Queen Elizabeth II attends virtual portrait unveiling via video call

The queen appeared happy by Escofet’s portray, which was commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Credit: Royal Family/Foreign Commonwealth Office

The portrait depicts the Queen sat on a gilded chair in a blue knee-length costume. An 18th-century portray of her great-great-great-grandmother Queen Charlotte, George III’s spouse, is seen within the background, whereas a cup of tea might be seen on the desk subsequent to her.

The virtual unveiling was hosted by the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), which commissioned the art work. In a press assertion, Escofet described the project as a “huge honor,” including: “I wanted the portrait to capture Her Majesty’s humanity, her radiance and her warmth, which came through so strongly in the two portrait sittings.”

“She was smiling, asking how long it took and if I had any more projects on the go after this,” Escofet advised the paper, which reported that the portrait took seven months to finish. “When I explained certain elements of the painting, the tea cup, she made some amusing comments. She said, ‘but there’s no tea in the cup.'”

Britain’s ‘greatest diplomat’

“Her Majesty The Queen is our best diplomat,” he stated in a press assertion. “This beautiful new portrait is a tribute to her lifetime of service and we’re glad our many visitors will see it for years to come.”

The call additionally served as an opportunity for the FCO to transient the pinnacle of state on its responses to Covid-19, together with vaccine growth, securing PPE for frontline staff and aiding British vacationers abroad. The monarch, whose son Prince Charles contracted the virus in March, praised the division for “doing the most incredible work,” whereas commending its capability to redeploy assets to assist combat the pandemic.

Artist Miriam Escofet and Sir Simon McDonald unveil the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, earlier than others on the call provided updates on the UK authorities’s response to Covid-19. Credit: Royal Family/Foreign Commonwealth Office

“I always thought it was amazing how quickly your colleagues could adapt,” she advised McDonald.