Queen embraces technology and uploads family pics to Flickr

Somehow the image of the Queen sitting at a laptop or computer uploading pics to the Internet seems a little bizarre (OK, so she probably has someone to do it for her), but nevertheless, Buckingham Palace has opened a new Flickr account and uploaded more than 600 photographs to the photo-sharing site.

In a bid to embrace new technology, the Palace has already got a YouTube and Twitter account, as well as its own website. And it’s been five years since the Queen started podcasting her Christmas message, so the Flickr account is just another step — but it’s probably the most interesting as far as the public is concerned.

Hey, maybe we’ll even find the House of Windsor on Facebook soon.

The decision to open a Flickr account coincides with the summer opening of Buckingham Palace, and some of the photos included in the upload were commissioned for the exhibition “Queen’s Year,” which opens next Tuesday.

Some of the photos on Flickr are of official visits but there are others from rarely seen moments and are more what you would call family photos. They include photos of the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall — and, of course, Prince William, Prince Harry and other photos dating back more than 100 years belonging to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

As of July 26th, viewers will be able to see photographs of recent royal events such as pics from the recent trip to Canada and New York and a garden party last week. You can also see some of the royals as babies and early pictures of Queen Victoria and others from around that time in history.

There are pics of Harry as a baby with his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, and of Harry in Afghanistan; and pics of William as a young boy, on exercise with the Navy and meeting footballer David Beckham in South Africa.

Apparently the Queen has said she is very enthusiastic about embracing new technology. It is already known that she regularly surfs the Internet, has her own mobile phone and her own private email address and it was she who personally authorised the latest upload of the family photographs. The site will be updated regularly.

Of course we can’t forget that social media is one of the most effective ways to stay in touch with what’s happening right now and to appear “accessible” to the public, so the Flickr account is a smart move.