Stephanie Petit is a Royals Writer/Reporter at PEOPLE. She has been with the brand since 2016 after graduating from The College of New Jersey and holding previous positions at Seventeen, CBS Radio and more. Follow the proud dog mom on Twitter at @stephpetit_ for the latest on Queen Elizabeth's corgis.
The smiling photo of Queen Elizabeth that was released on the eve of her funeral comes with a story that shows off the late monarch’s wit.
Photographer Ranald Mackechnie appeared on Lorraine to speak about the previously unseen portrait, taken in May at Windsor Castle ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations the following month.
"She arrived and walked in and we said hello, then she just looks at me and she goes, 'What do you want?' " Mackechnie recalled. "I said, 'Well, I want you to smile and look happy.' She looked back at me and she goes, 'Well, you can't make me.' "
He continued, "I said, 'Well, you could try,' and she giggled."
Mackechnie added that the Queen has sat for many portraits over the years, and she "makes it easy" for the photographer.
Wearing a blue ensemble and her signature pearls (which Kate Middleton has been recently wearing), the monarch’s blue eyes sparkle as she flashes a smile in the portrait.
In a recent BBC documentary, Camilla, the Queen Consort, paid tribute to the Queen, saying: "She's got those wonderful blue eyes, that when she smiles they light up her whole face. I will always remember her smile. That smile is unforgettable."
Mackechnie was behind the specially commissioned photograph that was released to mark the beginning of the Platinum Jubilee celebration weekend in June.
The portrait, which was shot by Ranald Mackechnie, was taken in the Victoria Vestibule at Windsor Castle on May 25. Captured in the background are the Castle’s Round Tower and the statue of King Charles II, which stands in the Quadrangle of the Castle. Unlike past Jubilee portraits (she’s had three!), the Queen is remarkably understated in a pale blue coatdress (which she ended up wearing again for Trooping the Colour, her birthday parade!) and her go-to pearls.
Queen Elizabeth‘s family gathered for her state funeral, committal service and burial on September 19 following her death on September 8.
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As the new monarch, King Charles and his wife Queen Camilla “will show the nation that the monarchy is still offering stability and an example of service and duty,” a source close to the King tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.
Adds Charles's former press secretary Paddy Haverson: "He will apply himself 1,000 percent to the job at hand."
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