The Queen received a particularly poignant gift in honour of her late husband's 100th birthday on 10 June. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace released an image showing the monarch being presented with a newly-bred rose by the Royal Horticultural Society last week, which has been named in honour of Prince Philip.
The candid photo shows the Queen smiling as she looks at the Duke of Edinburgh rose, which is deep pink, dappled with white lines and double-flowered.
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And while royal fans were quick to commend the sweet gesture and send their good wishes to HRH, a large number admitted they were shocked by her appearance in the picture.
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The smiling Queen can be seen wearing a blue and white floral summer dress, a cardigan, and tinted glasses to protect her eyes from the sun. One follower noted: "What a lovely photo of our Queen looking like a normal grandmother with her cardigan on, being given a gift to commemorate her dear husband's birthday."
The Queen's appearance caused a stir amongst royal watchers
A second echoed: "That's so amazing. Love roses. And this is the first time I have ever seen the Queen look like a Nanna." A third shared: "Lovely to see the Queen wearing a cardi looking more relaxed." A fourth stated: "You are rocking those shades Ma'am… It is good to see you smiling again too." And a fifth noted: "That's the first time I've seen her bare hands!"
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The gifted rose bush was planted by Windsor's head gardener Philip Carter in the mixed rose border of the East Terrace Garden at Windsor Castle. The Duke played a significant role in the design of the garden having restructured the flowerbeds and commissioned a bronze lotus fountain which features at the centre of the garden.
Prince Philip would have celebrated his 100th birthday on 10 June
Prince Philip spent the last year of his life residing with the Queen at Windsor Castle, with Buckingham Palace sharing new portraits of the couple to mark the Duke's 99th birthday last June and their 73rd wedding anniversary last November.
The Duke of Edinburgh passed away peacefully at the Berkshire residence on 9 April and his funeral was held eight days later at St George's Chapel.
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