A photograph of the Duchess of Edinburgh smiling has been released by Buckingham Palace to celebrate her upcoming 60th birthday.
The photo of Sophie mid-laugh perched on a window seat at her home in Bagshot Park was captured by the London-based photographer Christina Ebenezer earlier this month.
The royal was sporting a cream pleated skirt and dark long-sleeved knit.
Buckingham Palace said Sophie chose the Nigerian-born photographer as she was interested in her creative style of photography and wanted to support a rising female photographer.
Ebenezer has been named both a British Fashion Council New Wave Creative, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 Arts & Culture Leader. Two of her portraits were unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in partnership with Chanel last January.
The statement from the palace added: “As the Duchess looks ahead to turning 60, Her Royal Highness has a renewed sense of excitement and commitment to her work around gender equality and looks forward to further embracing and championing this issue in the years to come.”
Sophie will celebrate her birthday on Monday privately at home with the Duke of Edinburgh.
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Sophie will celebrate her birthday on Monday privately at home with the Duke of Edinburgh. Pic: PA
Since the King’s coronation in 2023, the Duchess of Edinburgh has played a key role in the Royal Family, making official visits overseas and stepping in for the monarch as he underwent cancer treatment.
In April last year, Sophie became the first member of the Royal Family to visit Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion began, and met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska.
Later, the duchess met with five women who fled the Sudan civil war in Chad and was moved to tears hearing about their “devastating” experiences with sexual violence.