The royal family has shared a beautiful photo of the Queen with her late father King George VI, her late husband Prince Philip and their son Prince Charles to mark Father's Day on Sunday.
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The throwback picture, which was posted on the royal family's official Twitter account, showed the group enjoying a summer holiday in Balmoral, Scotland. The Queen Mother and Princess Margaret also featured in the original black-and-white photo from 1951, although for the poignant Father's Day post, the pair were cropped out of the picture.
The caption on Twitter read: "To all dads everywhere, we wish you a very special Father's Day. To mark #FathersDay we are sharing this photograph of The Queen with her father, King George VI, and Prince Philip watching a young Prince Charles sitting on a statue at Balmoral in 1951."
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This year marks a particularly bittersweet celebration as it is the royal family's first Father's Day without Prince Philip, who sadly died two months ago at the age of 99. The Duke of Edinburgh left behind his wife of 73 years, as well as their four children Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
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The moment wasn't lost on the royal family's fans, as one replied on Twitter: "Beautiful photo. Another day that will be difficult for HRMQ and the family, thoughts are with them all as they celebrate Father's Day without HRH The Prince Philip." Others commented on the "lovely" photo and the "historic moment".
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe original Balmoral photo the royal family's Twitter account shared
At the time, the royals were enjoying their traditional summer holiday in Balmoral. The Queen was known as Princess Elizabeth then, but ascended the throne shortly after, when her father King George VI sadly died the following year in Sandringham in February 1952. Elizabeth was in Kenya with her husband Prince Philip.
The couple, who had been married for five years, were making the most of a break in royal duties at a game-viewing lodge, the Treetops Hotel. They were at the start of the first lap of their Commonwealth tour, which was to also include visits to Australia and New Zealand, representing the Queen's father who was too ill to travel.
The King had been battling cancer and his health was declining. He had waved Elizabeth and her husband off at London Airport on 31 January – it would be the very last time father and daughter saw each other.
It was Prince Philip who broke the news to his wife and when the princess' private secretary, Martin Charteris, asked what name she would take as the new Queen, Elizabeth replied: "My own, of course."
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