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The Queen pays a virtual visit to the unveiling of her new portrait

Lauren Clark
·2-min read
It's the 13th portrait the monarch has sat for since 2010 (Getty Images)
The portrait was the 13th the monarch has sat for since 2010. (Getty Images)

It’s been a busy month for the Queen – from launching her own gin, to playing a starring role at the wedding of granddaughter Princess Beatrice.

Now, the monarch, 94, has attended the first ever “virtual unveiling” of her new portrait at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

The painting of Her Majesty was revealed in a post on the royal family’s official Instagram account.

During a video call for the remote unveiling ceremony, she spoke with the artist, Miriam Escofet, who was commissioned by the FCO.

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A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily) on

The portrait depicts the Queen sitting in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, wearing a blue dress, a pearl necklace, earrings and drop brooch.

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Escofet, who is also a winner of the BP Portrait Award, was given two half-hour sittings with the Queen, one at Windsor Castle and another at Buckingham Palace.

The painting took seven months to complete, with the final touches executed in lockdown, and will be hung in the reception of the FCO’s new London headquarters when it is completed next year.

The artist revealed that when Her Majesty first saw the portrait, she joked that the teacup pictured on the table beside her was empty.

Read more: Princess Beatrice and Edo release wedding photos with Queen after secret ceremony

Escofet explained that she had hidden the insignia of the FCO onto the side of the teacup, inspired by a Renaissance technique used by the likes of Holbein.

She added that it had been a challenge to capture the Queen’s “aura of regalness” in the portrait, which is the 13th the monarch has sat for since 2010.

Buckingham Palace said the FCO commissioned the artwork to “pay tribute to their longstanding relationship with the Queen, and the contribution Her Majesty has made to UK diplomacy throughout her reign”.

Since being posted on Instagram, the portrait has received more than 270,000 ‘likes’.

Read more: Princess Beatrice stuns in vintage wedding dress as she borrows Queen's tiara

One person commented: “Her Majesty is still a very beautiful woman and has aged very gracefully!”

Another wrote: “Such a lovely smile.”

A third shared: “So beautiful. In portrait and life. Incredible woman.”

And a fourth added: “Stunning portrait.”