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Why the Queen wasn't in Prince Charles' 70th birthday photos

The Queen wasn’t in Charles’ birthday photos (Getty)
The Queen wasn’t in Charles’ birthday photos (Getty)

To mark the Prince of Wales’ milestone 70th birthday, two adorable family portraits were released by Clarence House.

In the photographs, Prince Charles was joined by his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and baby Prince Louis, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The photos shows Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, sitting on a bench, surrounded by their family. Photo: Getty Images
The photos shows Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, sitting on a bench, surrounded by their family. Photo: Getty Images
Two adorable portraits of the royal family have been leaked, ahead of the Prince of Wales’ 70th birthday. Photo: Getty Images
Two adorable portraits of the royal family have been leaked, ahead of the Prince of Wales’ 70th birthday. Photo: Getty Images

However, it wasn’t a full royal family affair as the Queen, nor her husband Prince Philip were present in the photographs and the reason why is slightly bizarre.

Prince Charles apparently had to be the most senior royal in the photo, and it’s all down to royal etiquette.

“The main reason is that it’s Prince Charles’ birthday portrait, so he should be the most senior member of the royal family to appear in it,” royal correspondent, Duncan Larcombe, told Harper’s Bazaar.

The Queen was noticeably absent from the family portraits. Prince Charles apparently needed to be the most senior royal in the photo. Source: Getty
The Queen was noticeably absent from the family portraits. Prince Charles apparently needed to be the most senior royal in the photo. Source: Getty

“There’s also more evidence than ever that there’s a conscious effort to start pushing Charles to the front as he takes on a more prominent role.”

Is Prince Charles getting ready to take over from the Queen?

In recent years, the Queen has slowly started to pull back on public engagements, offering up more responsibility to the heir to the throne, Prince Charles.

Last year, royal correspondent for The Express, Richard Palmer revealed “the winds of change are sweeping through palace corridors”.

Could Her Majesty be considering it might be time to pass the reins over to Charles? Source: Getty
Could Her Majesty be considering it might be time to pass the reins over to Charles? Source: Getty

So, at 92-years-old, could Her Majesty be considering it might be time to pass the reins over to Charles?

According to royal correspondent Robert Jobson, it’s a definite possibility.

“I understand the Queen has given the matter considerable though and believes that, if she is still alive at 95, she will seriously consider passing the reign to Charles,” Jobson previously told the Mail on Sunday.


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