Prince Andrew has posted a family photo of the Queen standing between Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex on his Facebook page. The Duke of York, who is a keen photographer, has already tried his hand at tweeting and taking selfies, and this week uploaded the behind-the-scenes picture onto his social media page, which is usually reserved for official announcements.The snapshot was taken in one of the Queen's private rooms in Buckingham Palace ahead of a reception held for the charities supported by Edward and Sophie to mark the couple's 50th birthdays.
© Photo: FacebookPrince Andrew shared this behind-the-scenes family photo on his Facebook page
"A family photo before we join the guests at my brother and sister-in-law's joint Birthday Reception at Buckingham Palace, to recognise the important work with their many organisations," Andrew wrote alongside the picture, signing off, "AY" – Andrew York.In April 2014, Andrew became the first member of the British royal family to post a selfie on Twitter, and he has now also become the first to share a family snapshot on Facebook.The Buckingham Palace photo is the first known time that Andrew has had a face-to-face meeting with his mother, the Queen, since he found himself at the centre of allegations that he had sexual contact with a US minor.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Andrew addressing claims made against him at the World Economic Forum
After a series of denials issued by the Palace on his behalf, the Prince himself publicly addressed the allegations while attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last month. "I wish to reiterate and reaffirm the statement already made by Buckingham Palace," said Andrew, before adding, "My focus is my work. "Andrew's ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York has also emphatically denied the claims made against him, describing the allegations as a "defamation of character" during an appearance on The Today Show.
Sarah, Duchess of York has defended her ex-husband in TV interviews
"I will not have one word said about him on any level, any level," she said of former husband, whom she divorced in 1996. "I want to stand by him, because I know what it feels like to have salacious lies made up about you," she said, adding that the Prince is "a great father and humongously good man"."I won't stand by and let his character be defamed to this level."
