Kate Middleton Leads Birthday Tributes to Late Queen With Unseen Photo

By

James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family and royal fashion. He has covered contemporary and historic issues facing King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, the late Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. James joined Newsweek in 2022 having previously contributed to titles such as The Lady, Majesty Magazine and Drapers. He also spent a number of years working with the curatorial department at Historic Royal Palaces, based at Kensington Palace, and contributed to the exhibitions Fashion Rules: Restyled (2016) and Diana: Her Fashion Story (2017). He also undertook private research projects with the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection. He is a graduate of University College London and Central Saint Martins, where he studied fashion history. Languages: English.

You can get in touch with James by emailing j.crawfordsmith@newsweek.com.

Writers Page
Royal Reporter
Trust Project Icon Newsweek Is A Trust Project Member

🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.

Kate Middleton has led the royal birthday tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II on the day she would have turned 97 years old with a previously unseen family photograph.

Elizabeth died at Balmoral castle in September 2022, having served as Britain's longest-reigning monarch for over 70 years.

Marking the monarch's first birthday since her death, Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, took to Twitter via her official account with Prince William to release a photo of Elizabeth with a group of her younger grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

"Today would have been Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth's 97th birthday," the social media caption read.

"This photograph—showing her with some of her grandchildren and great grandchildren—was taken at Balmoral last summer. [camera emoji] The Princess"

Queen Elizabeth II with Grandchildren and Great-grandchildren
Queen Elizabeth II photographed with a group of her youngest grandchildren and greatgrandchildren by the Princess of Wales, Balmoral Castle, summer 2022. (Back row, L to R) Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James, Earl of Wessex,... THE PRINCESS OF WALES

Kate is a seasoned royal photographer who has captured family moments from her children's birthday portraits to a cover photo for Queen Camilla's recent guest edited edition of Country Life magazine.

The family group shows Queen Elizabeth seated centrally surrounded by the children of William and Kate (Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis), as well as the children of Zara Tindall (Mia, Lena and Lucas Tindall) and those of Peter Phillips (Savannah and Isla Phillips). Zara and Peter are the children of Elizabeth's only daughter, Princess Anne.

Also included in the group are the queen's grandchildren though her youngest son, Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, who were recently made the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh by King Charles III.

Lady Louise Windsor stands behind her grandmother and the Wales children to the left, and James, Earl of Wessex, stands to the right.

The queen spent several weeks at Balmoral Castle each summer, following a royal tradition which was started by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who built the castle in 1856.

Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland
Queen Elizabeth II photographed at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, June 27, 2022. Members of the royal family have paid tribute to the late-monarch on what would have been her 97th birthday, Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Elizabeth, together with her husband Prince Philip, would host a series of guests throughout the summer months, regularly including her children and grandchildren.

The monarch had 12 great-grandchildren at the time of her death. The four not included in the photograph posted today are Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, the children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, as well as Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, the daughter of Princess Beatrice of York, and August Brooksbank, the son of Princess Eugenie of York.

The post by William and Kate leads a number of other royal tributes to the former monarch on what would have been her birthday.

The royal family's official Twitter account, posting on behalf of King Charles and Queen Camilla, sent out a message reading: "Today we remember the incredible life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on what would have been her 97th birthday."

Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew who reportedly remained close to the queen, also posted: "Today would have been Her Late Majesty the Queen's 97th birthday and I will spend the day thinking of her. For over 70 years she was a constant, steadfast presence in our national life. For me, she was a wonderful mother-in-law, friend and adviser. I miss her more than words."

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.

Request Reprint & Licensing Submit Correction View Editorial & AI Guidelines

Top stories

About the writer

James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family and royal fashion. He has covered contemporary and historic issues facing King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, the late Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana. James joined Newsweek in 2022 having previously contributed to titles such as The Lady, Majesty Magazine and Drapers. He also spent a number of years working with the curatorial department at Historic Royal Palaces, based at Kensington Palace, and contributed to the exhibitions Fashion Rules: Restyled (2016) and Diana: Her Fashion Story (2017). He also undertook private research projects with the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection. He is a graduate of University College London and Central Saint Martins, where he studied fashion history. Languages: English.

You can get in touch with James by emailing j.crawfordsmith@newsweek.com.

Writers Page

James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more