Palace exhibitions mark HM The Queen’s long reign

Beautiful photos of the monarch in public and private are now on display at Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

On September 9, Her Majesty The Queen became Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, passing the 63 years and 216-day record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. 

To mark the milestone, special photographic displays entitled ‘Long To Reign Over Us’ are now open at Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse until 27 January 2016.

The pictures can be seen in the inner quadrangle of Windsor Castle – an area that is not normally open to visitors.

The outdoor displays celebrate The Queen through a selection of photographs from 1952 to the present day. The images include official portraits and photographs of Her Majesty undertaking visits in the UK and across the Commonwealth, as well as those capturing informal family moments.

A black-and-white portrait by Dorothy Wilding from February 1952 (above), taken at the start of The Queen’s reign, is the earliest photograph in the selection, while the most recent is an image taken at the procession of the Order of the Garter at Windsor (below) in June 2015.

Other highlights include Cecil Beaton’s 1953 official Coronation Day portrait (top), Julian Calder’s image of The Queen as Sovereign of The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of The Thistle and Chief of The Chiefs (2010) and a photograph of The Queen with her Highland ponies (below, 2006).

The displays, which are included with a normal entrance ticket, will be shown until 5 January at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and until 28 January 2016 at Windsor Castle (the display will move to Castle Hill and the North Terrace on 6 October). Until recently the exhibition was also held at Buckingham Palace.

The official souvenir album, Long to Reign Over Us, illustrated with more than 250 colour photographs, has been published by the Royal Collection Trust and an official range of china, inspired by the design of the Coronation programme of 2 June 1953, has been produced exclusively for the Royal Collection Trust in Stoke-on-Trent.