Photographer Behind Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh’s Birthday Portrait Shares Unseen Photo from Session

Photographer Christina Ebenezer also shared her favorite part of the photo shoot

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Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital, covering modern monarchies and the world’s most famous families. Like Queen Elizabeth, she loves horses and a great tiara moment.

Published on January 20, 2025 03:46PM EST

Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh is starring in a new portrait for her 60th birthday, and the photographer behind the camera is sharing an unseen snap from the photo session.

The Duchess of Edinburgh recently posed for photos released to ring in her 60th birthday on Jan. 20, and photographer Christina Ebenezer posted an unseen shot of Sophie to Instagram on the Duchess’ special day. 

The sunny snap showed Sophie striking a pose with eye contact to the camera and a hand over her mouth, as if stifling a laugh or pondering a thought, while leaning in a doorway. The royal wore a burgundy sweater and brown patterned trousers with gold statement earrings — revealing a third outfit from the photo session! Ebenezer took Sophie’s picture at Bagshot Park, where she lives with her husband Prince Edward, in January, and reflected on what it meant to receive the royal commission.

Quoting a Bible verse about gifts, Ebenezer wrote that “God’s favor on my life has been nothing short of a testimony” and recapped how the photo shoot with Sophie came about.

“These portraits were taken to mark The Duchess Of Edinburgh’s 60th birthday celebration today. After admiring two portraits I photographed of Letitia Wright & Michaela Coel at the National Portrait Gallery, The Duchess wanted to collaborate and be captured in a different light for this new chapter of life,” the portrait, fashion and commercial photographer wrote on social media. 

“We had a very relaxed day taking these at her home — her and the team created a very welcoming atmosphere. My favorite part was definitely working together on outfit choices,” she said, adding a twinkling star emoji and thanking her inner circle.

It’s understood that Sophie was interested in Ebenezer’s style of photography and wanted to support a rising female photographer, and did just that with her new birthday pictures. 

Ebenezer was born in Nigeria and is based in London, and has been professionally celebrated as a British Fashion Council New Wave Creative and a Forbes 30 Under 30 Arts & Culture Leader. Her portraits of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stars Wright and Coel were unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in partnership with Chanel in January 2024.

While King Charles and Queen Camilla‘s office officially unveiled Sophie’s birthday pictures by Ebenezer to social media on Jan. 18, that Instagram carousel didn’t include the snap of the Duchess holding back a laugh. That montage began with a glam shot of Sophie wearing a black top with white pleated skirt in a light-filled window seat, and rolled to show her standing before a beige backdrop beneath a green tree. Those two shots showed Sophie wearing a white coat over a brown turtleneck and green pants — meaning that there were multiple outfit changes!

“As The Duchess looks ahead to turning 60, Her Royal Highness has a renewed sense of excitement and commitment to her work around gender equality and looks forward to further embracing and championing this issue in the years to come,” the King and Queen’s team wrote below the Instagram carousel. Sophie and Prince Edward, 60, don’t maintain a joint profile on social media like Prince William and Kate Middleton do, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s royal work is instead shared across the same accounts that King Charles and Queen Camilla use.

The Duchess is celebrating her banner birthday privately at home with Prince Edward, while their children are away at school! The couple share daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 21, and son James, Earl of Wessex, 17, who are away at the University of St. Andrews and boarding school, respectively. 

The family most recently stepped out together for Christmas at Sandringham with the rest of the British royals, and a close friend calls her a “trailblazer” in the family for the causes she takes on. 

In April 2024, the Duchess of Edinburgh became the first British royal to visit Ukraine since the Russian invasion began in 2022, and spoken publicly about the once-taboo topic of menopause.

“She is almost a trailblazer in the royal family,” a royal insider says. The Duchess of Edinburgh is the first member of the royal family “that I can remember who has talked about the menopause. Areas which have previously been ‘no-go’ she has embraced and championed,” the source adds. “It is hugely appreciated by the voices who might not otherwise be heard or listened to.” 

Sophie serves as patron of over 70 charities and organizations, focusing much of her public work on gender equality, advocating around the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls, eliminating avoidable blindness and supporting people with disabilities.