New year, new royal portrait released

A new portrait of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince William, and 6-year-old Prince George was released Friday by Buckingham Palace to mark the beginning of a new decade. The image, taken by photographer Ranald Mackechnie, marks the second time a portrait has been issued of Elizabeth, her son the Prince of Wales, grandson the Duke of Cambridge and great-grandson George. The picture was taken in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace on December 18, Buckingham Palace said in a statement. The first portrait of the four, released in April 2016 to celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday, was later used on commemorative postage stamps issued by Royal Mail. “The royal family were easier than my family to shoot, I have to tell you,” Mackechnie told CNN in an interview in 2016, describing the family as “very relaxed.”The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released another adorable photo of their family at Christmas. The black and white photograph shows William in a flat cap, holding his youngest son, 1-year-old Prince Louis, close and giving him a kiss on the cheek.The royals posted the photograph, taken by Kate last year in Norfolk, on their official Twitter account Christmas Day with the caption: “Merry Christmas to all our followers!”