Among the great mysteries that still surround British royalty, a question persists that continues to intrigue the world: why the Queen isabel II never took a picture while pregnant?
Although the late monarch had four children that filled the royal family with joy, there are no records or audiovisual evidence showing some of their pregnancies, just as no images of the sovereign have been seen showing off a very prominent belly as usually happens in the last months of pregnancy.
And it is that being a world-famous figure who, in addition, was a mother four times, it is difficult to believe that there are no photos or videos of her in the moments before giving birth. But it seems that the queen knew how to hide her state very well every time she appeared in a public act.
Recall that throughout her three pregnancies, the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, was widely photographed by the media and by the royal family itself. The same thing happened with her sister-in-law, Meghan Marklewhen she was pregnant with her first child, archie.
Even in a previous generation, we could see the photos of the princesses Diana and Anne Y Sarah Fergusonthe Duchess of York, on the front pages of the newspapers showing off her pregnancy belly and sparking speculation about the gender or the name of the new royal baby.
Why are there no photos of Queen Elizabeth II pregnant?
Excitement over the arrival of a royal baby and pregnancy photos are now common among British royals, but it’s clear that before these more modern times, there was a protocol to follow in these cases.
According to the magazine Harper’s Bazaarat the time the children of the deceased were born Isabel II between 1948 and 1964, pregnancies were kept shielded from the public, simply due to the taboos of the time. In those years, motherhood was considered proper to married women and not the work of leaders, so the fact of being pregnant could have provoked harsh opinions and even doubts about the queen’s leadership capacity.
According to New York Timesin 1948 the Buckingham Palace issued a notice saying: “Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth will not undertake public engagements after the end of June,” without elaborating on the reason for her absence. So, five months later, the then-princess gave birth to Carlosthe current king of England.
Similarly, the queen also did not introduce her children on the hospital steps after their birth, an act that has now become a tradition for royal parents.
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