Sweet Photo of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Giggling Together Resurfaces

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth were pictured together hundreds of thousands of times before Philip’s death on Friday at age 99. However, one photo, in particular, is getting extra attention. In 2003, photographer Chris Young caught a playful moment of the two laughing during a review of the Grenadier Guard’s Queen’s Company regiment at Windsor Castle.

Since Prince Philip was a colonel of the regiment, he was already with the other guards and in full uniform. When the Queen finally emerged from the palace to join Philip, there was a swarm of bees. Young, the only photographer at the event, noticed this and got into a better position where he could capture a picture of the Queen and Philip laughing.

“I got lucky,” Young told the BBC. “I recognized that it was a human moment. She was giggling like a little girl and he was laughing too. I thought the reaction from both of them was pretty unique. Some of the guests were unsure as to whether they should move, but eventually, everyone had to beat a retreat.”

Thankfully, a royal beekeeper was there to help remove a gigantic swarm of bees that gathered under one of the foldout chairs. Young took several other photos before the beekeeper came to the rescue, including some that made it look like bees were invading Windsor Castle. The picture of the Queen and Philip smiling attracted international attention and some newspapers even featured it on their front pages since it was a side of the couple the public rarely saw.

Young’s picture was not the only image of Philip to go viral. On Monday, social media lit up when Prince William shared a candid photo of Philip with great-grandson Prince George sitting on a horse-drawn carriage. William, Philip’s grandson and second in line to the British throne after Prince Charles, shared his first statement on Philip’s death alongside the picture. Notably, William mentioned Philip’s famous sense of humor in his tribute.

“My grandfather’s century of life was defined by service — to his country and Commonwealth, to his wife and Queen, and to our family,” Prince William wrote. “I feel lucky to have not just had his example to guide me, but his enduring presence well into my own adult life – both through good times and the hardest days. I will always be grateful that my wife had so many years to get to know my grandfather and for the kindness, he showed her. I will never take for granted the special memories my children will always have of their great-grandpa coming to collect them in his carriage and seeing for themselves his infectious sense of adventure as well as his mischievous sense of humor!”

William’s brother, Prince Harry, also mentioned his grandfather’s sense of humor in his tribute. Harry arrived in the U.K. on Sunday, his first time home in over a year. Harry noted that Philip had “seriously sharp wit, and could hold the attention of any room due to his charm — and also because you never knew what he might say next.”