To commemorate both the start of a new year and a new decade, Buckingham Palace released a gorgeous portrait of the Queen, and her heirs: son Prince Charles, grandson Prince William and great-grandson Prince George on Saturday.
The portrait of the four generations was taken in the palace’s throne room by Ranald Mackechnie on Dec. 18, the day of the Royal Family’s annual Christmas lunch.
The quartet can also be seen on the same day making Christmas puddings for the Royal British Legion in a video — with George looking mighty adorable in his collared shirt and tartan pants as he vigorously stirs the contents of his bowl.
The palace said this weekend’s photo is only the second time a portrait has been released of the Queen and all three heirs. In 2016, Mackechnie also photographed the foursome for the Queen’s 90th birthday. That portrait was subsequently turned into a series of British stamps.
“As the picture was going to be turned into stamps on a sheet, each person’s head had to be in exactly the right place. A millimetre the wrong way on the final stamp sheet would have made the perforations too close together, so I had to make sure everyone was spaced the right distance apart,” Mackechnie wrote about the experience.
He also told CNN that the family was “very relaxed.”
“The Royal Family were easier than my family to shoot, I have to tell you,” he said in 2016.
The three years between the two photos illustrates just how much Prince George has grown. In the first, he had to stand on foam blocks so that his head would be at a similar height to the rest of his family, and now he can almost reach his grandpa’s shoulder. The six-year-old even graduated from shorts to full-length pants!
The Queen, 93, continues to fulfill a busy schedule of public appearances and engagements. Prince Charles is 71, while Prince William is 37.