Never-before-seen snapshot of royal motherhood: Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra and Duchess of Kent hold their newborn babies in photo from 1964 - as it goes on display for f

It is a remarkable and never seen before snapshot of royal motherhood. This photograph, taken by Lord Snowdon, shows Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Kent holding their newborn babies in 1964 A handwritten letter from Princess Margaret to her sister Queen Elizabeth II in 1965, asking her 'Darling Lilibet' to sign a print 'as a souvenir of an extraordinary two months of delivery' The Queen Mother's personal copy of her daughter Elizabeth II's Coronation portrait in 1953 Polly Borland's Golden Jubilee portrait of the late Queen set against a glittering gold backdrop in 2001 Paolo Roversi's memorable 40th-birthday portrait of the present Princess of Wales in 2021 Kate's dress and pose in the 2021 portrait bears a striking visual resemblance to an 1864 portrait of Alexandra, Princess of Wales by Franz Xaver Winterhalter from the Royal Collection She also offers her 'a hundred million thanks' for having them all for the photo shoot. The photograph was taken in 1935 by Madame Yevonde, a pioneer of colour photography An unreleased wartime image by Cecil Beaton showing King George VI and Queen Elizabeth inspecting bomb damage at Buckingham Palace in 1940 shows them smiling comfortingly at each other amidst the debris A 1943 portrait taken by Cecil Beaton at Royal Lodge in Windsor shows King George VI and Queen Elizabeth gathered around the King's desk with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, conveying a reassuring sense of domesticity and calm during the Second World War A note from 1953 written Martin Charteris, the Queen's Assistant Private Secretary, recommending to Prince Philip which images from the Coronation should be sent as personal mementos to the Royal Family and Maids of Honour Cecil Beaton's charming 25th-birthday portrait of Princess Margaret in 1955, dressed in an evening gown with her dog Pippin in her lap A previously unseen contact sheet by Norman Parkinson in 1980 showing the late Queen and Princess Margaret laughing and talking together during a sitting to mark their mother's 80th birthday 'Alongside these beautiful vintage prints, which cannot be on permanent display for conservation reasons, we are excited to share archival correspondence and never-before-seen proofs that will give visitors a behind-the-scenes insight into the process of creating such unforgettable royal portraits.' Rankin's 2001 photograph of a smiling Queen Elizabeth II, superimposed against the Union Flag Andy Warhol's legendary 1985 portrait of Her late Majesty, sprinkled with diamond dust to make it sparkle in the light Antony Armstrong-Jones's proof of Elizabeth and Philip in 1958 with handwritten instructions Cecil Beaton's proofs of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on Coronation Day in 1953 A portrait by Cecil Beaton of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother taken in 1939 A portrait by Cecil Beaton of Princess Margaret taken in 1949 Beaton photographed the Royal Family over the course of six decades and was chosen as the official photographer for Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953. Snowdon's portrait of Princess Margaret, taken in 1967 Antony Armstrong-Jones's portrait of then-Prince Charles and Princess Anne, taken in 1956 Princess Elizabeth is shown in this 1942 wartime portrait taken by Cecil Beaton Dorothy Wilding's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II which was taken in 1952 Cecil Beaton's proofs from sitting with Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 1939 Visitors will Some of the pictures capture a modern sense of fun, including Rankin's 2001 photograph of a smiling Queen Elizabeth II, superimposed against the Union Flag; Polly Borland's Golden Jubilee portrait of the late Queen set against a glittering gold backdrop; and Andy Warhol's legendary 1985 portrait of Her late Majesty, sprinkled with diamond dust to make it sparkle in the light.