess outside Balmoral Castle in Scotland with her grandmother, Queen Mary, her great-uncle, the Earl of Athlone, King George V’s parrot, Charlotte, and his terrier, Snip.
The photograph will be on display at Windsor Castle with other items selected for The Art of Monarchy from the Royal Library.
Dr Sophie Gordon, Senior Curator of Photographs at the Royal Collection, said, ‘This small snapshot provides a rare opportunity to see a private family moment captured on camera. The Duke of York, later King George VI, presents us with a glimpse of family life in an intimate setting, rather than the more formal royal poses with which we are familiar. This photograph was not intended to be seen in public, yet it is an important reminder that the Royal Family are just that – a family.’
