Queen Elizabeth II shares never-before-seen photo of great-grandchildren

Queen Elizabeth II held a small ceremony at Windsor Castle for concert organist Thomas Trotter on Wednesday where she inadvertently shared a never-before-seen photo of her royal great-grandchildren.

The 95-year-old has been carrying out public engagements from the comfort of her home amid advice from her doctors that she carry out light duties only. She held an audience with Mr. Trotter to present him with the Queen's Medal for Music.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace on Twitter shared that the Queen's Medal for Music was established in 2005 to honour people who have made outstanding contributions "to the musical life of the nation." Mr. Trotter has reportedly been the concert organist in Birmingham City since 1983. He is also a Visiting Fellow in Organ Studies at Royal Northern College of Music.

Photos from the event showed Queen Elizabeth II beaming widely as she presented the award. But royal fans were quick to pick out one picture from the background, which was partially blocked by her handbag.

It is a portrait of the queen and Prince Philip with their great-grandchildren. In the picture are Prince George, Peter Phillips' daughters Isla and Savannah, and Zara Tindall's daughter Mia. Queen Elizabeth II looked very happy as she held a very young Princess Charlotte in her lap.

According to People, the photo may have been taken sometime in 2016, which would make Prince William and Kate Middleton's daughter only 18 months old. The other children would have been between two and six years old.

The British monarch has since welcomed more great-grandchildren. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their son Archie in May 2019 and daughter Lilibet in June 2021. Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice also gave birth to their firstborns this year, with son August in February and daughter Sienna in September, respectively. Zara Tindall welcomed daughter Lena in June 2018 and son Lucas in March this year. The queen has 12 great-grandchildren in total.

In November, Queen Elizabeth II attended the joint christening of Lucas and August at All Saints Chapel in Windsor Great Park. She has yet to see Lilibet who was born in California. Reports have it that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle do not plan to have her baptised in the U.K.