Prince Charles was just enjoying a visit to international development charity in Bath when he was surprised with a historic photo of his mother, the Queen, as a young Princess. The royal was clearly touched by the sentiment as he was pictured gazing at it for some time.
The Prince of Wales visited the Send a Cow charity on Monday, where the organisation's chief executive Simon Barnes showed the monarch a never-before-seen image of his mother. "I'll see if Mama remembers it and remembers what she was wearing when it was taken," Charles remarked.
The black-and-white photo shows her majesty as Princess Elizabeth, with short wavy hair, in 1939 - the year she turned 13. In the vintage photograph, the Princess is wearing a short-sleeved dress with three small bows.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCharles was handed the black-and-white photo of the Queen
The photo was one of a set taken by Canadian photographer Lawrence Audrain, who was invited to Windsor Castle by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth ahead of an overseas tour. However, the image was rejected for publication by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, for being too informal.
Many years later, after the photographer's death, it was found in an attic and later gifted to Simon Barnes by the photographer's daughter as a wedding present.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe black-and-white photo shows the Queen as a Princess
During Charles' tour of the charity, of which he is president, he was introduced to Milky May, a life-sized milkable model Holstein cow, but declined the offer to have a go at milking it.
The 67-year-old royal praised the charity workers on all their hard work with the project. "I do congratulate you on all your work. It's very important to keep smallholders going. It's vital," he said.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe royal met Milky May during his visit
He also met Kenya board member Joyce Majiwa who revealed that the Prince spoke knowledgeably to her about the importance of women in farming in Africa and the need to always empower them.
Send a Cow's name stems from its origins in 1988 when it was set up by a group of West Country dairy farmers who put cows on planes to send to Uganda.
Now the charity no longer puts cows on planes, but works in seven countries in Africa - Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia - by providing on-going support and practical training, including farming skills, gender equality, sanitation and money management, alongside livestock and tools.
