The royal family releases never-before-seen photo of Queen Elizabeth II
The royal family is commemorating the late Queen Elizabeth II with one last official portrait.
The night before her funeral, a never-before-seen photograph of the beloved and history-making monarch was shared by the official Instagram account of the royal family.
The picture shows Queen Elizabeth smiling while wearing her standard pearl necklace and earrings. She also wore a periwinkle dress and stunning blue brooches.
The two brooches, worn separately above each other, are made of aquamarine and diamond. According to the Court Jeweller, a blog that tracks the queen's sparkling pieces, the brooches were given to her by her father, George VI, as an 18th birthday present.
According to the caption of the sweet photo, the picture was taken just this year to mark the queen's Platinum Jubilee, which honored her 70 years on the throne.
The release of the photo is just one of several ways the royal family has honored their matriarch in recent days. Since her death at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Sept. 8, the family has been in mourning and released several statements honoring the late queen. Earlier this week, the queen's casket was brought from Scotland to London, and a solemn procession followed the coffin as it travelled from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall.
It's not just the queen's family members paying tribute: Millions have waited hours in line to pay their respects to the late queen at Westminster Hall. Two seperate vigils — one by her children, one by her grandchildren — have also been held.
The funeral, on Monday, Sept. 19, will be the first state funeral in England since the death of Winston Churchill in 1965. It will include a service attended by 2,000 people, including hundreds of world leaders, and a private burial ceremony at St. George's Chapel, where the queen will be laid to rest beside her husband, parents and sister.
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This article was originally published on TODAY.com
