A New Portrait of Elizabeth II To Mark Her 60 Year Patronage of The Red Cross

Queen Elizabeth II has been patron of the British Red Cross for sixty years, and to mark the milestone, a portrait by artist Henry Ward has been unveiled by Her Majesty at Windsor Castle.

It depicts the Queen sitting in the White Drawing Room of Windsor in her Garter Robes. Subtle references to the Red Cross and the connection between the organisation and the Royal Family are seen in a bust of the Red Cross founder Henry Dunant in the background; while the tiara the Queen is wearing – Queen Alexandra’s Kokoshnik – is a tribute to Queen Alexandra, who was president of the British Red Cross Society after it was granted a Royal Charter in 1908 (she had signed the petition arguing for the Charter that was given to Edward VII).

The portrait – which has received mixed reviews from art critics – was commissioned by the British Red Cross, whose Chief Executive Mike Adamson said the purpose was to “celebrate the strong relationship between the British Red Cross and the Royal Family and the history of our life-saving work.”

 

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Patronage, Portraits, Red Cross.

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