The Latest Royal Portrait Is Super Historic

While it doesn't feature fan favorites Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, the latest royal portrait is significant in a whole different way. Buckingham Palace showed off a photo starring four generations of royals, but it gets even deeper than that. The snapshot, which shows Prince George, the queen, Prince Charles, and Prince William also features the "current monarch and the first, second, and third in line to the throne," according to Harper's Bazaar.

A palace spokesperson explains that the photo was taken by Ronald Machkechnie on December 18 "to mark the start of a new decade." There's no mention of what the portrait will be used for — it's too late for royal holiday cards — it's a treat to see 6-year-old George in any situation. Bazaar notes that the backdrop may look familiar to eagle-eyed royal fans.

It was the setting for portraits taken to commemorate the queen's 90th birthday and appeared on British Royal Mail stamps. That was back in April 2016, when George was only 3. The Today show confirms that today's portrait is just the second time that the foursome has been officially photographed together.

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In the new portrait, the queen wears a white, long-sleeved shift dress by her go-to designer, Angela Kelly, with a sapphire and diamond brooch. William and Charles look polished in suits, while George is the most playful of the four, wearing tartan pants. More recently, the same group was featured in a promotional video for the British Foreign Legion's "Together at Christmas" initiative, which saw the entire line of succession making Christmas pudding together.