Never before seen portrait of Queen Elizabeth II unveiled on anniversary of her passing

To mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's passing, an unreleased image of Her Majesty has been shared with the public alongside a message from her son King Charles.

On the occasion of the anniversary of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s passing and The King’s Accession, The King has issued the following message:

"In marking the first anniversary of Her late Majesty’s death and my Accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us.

I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all."

You can listen to King Charles' message here:

Alongside His Majesty's message, an unreleased photograph of The late Queen has been issued.

The image of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was captured at Buckingham Palace on 16th October 1968, as part of an official sitting granted to Cecil Beaton (1904-80). It was chosen by His Majesty The King to mark the anniversary.

The image was first shown at the National Portrait Gallery between November 1968 and March 1969, as part of its first photographic exhibition ‘Beaton Portraits 1928-68’. This was also the first retrospective of the work of a living photographer in a British national museum.

Beaton first photographed Her late Majesty in 1942. He photographed Her late Majesty and many other members of the Royal Family across the decades but the 1968 sitting was their last sitting together.

Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Sept. 8, 2022, at age 96, at her Balmoral residence in Scotland. Over 2,000 guests gathered at Westminister Abbey for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on Sep. 19, 2022, seventy years after the British monarch was coronated on the same blessed ground.