Queen shows intimate photo of William and Kate at Windsor Home
Queen greets Germany’s Angela Merkel at Windsor Castle
The Queen provided curious royal fans with a sneak peek inside Windsor Castle on Friday when she received German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The monarch welcomed the German leader in the Oak Room at her Berkshire home.
Footage taken during the first few seconds of their meeting gives a brief panoramic of the room, which presents wooden console tables, paintings, and several framed portraits.
Read Also: Oxford College Students Vote to remove Portrait of Queen Elizabeth ii
Among them, there is the photograph of Kate and Prince William taken in 2010 by Mario Testino to announce the couple’s engagement.
In the intimate snap, the third in line to the throne put his arms around his future wife.
Kate, smiling, shows off her engagement ring by placing a hand on the Duke of Cambridge’s chest.
This isn’t the first time royal watchers have noticed portraits of close family members being exposed in the working rooms at the Queen’s residences.
Two weeks ago, during Her Majesty’s first in-person audience at Buckingham Palace with Prime Minister Boris Johnson since the beginning of the pandemic, several royal portraits could be seen in the Audience Room.
On one table, the Queen displayed another portrait of Kate and Prince William taken in November 2010.
This photograph was placed next to a picture of the monarch and her direct heir Prince Charles, taken in 2016 to mark Her Majesty’s 90th birthday.
On a second table in the room could be seen a portrait of Meghan and Prince Harry taken before their nuptials in 2018.
The Queen also showcased a picture of Princess Anne with her second husband Sir Timothy Laurence.
The monarch usually displays a few portraits on her desk when she delivers her Christmas Day speech.
In 2019, Her Majesty’s desk featured photographs of Prince Philip and King George VI.
Two more portraits showed Prince Charles and Camilla standing next to one another and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Christmas card.
The absence of Meghan and Prince Harry from the Queen’s desk was interpreted by some royal watchers as a snub against the couple who spent that Christmas in Canada.
But royal expert and academic Anna Whitelock said at the time the choice had probably more to do with the line of succession to the throne.
She told the BBC: “You could read into that that, simply, she is focused on her father and then the direct heirs to the throne.”
