#official portrait 2023

[thewales-family]

The Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales and Prince Louis of Wales pose for an official portrait to celebrate Christmas 2023, in London, England -December 9th 2023.

📷 : Josh Shinner/Kensington Palace.

[royalchildreneurope]

On August 30th 2024, The Danish Royal Court announced that from September 4th 2024, His Royal Highness The Crown Prince will set out for an extended stay in East Africa. There, The Crown Prince will be involved in the daily operation of two farms, which will, among other things, include practical and administrative tasks and also give The Crown Prince insight into local nature protection. The plan is for The Crown Prince to return to Denmark in December.

In The Royal Family, there is a long tradition that the successors to the throne go on extended stays abroad during their youth and have the opportunity to develop and experience the world. Thus, His Majesty The King took part in an expedition to Mongolia in 1986 focused on the nomads and, in 1989, worked for a year at a vineyard in California. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe also went on longer trips to the East and South America in the 1960s.

It is the hope of The King and Queen and The Crown Prince that there will be an understanding that the stay abroad remains a private matter from beginning to end. For this reason, no additional details about the stay will be made public.

📷 : Queen Mary of Denmark/Det Danske Kongehus.

[theroyalsandi]

Elizabeth II ( b. 21 April 1926 - d. 08 September 2022)

Buckingham Palace has release a never before seen photo of Queen Elizabeth II to mark the first anniversary of her death. The portrait was taken by Sir Cecil Beaton at Buckingham Palace in 1968 | September 8, 2023

[leonorandsofia]

New official portraits of Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía have been released by Casa Real.

The portraits were taken following Princess Leonor’s birthday celebrations on October 31st, 2023.

[gabriellademonaco]

The Christmas photo of the Princely Family of Monaco

Photo: Eric Mathon / Princely Palace

[snapeaddict]

Snapetober Day 14 - Perpetual

Summer of 1998

The gargoyle gave way - Harry quickly climbed the flight of stairs leading to the Headmaster's office. He did it with relative apprehension. He had not been invited, had not even requested a meeting; yet he was granted passage, and he hoped that was a good omen.

He wanted to speak with Dumbledore, once and for all. He needed it. Then he would finally try to let go, to think ahead, and continue to grieve. One last conversation and he would leave the school for twelve months before coming back to complete his seventh year: they had all agreed upon this break, even Hermione. 

But he stopped, well before the threshold. There was something - a sound - resembling sobs coming from the office: desperate weeping that could not be muffled, no matter how hard one tried. He listened.

Slowly, he climbed the last steps and froze. 

Professor McGonagall was standing in the middle of the office. In front of her, on the headmaster's desk, lay what looked like a portrait, recently unwrapped; the frame was of a rusty colour.

That was all Harry could see. 

Slowly, the new headmistress turned around the desk to face the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. Her hands were shaking. 

"Albus... perhaps we should wait. Just... just until he wakes up..."

Dumbledore shook his head.

When his voice rose, Harry was struck by how tainted with grief it was. If Professor McGonagall was crying, he instinctively expected the former headmaster to take on the role of the grave, comforting figure: but his voice, if that was even possible, sounded even weaker than the headmistress'. 

"I am afraid Severus made himself clear", Dumbledore said, closing his eyes briefly. "No portrait."

McGonagall was wringing her hands. 

"I cannot - I - please. No. I need to tell him first... how sorry I am..."

"My dear-"

"You have had your chance, Albus", she cut him acerbically. "I did not."

For a moment she could not speak. She tried to calm herself down, and Harry watched as she reached the desk for support. She looked fragile - exhausted. 

"You have no idea... no idea what I have said... or done", she whispered after a while. "No idea."

"Severus never held any of it against you, Minerva", the former headmaster said sadly, almost hesitantly. "He knew... what his role entailed."

"I need to speak to him!" the headmistress shouted, jerking her head to look straight into his eyes again.

The features of her face were distorted by pain - her gaze was wet, red and terrible - she struggled to breathe. 

"I need to speak to him", she muttered again, leaning more heavily on the desk. Then it seemed that she could not take it any longer and turned her face away from Dumbledore's, back to the portrait that led beside her. "I must speak to him."

"I cannot let you do that."

"You sent him to his death!"

The silence was heavy- atrocious. Harry watched as the former headmaster lowered his head in shame, and he stepped back, almost falling down - this could not be... Dumbledore would never...

"No matter what you tell yourself, Albus", McGonagall said after a while, coldly - "No matter what you tell yourself or how much we owe you, the fact remains. He is dead - I must tell him that I am sorry. I must tell him... how much I cared for him. He must know that I mourned him as much as I mourned you, when he... when he... he must know."

Dumbledore shook his head.

"Severus had little if any agency over his life, Minerva. He was never in control. He decided against a portrait. Could you face him once more, having denied his wishes even in death?"

In response, the headmistress only made a strangled sound and took her head in her hands, throwing herself into the headmaster's chair in defeat.  

She looked like a woman who would never recover. 

"You know how this works, Minerva", Dumbledore spoke softly, cautiously. "Severus was not alive when this portrait was painted. He did not teach it anything. That portrait will be less than a mirror - we poured so much of ourselves into our portraits, whereas he -"

"But it still will be a faint imprint. The level of sentience also depends on the power of the wizard depicted - you know this portrait will retain something of him. It has to."

The painted Dumbledore stood up.

"It will. And this version of Severus - this echo - will understand that his very existence and cognizance are to be the result of us having ignored his last wishes, only to cleanse ourselves - to relieve ourselves from guilt."

McGonagall shook her head, but said nothing. 

"Severus' wishes deserve to be respected, Minerva, more than even you deserve to apologise to him. It must be so - it cannot be otherwise."

She remained silent.

"Let him be in control. Let him decide. What he was never granted in life, he needs to be granted in death. I apologise, Minerva - I never wanted to inflict this pain on either of you. I tried to save him... he was to come out of this alive... you must believe me."

Then they fell silent.

After a while, McGonagall took out her wand and laid it before her, her face unreadable. She looked up.

"So you get the chance to apologise to me, Albus. You can and you will. But I cannot. I never will, even though I have a chance, even a half-chance..."

"This is not Severus."

"I know!"

She seized her wand and pointed it at the portrait on the desk, standing up furiously.

"I am glad, Albus", she said coldly, her voice suddenly strangely calm.

Blue flames came out of her wand and wrapped the portrait with blinding vigour. From where he stood, Harry saw the paper slowly come out of the frame, writhe in the fire, grow distorted and black; it took only a few seconds for it to be reduced to ashes, and it was then that he noticed all the headmasters and headmistresses around the office standing up, paying their respects.

The light of the flames made the tears on McGonagall's face shimmer faintly. She watched the portrait burn until nothing but the frame remained.

After a while she turned away, her face dry, and looked once more at Dumbledore.

"I am glad", she said again, and the former headmaster did not hold her gaze. "I will blame myself for the rest of my life - I will never get to apologise - but you won't, either. And your penitence, Albus, begins now, and lasts perpetually."

[federicodimarco]

Class of 2023/2024 🏆🖤💙

[world-of-wales]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOTTIE ♡

All the official portraits of Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana released on the occasion of her birthdays over the years | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

[aimeedaisies]

Aimee’s unofficial working royal engagement count (based on the Court Circular)

May 2023

(2023 total so far in brackets)

King Charles - 53 (199)

Queen Camilla - 22 (79)

William, Prince of Wales - 22 (73)

Catherine, Princess of Wales - 17 (62)

Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh - 44 (136)

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh - 31 (106)

Princess Anne, The Princess Royal - 51 (222)

Accompanied by Sir Tim Laurence - 9 (50)

Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester - 15 (62)

Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester - 17 (49)

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent - 14 (40)

Princess Alexandra of Kent - 2 (4)

[wejustvibing]

"On October 5th 2023, my dreams came true as I officially became a celebrity portrait photographer. I was hired by Crowdstrike to take images of Sir Lewis Hamilton.

The shoot was delightful. He's achieved so much in his life, been captured by some of the world's best photographers, attended more photoshoots than I can ever imagine, yet his ora was peaceful, calming and friendly. It's probably second nature to him, but I was happy because I was comfortable, and he was easy to shoot. I've taken images of celebrities with egos, and it's not fun. In fact, they never really acknowledged you as a human."

©KaGe

[jamesfitzjamesdotcom]

Fitzjames in 'Arctic Council' group portrait

When the National Portrait Gallery reopened in June 2023 after a long refurbishment I couldn't wait to see the Arctic Council portrait in real life. But oh no! It's not on display. I arranged to visit the NPG's storage facility to view the painting there. While the online images of the Arctic Council show the background to be very dark, in reality the portraits on the wall are clearly visible.

The painting is magnificent and richly detailed. In 1850 artist Stephen Pearce was commissioned to paint it by his childhood friend John Barrow jr. There was never an official Arctic Council, but this painting shows those who were instrumental in organising the Franklin Search Expeditions. Barrow jr made sure to also pay tribute to Sir John Franklin, James Fitzjames (Barrow jr's dear friend), and his late father Sir John Barrow. It has been remarked that Francis Crozier was snubbed, but it was Barrow jr's commission and he clearly did not care much for Crozier, also leaving him out of his Arctic explorers autograph collection.

Hopefully the Arctic Council will be back on display in the museum before too long!

[Photos by me of Stephen Pearce's 'The Arctic Council planning a search for Sir John Franklin' (1851). National Portrait Gallery]

[thewales-family]

The Prince and Princess of Wales pose for an official portrait ahead of The Diplomatic Reception, in the 1844 Room of Buckingham Palace in London, England -December 5th 2023.

📷 : Chris Jackson.

[royalchildreneurope]

Prince Jacques of Monaco and Princess Gabriella of Monaco pose for an official portrait on the occasion of Monaco's National Day 2023 on November 19th 2023 and of their 9th birthday, at The Prince's Palace in Monaco -December 10th 2023.

📷 : Eric Mathon/Palais Princier de Monaco.

[theroyalsandi]

Casa Real has shared two formal portraits of The Princess of Asturias in honour of her Saber Presentation Ceremony | September 19, 2023

[leonorandsofia]

Casa Real has released a new photograph from Princess Leonor's graduation from the UWC Atlantic College of Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía to mark her 18th birthday.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

A year in illustration, 2023 edition (part two)

(This is part two; part one is here.)

The West Midlands Police were kind enough to upload a high-rez of their surveillance camera control room to Flickr under a CC license (they've since deleted it), and it was the perfect frame for dozens of repeating clown images with HAL9000 red noses. This worked out great. The clown face is from a 1940s ad for novelty masks.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/23/automation-blindness/#humans-in-the-loop

I spent an absurd amount of time transforming a photo I took of three pinball machines into union-busting themed tables, pulling in a bunch of images from old Soviet propaganda art. An editorial cartoon of Teddy Roosevelt with his big stick takes center stage, while a NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo's official portrait presides over the scene. I hand-made the eight-segment TILT displays.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/06/goons-ginks-and-company-finks/#if-blood-be-the-price-of-your-cursed-wealth

Working with the highest-possible rez sources makes all the difference in the world. Syvwlch's extremely high-rez paint-scraper is a gift to people writing about web-scraping, and the Matrix code waterfall mapped onto it like butter.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/17/how-to-think-about-scraping/

This old TWA ad depicting a young man eagerly pitching an older man has incredible body-language – so much so that when I replaced their heads with raw meat, the intent and character remained intact. I often struggle for background to put behind images like this, but high-rez currency imagery, with the blown up intaglio, crushes it.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/04/dont-let-your-meat-loaf/#meaty-beaty-big-and-bouncy

I transposed Photoshop instructions for turning a face into a zombie into Gimp instructions to make Zombie Uncle Sam. The guy looking at his watch kills me. He's from an old magazine illustration about radio broadcasting. What a face!

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/18/the-people-no/#tell-ya-what-i-want-what-i-really-really-want

The mansplaining guy from the TWA ad is back, but this time he's telling a whopper. It took so much work to give him that Pinnocchio nose. Clearly, he's lying about capitalism, hence the Atlas Shrugged cover. Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights" makes for an excellent, public domain hellscape fit for a nonconensual pitch about the miracle of capitalism.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/27/six-sells/#youre-holding-it-wrong

There's no better image for stories about techbros scamming rubes than Bosch's 'The Conjurer.' Throw in Jeff Bezos's head and an Amazon logo and you're off to the races. I boobytrapped this image by adding as many fingers as I could fit onto each of these figures in the hopes that someone could falsely accuse me of AI-generating this. No one did.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/06/attention-rents/#consumer-welfare-queens

Once again, it's Bosch to the rescue. Slap a different smiley-face emoji on each of the tormented figures in 'Garden of Earthly Delights' and you've got a perfect metaphor for the 'brand safety' problem of hard news dying online because brands don't want to be associated with unpleasant things, and the news is very unpleasant indeed.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/11/ad-jacency/#brand-safety

I really struggle to come up with images for my linkdump posts. I'm running out of ways to illustrate assortments and varieties. I got to noodling with a Kellogg's mini-cereal variety pack and I realized it was the perfect place for a vicious gorilla image I'd just found online in a WWI propaganda poster headed 'Destroy This Mad Brute.' I put so many fake AI tells in this one – extra pupils, extra fingers, a super-AI-esque Kellogg's logo.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/05/variegated/#nein

Bloodletting is the perfect metaphor for using rate-hikes to fight inflation. A vintage image of the Treasury, spattered with blood, makes a great backdrop. For the foreground, a medieval woodcut of bloodletting quacks – give one the head of Larry Summers, the other, Jerome Powell. For the patient, use Uncle Sam's head.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/20/bloodletting/#inflated-ego

I killed a long videoconference call slicing up an old pulp cover showing a killer robot zapping a couple of shrunken people in bell-jars. It was the ideal image to illustrate Big Tech's enshittification, especially when it was decorated with some classic tech slogans.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/22/who-wins-the-argument/#corporations-are-people-my-friend

There's something meditative about manually cutting out Tenniel engravings from Alice – the Jabberwock was insane. But it was worth it for this Tron-inflected illustration using a distorted Cartesian grid to display the enormous difference between e/acc and AI doomers, and everyone else in the world.

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/27/10-types-of-people/#taking-up-a-lot-of-space

Multilayer source images for your remixing pleasure:

Scientist in chemlabhttps://craphound.com/images/scientist-in-chem-lab.psd

Humpty Dumpty and the millionaires https://craphound.com/images/humpty-dumpty-and-the-millionaires.psd

Demon summoning https://craphound.com/images/demon-summoning.psd

Killer Robot and People in Bell Jars https://craphound.com/images/killer-robot-and-bell-jars.psd

TWA mansplainer https://craphound.com/images/twa-mansplainer.psd

Impatient boss https://craphound.com/images/impatient-boss.psd

Destroy This Mad Brute https://craphound.com/images/destroy-this-mad-brute.psd

(Images: Heinz Bunse, West Midlands Police, Christopher Sessums, CC BY-SA 2.0; Mike Mozart, Jesse Wagstaff, Stephen Drake, Steve Jurvetson, syvwlch, Doc Searls, https://www.flickr.com/photos/mosaic36/14231376315, Chatham House, CC BY 2.0; Cryteria, CC BY 3.0; Mr. Kjetil Ree, Trevor Parscal, Rama, “Soldiers of Russia” Cultural Center, Russian Airborne Troops Press Service, CC BY-SA 3.0; Raimond Spekking, CC BY 4.0; Drahtlos, CC BY-SA 4.0; Eugen Rochko, Affero; modified)