Buckingham Palace shared a historic portrait of the King and Queen with the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh during Royal Week in Scotland.

It showed the foursome in their finery following the Thistle Service at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.

Charles, 75, Camilla, 76, Prince William, 42, and Prince Edward, 60, were pictured wearing the green Mantle of the Order of the Thistle velvet robes, white-plumed hats, and glistening insignia including the Thistle Stars for the ceremony.

While many royal watchers agreed it was a “beautiful” photograph, for others, the portrait provoked questions.

Some of the royal family’s social media followers asked why the Duchess of Edinburgh was not wearing robes or included in the picture, despite attending the service.

Prince Edward was appointed to the Order on his 60th birthday in March, while Queen Camilla was given the honour in June 2023

The order has a complement of 16 knights and ladies, and in addition the Queen, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Rothesay, as the Prince of Wales is known in Scotland, are Royal Knights of the Thistle.

Princess Anne did not travel up to Scotland from the service, as she is still recovering from concussion following her recent accident.

The Princess of Wales was also absent amid her ongoing cancer treatment.

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