In a week filled with manufactured royal ‘drama’ – is Meghan Markle moving to Frogmore Cottage because she secretly detests Kate Middleton? Are Harry and William at war, despite appearing to be on pretty easy terms in every photo they appear in together? Why was Meghan Markle's former aide happy to work for Robbie Williams, but couldn't last six months at the palace? And why did Kate ‘cry’ after Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaid dress fitting before the royal wedding in May? – Her Majesty the Queen has swept in to remind us who is, quite literally, the boss - through the medium of art.
Yesterday, a new portrait of Queen Elizabeth was unveiled, show the monarch at peak regalness (yes, that’s a real word) dressed in an inadvertently on-trend green velvet ceremonial cloak (capes – they’re big this season, in all possible senses). For extra royal points, she’s also wearing the Order of the Thistle collar featuring the pendant of St Andrews. Not only is this the highest order of chivalry in Scotland, it’s also a neat callback to William and Kate’s university days, as immortalised in the not very regal Lifetime movie William & Kate: The Movie (which was probably written by someone who has never visited Scotland, let alone obtained its highest order of chivalry). According to Entertainment Tonight, the order’s star features the motto ‘No one harms me with impunity,’ which is presumably royal speak for ‘do not mess.’
You might recall that the Queen wore this memorable ensemble earlier this year, when she went on a grandma-grandson road trip to Scotland with Prince William; the pair donned matching green outfits and distinctive feather-trimmed hats, as is common when on holiday with one’s granny, to attend the annual Order of the Thistle service at St Giles’ Cathedral. (FYI: William is known as the Earl of Strathearn when in Scotland, rather than the Duke of Cambridge…)
The painting is the work of British artist Nicky Philipps, and will be placed in the royal dining room at Holyrood House in Edinburgh, the Queen’s official Scottish residence. This is Philipps’ third time painting Her Majesty; she’s also the woman behind the first double portrait of Princes William and Harry, which was unveiled in 2010.