Royal family celebrates historic day for British line of succession

The Royal Family celebrated an important figure who changed the course of the line of succession for the British throne, releasing a historic portrait in her honour.

While Elizabeth II is known for her longest ever rule in the history of the British empire, the Buckingham Palace marked the birthday of Elizabeth I, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.

She was born on September 7, 1533, at Greenwich Palace near London, and was known to be a massive disappointment to her father, who wanted a male heir to succeed him.

Little did Henry VIII know that not only was his daughter going to be the last Tudor monarch but she was going to trigger a shift in line of succession. She refused to marry in her life, permanently altering the map and future of Great Britain.

For her birthday, a portrait from the Queen’s Drawing Room, Windsor Castle, was shared with the public.

“This compelling portrait of the princess shows her at around 13 years old and was probably painted for her father,” the description from the Royal Collection Trust read.

“Elizabeth’s dress is painted with meticulous detail, drawing attention to the quality of the fabric. The triangular forepart at the front of her skirt and undersleeves are made of a very expensive fabric known as ‘cloth-of-silver’ tissued (blended) with gold. Fabrics like this were reserved for the king and his closest relatives.”