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21 Candid, Rarely Seen Photos of the Royal Family

Emily DiNuzzoEmily DiNuzzoUpdated: Dec. 02, 2022

The royal family is used to having their photo taken, but these are some of the lesser-known candids you need to see.

WINDSOR - MAY 16: The arrival of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for The Royal Windsor Tattoo on May 13, 2009 in Windsor, UK.
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Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II arrives at the The Royal Windsor Tattoo without wearing one of her signature hats. Here are the dress code rules everyone in the royal family must follow.

London, UK. 28 July, 2017. Prince Harry visits Streetgames' Fit And Fed initiative.
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Prince Harry

Prince Harry visits Streetgames’ Fit And Fed initiative in London.

A young Queen Elizabeth II when she lived in Malta between 1947 and 1951
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Queen Elizabeth II

A young Queen Elizabeth II when she lived in Malta between 1947 and 1951.

TOOWOOMBA, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 20: Prince William visits the 'Spirit of the Country' flood relief country music concert on March 20, 2011 in Toowoomba, Australia. He greets victims of the Queensland floods.
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Prince William

Prince William visits the “Spirit of the Country” flood relief country music concert in Australia, greeting victims of the Queensland floods.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - APRIL 11: The Duchess of Cambridge greeting crowds in Auckland�s Viaduct Harbour as part of the Royal New Zealand tour on April 11, 2014 in Auckland, New Zealand.
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Kate Middleton

The Duchess of Cambridge greeting crowds in Aukland, New Zealand. These are the British royal family travel secrets you never knew.

BALLATER, ABERDEENSHIRE, SCOTLAND - 11 AUGUST: This is Charles, Duke of Rothesay and Prince of Wales at Ballater Highland Games, Aberdeenshire, Scotland on 11 August 2016.
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Prince Charles

Prince Charles at the Ballater Highland Games in Scotland in 2016.

LONDON - OCT 16, 2014: Her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visit the Tower of London to view the poppy display commemorating the centenary of the outbreak of World War I
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Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visit the Tower of London to view the poppy display commemorating the hundredth anniversary of the outbreak of World War I.

Queen Elizabeth II, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visit Fortnum and Mason, London, UK. March 1, 2012, London, UK Picture: Catchlight Media / Featureflash
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Queen Elizabeth II, Kate Middleton, and Camilla Parker Bowles

The ladies visit Fortnum and Mason, London in 2012.

Queen Elizabeth II
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Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II speaks with a polo player at the Royal Windsor Cup Polo in 2018. These are the craziest conspiracy theories about the royal family.

Meghan Duchess of Sussex during her visit to Chester
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Meghan Markle

The Duchess of Sussex accepts a bouquet of flowers from a baby during her visit to Chester.

LONDON - MAR 15, 2012 : Prince Charles, Catherine Duchess Of Cambridge visit The Prince's Foundation For Children And The Arts at Dulwich Picture Gallery on Mar 15, 2012 in London
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Kate Middleton

The Duchess of Cambridge visits The Prince’s Foundation For Children And The Arts at Dulwich.

Prince George, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte
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Kate Middleton, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte

The Duchess of Cambridge sits with Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the Maserati Royal Charity Polo Trophy. Don’t miss these other adorable royal baby photos.

Prince Philip returns to Carriage Driving at Windsor Castle.
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Prince Philip

Prince Philip drives a carriage at Windsor Castle in June of 2018.

Queen Elizabeth II is shown around the Gallery by The Very Reverend John Hall.
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Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II is shown around the Diamond Jubilee Galleries by The Very Reverend John Hall. Here are some bizarre superstitions of the royal family.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embrace following the polo at Cowarth Park
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle embrace following the Audi Polo Challenge at Coworth back in 2017.

Queen Elizabeth II Prince Charles, four years old, is shown with his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and sister, Princess Anne, on grounds of Balmoral Castle, Scotland, . Their interest is taken up with frolics of Royal household dogs
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Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Charles

Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Charles on the grounds of Balmoral Castle in 1952. Put your royals knowledge to the test and see if you can identify the British royal by their childhood pictures.

Queen Elizabeth II attended the 50th anniversary of the Queens Lecture at Berlin's University of Technology
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Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth attends the 50th anniversary of the Queens Lecture at Berlin’s University of Technology in 2015.

Prince William of Wales Photographed On 12th June 1984 Nine Days Prior to His Second Birthday William Now Duke of Cambridge is the Elder Son of the Prince of Wales and the Late Diana Princess of Wales 1984
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Prince William

Prince William holds his head while playing outside back in 1984.

Prince Harry attends England rugby team training, London, United Kingdom - 16 Feb 2018
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Prince Harry

Prince Harry attends a rugby team training and shakes hands with player James Haskell.

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visits Bond Primary School to see the work of the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative
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Kate Middleton

The Duchess of Cambridge visits Bond Primary School to see the work of the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative. Here are more rarely seen photos of the royals.

Queen Elizabeth II puts on lipstick
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Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II touches up her lipstick during the Braemar Highland Games in 2011. Next, check out how much each person in the British royal family is worth.

Originally Published: February 04, 2019

Emily DiNuzzo
Emily DiNuzzo
Emily DiNuzzo is a former staff writer at Reader’s Digest. There’s a 90% chance Emily is drinking tea right now, but when she’s not writing about food and health with a cuppa by her side, you can find her lifting at the gym, listening to murder mystery podcasts and liking one too many astrology memes.