The Queen In The Rain

This picture makes me laugh, but also makes me feel a little sad too. It was taken a couple of days ago, when the Queen opened the new British Tennis Centre.

I have absolutely no love for the royal family, and think the institution is hackneyed and outdated, but this picture of the poor old HRH, sheltering stoically on her own makes me a little teary.

Maybe it's the way her lovely see-through 1970s umbrella perfectly matches the royal blue dress. Or maybe just her grim, set face, buffeted from years of terminally dull engagements. Or the resignation of a woman knowing how ridiculous this must look to onlookers and photographers.

I'd buy this if it was a poster.