Royal family history

In 1857, Queen Victoria posed for the first royal photo ever, and the world promptly fell in love with photographing royals. Here are some of the more memorable, yet less widely seen, photos of the royal family throughout the years.

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia

Meghan Markle looked visibly moved following the Queen's procession on Wednesday afternoon – watch now

Among the images are Edward VII in 1902, the Queen and Prince Philip with baby Anne in 1950, and Queen Victoria in 1887 - all colourised by Nicola Branson, 47, from Northamptonshire.

Genes can sometimes work in unexpected ways. A person might look nothing like their parents, but they flip through a family album once and suddenly discover that they are the spitting image of their great-grandmother. Scientists say that you can go as many as 9 generations back to find similar genetic material to your own.

One hundred and twenty years ago, the Romanov royal dynasty hosted the most extravagant and eccentric costume ball in the history of the Russian Empire. It was also the last.

Royals have been marrying their cousins since time immemorial, traditionally as a means of strengthening political alliances. What might be surprising though is that members of the royal family have continued to marry their cousins, right up to the present day!