UK royal family releases unseen photograph of Queen Elizabeth II after private burial

The UK's royal family has released a previously unseen photograph of Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) after she was laid to rest in a private burial.

The Queen, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, was laid to rest alongside her late husband Prince Philip in a private burial at St George's Chapel on Monday (19) after the pomp and pageantry of a majestic state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

Before the burial, some 800 guests attended a committal service in St George's, which concluded with the crown, orb and sceptre - symbols of the Queen's power and governance - being removed from the coffin and placed on the altar.

The image released by the Royal Family on Monday after the funeral was taken at Balmoral in 1971, with the caption often borrowed from Shakespeare's Hamlet: "May flights of Angels sing thee to thy rest."

King Charles III referenced the line during a televised address following his mother's death, the BBC reported. "In loving memory of Her Majesty The Queen. 1926 - 2022."

The photo shows the Queen, walking stick in hand, traversing moorland. She is wearing a headscarf and sunglasses and has a coat draped over her arm. The Royal Family will observe another week of mourning for the Queen after the funeral, Sky News reported.

The family is not expected to carry out official engagements, and flags at royal residences will remain at half-mast until 8am after the final day of royal mourning. However, flags on non-royal buildings were slowly being returned to full-mast on Tuesday (20) following the end of the period of national mourning.