Queen shares rare childhood picture in honor of vital cause as Christmas approaches

The Queen has shared a rare childhood picture as she paid tribute to one of her important royal patronages ahead of the festive season. 

• Her Majesty has posted an adorable childhood photo as she reflects on the vital work of one of her most long-standing royal patronages.
• The Queen has supported Friends of the Elderly for over five decades, whilst her cousin Princess Alexandra is their President. 
• This royal news comes as it’s revealed the Queen will not turn her back on Prince Harry and will welcome him back if ‘America plans fail’. 

The Queen might be preparing to celebrate Christmas with her extended family, but her selfless nature has shone through again in her latest social media post as the big day approaches. As the head of The Firm, Her Majesty is a patron of a number of charities and organizations and though the festive season is met with joy from some, for others it can be a difficult time of year. The Queen’s husband of 73 years, Prince Philip, passed away, meaning that for her too this Christmas will likely be tinged with sadness. 

Now, with Christmas Day drawing nearer, the Royal Family Instagram Stories will soon be handed over to Friends of the Elderly. This vital charity supports older people throughout the festive season and the Queen has been their dedicated patron since 1953.

The caption explained, ‘Friends of the Elderly has had Royal support since its early days caring for WWI veterans. Her Majesty The Queen is currently Patron, and Princess Alexandra is President. The charity began in 1905 as ‘Friends of the Poor’ and went on to serve ‘Penny Dinners’ to WWI veterans and help elderly people in a London devastated by bombing during WWII.’

It added, ‘Today, it provides day care and care home support to older people as well as grants and specialist dementia care for those who need it.’

Alongside this powerful caption, the Queen shared three deeply personal pictures from throughout her life - including a rare childhood snap!

In the first photo taken in the 1930s, Her Majesty is a young child standing alongside the Queen Mother as they met a veteran at a sale of work which was organised by Friends of the Elderly.

With her proud mother beaming down at her, the then-Princess Elizabeth can be seen politely shaking the veteran’s hand, dressed smartly in a double-breasted jacket. 

But this wasn’t the only insight the Queen has given fans into her long-time support for this significant charity. A second picture shows the monarch during a reception she hosted for them in 2009, eagerly greeting her esteemed guests.

Whilst in the third snap, her cousin Princess Alexandra attends the opening of a specialist dementia home, Bradbury Centre, in 2008. This rare childhood picture of the Queen has been met with particular delight from fans.

‘Wonderful to see, HM visits would have made such a huge difference to the elderly residents. Long live The Queen’, one person commented.

A second person agreed, declaring, ‘Love the first one, the queen with her mum ❤️❤️’.

‘A Beautiful moment, Your Highness 👏 ❤️’, someone else shared. 

Whilst another fan expressed their belief that there’s a distinct resemblance between the Queen’s great-grandchild, Princess Charlotte, and the monarch herself. 

‘Such a sweet photo. Anyone else see so much of the young queen on Princess Charlotte?’ they wrote excitedly. 

With Christmas 2021 likely to prove challenging for many, the Queen's tribute to Friends of the Elderly at this time of year is incredibly inspiring.