Four generations of UK royal family pose for photo to mark new decade

Britain's Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth, Prince George and Prince William pose during a Royal Mail photoshoot for a stamp sheet to mark the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, in London, Britain, 2015. Ranald Mackechnie/Handout via REUTERS.

Buckingham Palace has issued a new photographic portrait of Queen Elizabeth, her son Prince Charles, her grandson Prince William and her great-grandson Prince George to mark the start of a new decade.

This is only the second time a portrait of the queen and the three future monarchs has been released, according to the palace.

In the photograph, the queen is wearing a white dress and has a black handbag on her arm. Prince Charles and Prince William are dressed in suits, while Prince George is wearing a white shirt and green tartan trousers.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, Prince William Prince George pose for a portrait to mark the start of a new decade, in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain December 18, 2019. Ranald Mackechnie/Handout via REUTERS.

The portrait was taken by the photographer Ranald Mackechnie in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace last month.

A previous portrait of the four generations of the royal family taken by the same photographer was released in April 2016 to celebrate the queen's 90th birthday and was then used on special commemorative stamps.

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; editing by Nick Macfie)