Over the years, the Queen and her family have posed for dozens of official portraits, whether they're celebrating a wedding, a birthday, an anniversary or a christening. Royal fans have loved seeing the photos that have been made public, but only a select few from a shoot are ever released. Many of the photos are held back for the royal family's eyes only! Occasionally, eagle-eyed fans spot a new never-seen-before photo in the background of certain snaps, but now it seems we no longer have to hunt for these unseen photographs as royals, such as Prince Harry, are now posting them on Instagram. It was only on Tuesday that the Duke and Duchess of Instagram launched their Instagram account, @SussexRoyal, and the parents-to-be have already treated us to a previously unseen picture! Let's take a look at some of our favourite 'secret' snaps, starting with this brand new one from Meghan and Harry…
Harry and Meghan's private travels
In this 2017 photograph, posted on their new Instagram account, the couple can be seen fitting an elephant with a tracking collar to help conservationists follow the animal's migratory patterns. The caption on the post read: "Their Royal Highnesses travelled to Botswana to assist Dr. Mike Chase of Elephants Without Borders in equipping a bull elephant with a satellite collar…approximately 100 elephants are poached/killed every day for their ivory tusk." HELLO! can't wait to see more snaps from the parents-to-be!
Princess Eugenie's wedding dress photo
For Princess Eugenie's 29th birthday, American designer Zac Posen shared a never-before-seen photograph of the royal's second wedding dress on Instagram. Zac spoke of Eugenie as someone with a "heart of hold and sophisticated humour." When talking about designing the royal's wedding reception dress, the successful designer said: "it was an incredible honour to create this dress for Her Royal Highness Princes Eugenie on her wedding day."
Queen Elizabeth II
To celebrate Her Majesty's 90th birthday, Buckingham Palace released three never-before-seen photographs of The Queen in her younger years. The first one was a black and white photo, where the 92-year-old appeared to be in a bird enclosure, in the second one Her Majesty is smiling and preparing to dive into a swimming pool alongside her father. The third one sees the Queen alongside her sister, Princess Margaret, and her father. Their pet corgis make an appearance too!
Prince Phillip and The Queen with their great-grandchildren
In November 2018, royal fans were treated to a never-before-seen picture of the Queen and Prince Philip with their greatgrandchildren. In the photo, which was taken whilst the Queen was shown a new portrait of herself at Windsor Castle, the royal couple can be seen sitting on chairs whilst surrounded by five of their greatgrandchildren. HELLO! was the first to spot the sweet family photo which appears to have been taken before the birth of Zara Tindall's youngest daughter Lena and Prince William and Kate's youngest son, Prince Louis.
Prince George and Prince Charles
Prince Charles' love for his family was clear to see in an exhibition that opened in Buckingham Palace over the summer. Visitors who went to the Prince & Patron display were able to view an adorable framed photo of Charles and his eldest grandchild, Prince George. The photo appears to have been taken in 2013 or 2014 when George was a tiny tot. The little Prince was pictured fast asleep in his granddad's arms, while new dad Prince William posed next to them. Three generations – we love it!
Prince William and Kate
The Cambridges gifted the king and queen of Norway a beautiful framed photo during their stay in Oslo in February 2018. William and Kate looked the picture of happiness as they wrapped their arms around each other. As ever, Kate looked elegant in a light blue tailored jacket and skirt, with her long, brown hair styled in her trademark Chelsea blow dry.
The picture was taken by royal photographer Chris Jackson, who confirmed on Instagram: "This has been floating around Twitter and it was fantastic to see that the official portrait I took was presented as a gift to the King and Queen of Norway during the Cambridge's Scandinavian Royal Tour #portrait #dukeofcambridge#duchessofcambridge #norway #royal #gift #photography #royalvisit #royaltour Picture credit: @sperrypeoplemag."
Zara Tindall and the Queen
Is this one of the sweetest photos of Zara Tindall and the Queen to date? The monarch was pictured posing with her granddaughter back in 2011 on Zara's wedding day, beaming from ear-to-ear. The bride, who looked incredible in a Stewart Parvin wedding dress, toasted her big day with a glass of bubbly.
Zara Tindall and husband Mike
During a private audience at Buckingham Palace, fans caught a glimpse of a photo of Zara and Mike Tindall on their wedding day. The couple, who married in 2011, looked beautiful and head over heels in love in the black-and-white portrait.
The Queen had proudly displayed the photo of her granddaughter while she welcomed the Honorable George Brandis, the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, for a meeting.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
At the same private audience, the Queen also had a brand new photo of Prince Harry and Meghan on display. In the snap, Meghan is wearing a pale blue dress with her hair down. The picture is thought to have been taken by photographer Alexi Lubomirski as part of their engagement photoshoot in early December 2017.
Prince George and Prince Charles
Back in 2015, the future King released a video in support of Earth House UK. In the background of the video shot, a framed photo of George and Charles could be seen. The little Prince looked adorable in dungarees and a cap, while Charles bounced him in his arms.
Prince George and Prince Charles
This undeniably sweet moment between grandfather and grandson was taken when Prince George was a few months old. The little boy is wearing his trademark dungarees in the photo that appears to have been taken by mum Kate.