A new portrait of King Charles III, Queen Consort Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate has marked the beginning of a new chapter for the British Monarchy.
On October 2, Buckingham Palace released a photo of the quartet of royals, snapped by renowned royal photographer Chris Jackson on the eve of the Queen’s funeral.
In the images, the royals stand in traditional all-black mourning attire as they smile into the camera.
“Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort with Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales. Taken at Buckingham Palace on 18th September,” the palace shared.
It pays to note here that nothing is shared without immense thought and intention when it comes to the royal family, so this portrait was no simple family photoshoot.
Instead, it appears to signify the present and future of the royal family, with the King and his heir standing in the middle while their wives stand in solidarity beside them.
Interestingly, William and Kate were previously frequently paired with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess Of Sussex, with the couples (affectionately dubbed “the fab four”) often attending events together and working together on various charitable initiatives. Of course, that all changed when Harry and Meghan stepped back from their roles as royals.
Still, two days after the Queen’s death, the fab four reunited again to greet the public outside Windsor Castle. The joint appearance was reportedly Charles’ idea as a way to show solidarity in the family.
But now, it seems there’s a new “fab four” in the royal sphere.
Eagle-eyed royal watchers also spotted another unique detail in the new portrait of the King and his family. Behind him is a painting of King George IV who was also the Prince of Wales. That means that three past and present Princes of Wales were photographed in the photo.
We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again, nothing is done publicly without careful consideration in this family.
