Queen Elizabeth II Attends Virtual Portrait Debut—Is Glad To Have 'Had The Chance To See It'

Jul 27, 2020 by apost team

Last Friday during a video call, a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was unveiled, as the Queen attended the unveiling virtually.

Painted by Miriam Escofet, the portrait was made in honor of the Queen's long-standing relationship with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as well as her many contributions to UK diplomacy throughout her reign, and will be displayed at the newly refurbished office of the FCO.

The video call in which the portrait was unveiled was posted to The Royal Family Channel on YouTube and featured the Queen alongside various other attendees. Led by a representative of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the artist who painted the portrait, Miriam Escofet, was also present at the unveiling. 

Together, the representative and the artist carefully unveiled the portrait of the Queen, which looked incredibly realistic and life-like, proving the artist's skills as a painter; Miriam Escofet was the winner of the 2018 BP Portrait Award. She explained her intentions with the portrait, as reported by People: 

"It was a huge honor to paint a portrait of Her Majesty and to join The Queen to unveil the portrait virtually. I wanted the portrait to capture Her Majesty’s humanity, her radiance and her warmth, which came through so strongly in the two portrait sittings.”

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After the portrait was revealed, the Queen spoke with Miriam about how long she had said it would take her to finish before Her Majesty said:

“I’m glad I’ve had the chance to see it. I hope I’ll see it in real life one day.”

Commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to honor its long-standing relationship with the Queen, the representative explained in the video that the monarch has visited more than 100 countries during her reign at the FCO's request, as well as 111 inward state visits. The representative explained that the virtual portrait unveiling is believed to be the first unveiling by remote control.

Following the unveiling, the monarch praised staff for the great work they've been doing amid the coronavirus pandemic. She stated:

"It sounds as though everybody in the FCO has been doing the most incredible work. I must say I'm very impressed to hear about it."

After the visit was over, Sir Simon McDonald, who is the Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service at the FCO, said, as reported by People magazine:

"Her Majesty The Queen is our best diplomat. This beautiful new portrait is a tribute to her lifetime of service and we're glad our many visitors will see it for years to come."

The virtual unveiling ceremony took place less than one week after the Queen reached a significant milestone in her reign on July 18—25,000 days as sovereign. The Queen is already the longest-reigning monarch in British history. People reports that a Buckingham Palace spokesperson stated that the Queen spent "the day privately." 

What are your thoughts on the Queen's new portrait and its virtual unveiling? Let us know in the comments below, then be sure to pass this on to any royals fans you know!