A rare glimpse of the Queen's private world: Candid photos show the monarch choosing curtains and working through her red boxes

  • Previously unpublished photos taken over eight months in 1991
  • Include snaps of her choosing curtain material and visiting Belfast
  • The Queen will enter the record books on Wednesday at around 5.30pm
  • Marking the occasion with an official visit in Edinburgh with Prince Philip
  • Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be with her at Balmoral on the day

Previously unpublished photos of the Queen relaxing during a flight and working her way through Government red boxes have been unveiled.

The pictures were taken over the course of eight months in 1991 by David Secombe who was working as a stills photographer for the BBC at the time.

Mr Secombe, who was part of the crew filming a documentary Elizabeth R, has released the images as the Queen prepares to overtake Queen Victoria as the UK's longest-reigning ruler this week.

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Candid: A 1991 snap of the Queen en route to Edinburgh aboard the inaugural service of British Rail's 225 train

Candid: A 1991 snap of the Queen en route to Edinburgh aboard the inaugural service of British Rail's 225 train

Speaking to the Telegraph newspaper, the photographer, who is the son of late comedian Sir Harry Secombe, said getting the candid shots had been 'technically difficult'.

'I was shooting around a film crew, and I was there just to photograph what I observed, rather than interact with anyone,' he explained.

'I felt a bit like David Attenborough - you don’t want anyone to know you’re there. My camera had to be inside a box called a blimp so that it was completely silent, but it just made me even more conspicuous because it was the size of a large biscuit tin.'

The set of seven photographs include one that shows the Queen relaxing on a flight back to London after paying a politically sensitive visit to Belfast.

Her visit in June 1991, to present colours to four battalions from the Ulster Defence Regiment, came amid a surge in IRA activity, including a mortar attack on Downing Street the previous February.

Heading home: The Queen travelling on a plane from the Royal Flight following a visit to Belfast in June 1991

Heading home: The Queen travelling on a plane from the Royal Flight following a visit to Belfast in June 1991

Sensitive: The Queen boards the jet at Belfast Airport following the politically sensitive visit to Northern Ireland

Sensitive: The Queen boards the jet at Belfast Airport following the politically sensitive visit to Northern Ireland

All smiles: The Queen smiles broadly as she chats to suited fellow passengers on the 225 train to Edinburgh

All smiles: The Queen smiles broadly as she chats to suited fellow passengers on the 225 train to Edinburgh

The Queen, who has visited Northern Ireland more than 20 times during her reign, including a trip last year that involved a brief visit to the Game of Thrones set, is also shown boarding a plane from the Royal Flight in another photo from the set.

'It was a big secret,' added Mr Secombe, 53. 'No-one knew where we were going until we got to the airport. We were just told to be at the airport and then we were told we were going to Belfast.'

Others show the monarch chatting to surprised commuters en route to Edinburgh on the inaugural service of British Rail's 225 train.

In one, Her Majesty, resplendent in a green dress and pearls, is seen smiling broadly and talking to a group of dapper fellow travellers, while another shows her studying a speech.

Correspondence: The Queen tackles her red boxes containing government business at Buckingham Palace

Correspondence: The Queen tackles her red boxes containing government business at Buckingham Palace

And relax: The Queen, elegant in a yellow checked dress and pearls, watches TV at Holyroodhouse

And relax: The Queen, elegant in a yellow checked dress and pearls, watches TV at Holyroodhouse

Difficult choice: The Queen pictured furrowing her brow while choosing curtain fabric for Holyroodhouse

Difficult choice: The Queen pictured furrowing her brow while choosing curtain fabric for Holyroodhouse

More intimate are pictures showing her deciding between two different shades of red curtain fabric during a stay at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and perched on a sofa, elegant in a yellow dress, watching TV.

A final picture, taken at Buckingham Palace, shows Her Majesty going through her red boxes, deep in concentration as she peruses the official documents.

The Queen will surpass Queen Victoria's record of 63 years, seven months and two days on the throne on Wednesday and will spend the day conducting official business in Edinburgh.

Her Majesty, who is currently on holiday at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, will be joined for the occasion by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

 

 

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