• A new official royal portrait of the Queen has been released in honor of her birthday. 
  • The monarch, who is also celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year, turned 96 on Thursday.
  • In the newly-released image, she is seen standing alongside two white fell ponies at Windsor Castle.

A new photograph taken of Queen Elizabeth II in honor of her 96th birthday on Thursday has been released.

The portrait of the monarch, taken by landscape and equestrian photographer Henry Dallal, was first shared by the Royal Windsor Horse Show, according to a tweet from the official Royal Family account. It shows Her Majesty standing between two of her fell white ponies, Bybeck Katie and Bybeck Nightingale. According to the tweet caption, the picture was taken on the grounds of Windsor Castle in March.  

Dallal also shared the image of the Queen via Instagram and said that it was his honor to capture the Queen and her ponies in front of a "blossoming magnolia tree in the spirit of the Platinum Jubilee."

The Queen's 96th birthday comes just months before her Platinum Jubilee celebrations are set to take place across the UK and Commonwealth countries in June.

And while the photograph was released to mark a major milestone for the Queen, she may have worn a dark-green shade of coatdress in a subtle nod to her late husband, Prince Philip, who died at the age of 99 in April 2021.

She was among several other royals who paid tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh at his memorial service by wearing "Edinburgh Green" colored outfits, Philip's livery color, on March 29. 

The Royal Family also shared a sweet photograph of the Queen as a toddler on Thursday to mark her birthday.

"Today as The Queen turns 96, we're sharing this photograph of the young Princess Elizabeth aged 2," the post reads. "Then, in 1928, it was never expected she would be Queen, and this year Her Majesty is celebrating her #PlatinumJubilee - a first in British history."

Henry Dallal did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. 

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