21 Of The Rarest Images Of The Royal Family

Royalty was one of the first methods of governing in human societies, and obviously, globally we have transitioned from monarchies to a different kind of governing, most commonly with elected officials. There are 26 royal families currently in the world, but there is one that is much more in the spotlight and draws the most attention on a global scale. The British royal family.

There are couple theories as to why it is the most popular British family. It could do with the fact that Britain colonized a large part of the world, so a lot of countries outside of Britain had to recognize the British family as their monarchy, and the Commonwealth countries still do to this day. They are also pretty entertaining to keep up with, the royal family is not immune from the drama that we see on low brow reality shows. And there is something extra juicy about a member of the royal family behaving badly because they seem so perfect and polished. Or at the least, they are supposed to. Everyone remembers what Prince Harry and Prince William were like in their wild days.

The photos listed are the more rare ones that really shook us. We can't put our finger on to why these photos have an eerie side to them, but they're definitely a sight to see.

21 One Of The Last Photos Of Princess Diana Before Her Tragic Accident

Diana, Princess of Wales became a member of the British Royal Family when she married Queen Elizabeth's son, Prince Charles. The young blonde had captivated not only England's heart but the worlds. With her normal upbringing giving her down to earth appeal, but her beauty fit for a princess people could not get enough of the 'Peoples Princess.' On August 31, 1997, Diana died in a tragic car accident in Paris, France alongside her companion in the car Dodi Fayed and the driver. The world came to a standstill. She was already divorced from Prince Charles when this happened and left behind two little boys, Prince William and Harry. The above photo was one of the last taken of her, and it shows her getting into the car that would cause her demise. The worried look her face adds an extra layer of eeriness to the photo.

20 The Future Queen Elizabeth When She Was Still A Princess With Then Queen Elizabeth II

You probably have a hard time imagining Queen Elizabeth as anything but an old woman, it seems like she has been an old lady for decades. Well, she kind of has she is 91-years-old. Here, she is pictured with her Mother Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. As a little girl, Queen Elizabeth was everything you would picture a royal child to be. Well behaved and sensible, fit to grow up and become the Queen. Queen Elizabeth II had only one sibling, her younger sister Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. They had as idyllic a childhood as you can imagine for children in the royal family, even while World War II was going on. Their parents broke with tradition by not allowing the girls to go on royal tours when they were little, and they were educated at home. So they had an even more sheltered childhood than most royal children.

19 A Rare Family Photo Of Queen Elizabeth As A Little Girl With Her Parents And Sister

As we told you, Queen Elizabeth and her younger sister Princess Margaret were educated privately at home, they were also growing up while WW II was raging which led their parents to send them to Windsor Castle where they spent the entirety of the war. The royal family had been advised to leave for Canada and stay there, but the King and Queen refused to leave their country. They sent their daughters to the British countryside where they were safe, and they kept doing their civic duty in order to boost morale. They took interest in how ordinary citizens were helping the war effort. If a royal family is not supposed to do just that during dire times, we don't know what a royal family is for.

18 Princess Di On Her Wedding Day - What We Know Was A Loveless Marriage

It is not easy to distinguish her face from behind the veil, but there is an aura of sadness in this photo and from her facial expression. Diana married the Prince of Wales in 1981 and it's still one of the most highly watched events on television, 750 million people around the world tuned in to watch. The marriage was fodder for a lot of rumours and tabloid headlines, especially near the end of the marriage. The royal couple divorced by 1996 and all the media outlets were having a field day. Media was talking about their marriage issues as early as 1985, and Camilla Parker was always around in one form or another. Even while they were married, it was obvious that the couple had a slew of issues.

17 A Young Queen Elizabeth Looking Excited To Be Alive On Her Coronation Day

An iconic photo of the royal matriarch. There is something dark and brooding about this photo, and the new Queen's facial expression reflects that in the photo. Queen Elizabeth II had her coronation in 1953 on June 2. As of now, Queen Elizabeth is the longest reigning monarch in history. She has been on the throne for 65 years, an unrivaled feat in history. And she is only 91-years-old and shows no signs of slowing down, so we have a feeling she is going to set a record that no one is ever going to be able to break. Maybe it is because she really is a lizard person who is immortal, what, you never heard that theory? Some people believe that the British royal family is some kind of reptilian-human hybrid species.

16 The New Queen On Her Coronation Day With Her Maids

Coronation ceremonies are a big deal, especially in England where the royal family still holds a lot of sentimental and cultural value. It is a whole day event with a massive procession and feast. This one-day event in the case of Queen Elizabeth II took 14 months to plan. Yea, they were not going to skimp on anything for this. Queen Elizabeth's coronation was the first fully televised one, and it was the first even to be globally broadcasted by the BBC. Her maids of honor walked behind her in the procession and carried her train, so you can imagine how long that train. A lot of practice, attention, and meticulous care goes into planning a coronation but did you expect anything less?

15 Princess Diana Looking Glum While Performing Royal Duties

We all know Princess Diana was not happy with her marriage to Charles. In this photo we can see it clearly, she looks glum while performing royal duties. We can only assume that she's contemplating her status in the royal family in this moment. In regards to her marriage with Charles, allegedly what happened, was that Prince Charles had been, and always was in love with Camilla Parker. The two of them finally got married in 2005. The Queen did not approve of Camilla and so Princess Diana got to be the lucky lady that married Prince Charles. Diana was not innocent in the marriage either. Both parties were caught cheating throughout the course of the marriage, and to say that the 90's had a lot of royal drama going on is an understatement. Even the Queen tried to intercede and talk to Diana and Charles about their extra-marital affairs. Maybe two people that never loved each other should never have gotten married, and none of this would have happened.

14 A Smiling Queen Elizabeth With Her Two Oldest Children - Prince Charles Has Called His Parents 'Emotionally Reserved.'

Here we have Queen Elizabeth with Princess Anne and Prince Charles, her two oldest children. Many people think that Royal parents must be reserved and leave most of the child-rearing, especially when the children are young to be done by nursery staff. At the most, this was very true centuries ago within the royal family. Prince Charles promoted the idea that his parents were distant and all the important parts of his childhood witnessed by staff in his autobiography, but sources close to the Queen say this is not the case. She cares about her children just like any other Mother. We have to understand, including Prince Charles, that the Queen only knows the life she has been raised within and that extends to her parenting which she probably did the best she could.

13 The Young Princes Would Lose Their Mother Two Years After This Photo

Princess Diana's untimely and tragic death in 1997 was a loss of an amazing human to the global community, but people often forget that she left behind two little boys who felt the lack of her more than any of the rest of us could imagine. At the time of her death, Prince William was around 12-years-old, and his younger brother Prince Harry was only 10-years-old. It is difficult to lose a parent at any age, but it is especially difficult when you are so young and you have the whole world watching your every move. The Princes talk about their Mother fondly and have opened up a little about how the loss of her affected them. Princess Diana made an impact on people that had never even met her, so you can imagine the kind of impact she left on her own children.

12 Current Queen Elizabeth As A Baby, She Was Not Permitted By Her Parents To Go On Royal Tours Until Older

Queen Elizabeth was born in London in 1926, and for all intents and purposes, she was never meant to be Queen. She was third in line to the throne, and it was never expected that she would actually make it to the throne. Elizabeth was a very careful and obedient child, everything you would expect a royal child to be. In contrast, her younger sister Margaret was very boisterous and naughty. The Queen and her sister had a unique education, their parents did not really care for school and thought the kids should be out playing rather than being forced to study for hours and hours. Apparently, they only took lessons from 9:30 in the morning to 11. The rest of the day was spent outside.

11 Princess Diana Looking Very Grim

Beyond being an icon in the charity world, Princess Diana was a fashion icon that is still emulated today.  Diana would wear something once and be photographed in it, and then it would sell out. Case in point, Hunter Wellington rain boots. She was photographed with them in 1980, when she and Charles were still only dating, and sales for the boots went right through the roof after. Diana also had a close relationship with Gianni and Donatella Versace, so she was playing with the high rollers of fashion. One person who may surprise you that lists Diana as their fashion inspiration is none other than Rihanna. in 2012, Time magazine put Diana on their ALL-TIME  100 fashion icon list. Princess Diana certainly left a deep impact on the world and on culture.

10 Young Prince William And Prince Harry Looking Dapper

Up until their Mother's tragic death, the princes lived a happy childhood with everything they could ever want. Young Prince William wanted to be a police officer when he grew up because he said that way he could protect his Mother. Younger brother Harry, whose full name is actually Henry was always the goofier of the brothers. Both brothers attended the exclusive and prestigious Eton private school. Harry might not have had his brothers knack for academics, but he was a very good athletic particularly excelling in soccer. Apparently, his two favorite spots are polo and rugby though. The world has watched the brothers grow from children to teens to start their own families. Prince Harry must be practicing with his nephew and niece to get ready for his own babies soon!

9 A Pregnant Princess Diana Looks On From Windsor Castle

Princess Diana fell pregnant not long after marrying Prince Charles, she was doing what was expected of her. When she was 12-weeks along with Prince William, she actually fell down an entire staircase. Thankfully, the fetus was not harmed at all and Diana only had a couple of bruises. When William was 9 months old, his parents were to go make official visits to Australia and New Zealand. Everyone was shocked when Princess Diana took the baby with her instead of leaving him back home with nannies, including the Queen. Some people cheered her on for being a devoted Mother while others thought she was putting the baby through too much. When as many people are watching your every move as they did for Diana, you will never be able to make everyone happy.

8 A Brooding Queen Elizabeth

Well, to be fair in this photo she is still only Princess Elizabeth. Many people do not realize that the current Queen of England was quite the beauty back in her day, and who can blame since most of us only know her as an older lady. She has been around for quite awhile! An interesting story about Queen Elizabeth is how she and Prince Phillip got together. Most people assume that their marriage was arranged, he has links to Greek and Danish royalty. Something that has happened a lot in European history. In fact, Queen Elizabeth was only 13 when she met him and was smitten. They kept in touch for years until they eventually married. Her Father was not thrilled with the match, but Elizabeth was so she went ahead and did what she wanted.

7 A Charitable Moment From The Peoples' Princess

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There is no denying that Princess Diana is seen as synonymous with charity. The Royals are expected to do their part for charity, and a lot of that is virtue signaling. They have to look good to the public after all! Diana had charity in her heart and she took it very seriously. Two areas she took a very keen interest in that was out of line with other royals, waist serious illnesses, including AIDS and leprosy. AIDS was very stigmatized during Diana's time and she did a lot to promote awareness and education about it. The world went crazy when Princess Diana was seen touching AIDS patients because it was still not fully known how it transmits. This is just the tip of the iceberg that Diana has done in regards to charity.

6 Queen Elizabeth With Her Sons And Mother - Looking Thrilled About Motherhood

We see Queen Elizabeth here with her Mother, the Queen Mother, and a young Prince Charles while the Queen holds his little sister Princess Anne. Somethings to know about Princess Anne is she is the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. She has lived through almost being kidnapped but the attempt was thwarted by her security. She went to the Olympics as an equestrian in Montreal in 1976. When Anne was born, the Queen was still only a Princess as her Mother still held the title. Anne became a Princess in 1987 bestowed on her by her Mother, and she will carry that title for the rest of her time on this earth. Another fun fact about her is that she was the first member of the British royal family that visited the Soviet Union in 1990.

5 Queen Elizabeth Reading To Her Two Youngest Sons Andrew And Edward

People often forget that the Queen has children besides Prince Charles. And that isn't their fault, he dominated the headlines during his very public relationship with Princess Diana and its subsequent demise. He has had his own fair share of scandals that garnered him a lot of attention. But he does, in fact, have three other siblings, younger sister Anne and younger brothers Edward and Andrew. Looking at the above photo Andrew and Edward look like their nephews! William and Harry. While we imagine being a child growing up in the royal family is not all rainbows and butterflies, this captures a very sweet familial moment.  The Queen shares a special relationship with all her children, which is maybe why she still hasn't let Charles be King. She wanted to keep it even between the kids.

4 The Queen Has Met With The Pope Many Times, Are They Planning For Total World Domination?

Even though the Queen is the head of the Church of England and the Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, two conflicting religions, there is a close relationship there. After all, they are two of most powerful people in Europe. Well, at least they used to be but they still carry a lot of clout. England used to be Catholic until King Henry King VII of England wanted to get divorced and remarried. Well if you are familiar with Catholicism you know that you cannot get divorced. So what did he do? He split from the Catholic Church and created the Church of England of which he would be the head of. So he got his divorce! Besides this slight that happened centuries ago, the English monarchy and the Vatican enjoy a close relationship.

3 Royals Doing Normal Human Things - They're Just Like Us!

In 1969, there was a new line opening on the famous London underground tube, a line named Victoria. Queen Elizabeth got to take the controls and was there for the inaugural ride on the new line. This is far from the only time that the Queen has gone on the tube with all the commoners, she was last seen on the tube in December 2017. The Queen has no problem getting down with the common people of the land she rules over! Her husband, Phillip joined her way back in 1969 for their first ride on the tube together on the new line and was with her in December again too. It is always nice to see the royals blending in and doing normal things. it helps assuage the rumors that they are reptilian lizard people.

2 The Hand That Rocks The Cradle

We see Queen Elizabeth here with her first born, Charles Prince of Wales who was born in 1948. Also known as the late Princess Diana's ex-husband and father to Prince William and Harry. The unassuming tyke in the photo had no idea what kind of love triangles he would end up being embroiled in when he got older. He would be joined by his sister Anne and then brothers Andrew and Edward. Of course being the first born, Charles is the heir apparent to the throne after the Queen either relinquish the throne to him or passes away. Right now, it looks like neither of those things is going to be happening anytime soon so it will probably still be a couple of years before we see Prince Charles as King Charles.

1 The Queen Mother With Her Little Daughters

The late Princess Margaret is Queen Elizabeths younger sister, they were separated by 4 years. The two grew up very close and had a very special bond. While Princess Margaret would only refer to the Queen in public as 'The Queen', in private she called her by her nickname Lilibet, her sister. When Elizabeth became Queen, her sister resided at Kensington Palace and she had a direct phone line to a phone sitting on Elizabeth's desk in Buckingham Palace. The Queen is known for being extremely poised in public, but at her younger sisters funeral, the Queen was actually seen wiping away a tear. That much emotion from the Queen was not seen before and has not been seen after. It's clear the two sisters shared a very close and important bond.