Painting is given royal treatment

A new portrait of the Queen has gone on display at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The oil painting of the monarch in her grand ceremonial robes and collar of the Order of the Thistle now hangs in the Royal Dining Room, which is still used by the Windsors for entertaining.

The background to the image, by artist Nicky Philipps, is a view of Salisbury Crags – a series of cliffs in nearby Holyrood Park.

Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh, is the Queen’s official royal residence in Scotland, and the portrait was commissioned by the Royal Collection Trust as part of a programme of investment to enhance the visitor experience.

Philipps, who has painted the Queen before, as well as Princes William and Harry, said of having worked on the commission: “It’s nerveracking, but it is enormous fun.”

Visitors to the palace will be able to see the portrait in the ornate dining room with its sage green walls and table dressed with candelabra.

Picture: PA.