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Her Majesty viewed the portrait for the first time via video call yet not seeing it in person didn’t stop her from noticing a small irregularity. The Queen joked that a teacup featuring in her painting had no tea in it, the artist revealed, as she paid tribute to her “luminous” sitter. The painter of this new portrait was Mirian Escofet, who was the winner of the BP Portrait Award.

It was commissioned by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as a “lasting tribute to Her Majesty’s service” to diplomacy.

Its home will be at the FCO though the Queen managed to see the painting via her computer screen.

This was before speaking to members of staff about their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The staff received high praise from Her Majesty as the Queen told workers of how impressed she was with their efforts.

Efforts which said says had helped repatriate British citizens as well as coordinate the global search for a vaccine.

Resources were mobilised across the British Government when the COVID-19 pandemic ht.

Since 2010, The Queen has taken part in 13 ‘sit-down’ portraits.

This new one will now hang in the new reception of the FCO’s London HQ.

A headquarters which is due to be completed next year.

The Foreign Office told Buckingham Palace the reason they wanted to hang the portrait was to pay tribute to their long-standing relationship with The Queen.

At the request of the FCO, The Queen has visited almost 100 countries and hosted around 111 state visits.

This is according to Sir Simon McDonald, Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Head of the Diplomatic Service.

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Wearing a blue day dress, a triple-string pearl necklace, earrings and a drop brooch, The Queen was sat in Windsor Castle waiting for the paintings.

The artist of the portrait, Miriam Escofet spoke to the Queen about how she had included a hidden symbol.

It was the insignia of the FCO which had been painted onto a new teacup inspired by the anamorphic distortion technique used by Renaissance painters in including Holbein.

Escofet said: “It felt really right to apply it to the teacup – suddenly this very humble object carries this symbolism representing the FCO and linking the portrait to its destination.”

“I explained this to the Queen and she made this very humorous comment about how there’s no tea in the cup.

“I said I’m afraid the tea has been sacrificed for the symbolism.”

The painting took seven months to complete, with the final stages being completed in lockdown.

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