A photograph has been released of the Queen working from her red boxes as she marks 70 years as the nation’s monarch.

The 95-year-old head of state is pictured smiling with her official papers on a table in front of her and nearby an image of her father, King George VI.

His death on 6 February seven decades ago saw his daughter, then aged just 25, became head of a country still recovering from the upheaval of wartime.

Footage has also been released giving a rare glimpse of the sovereign dealing with the daily affairs of state, including her remarking on “very kind” comments by US President Joe Biden.

Every day, wherever she is, the Queen receives updates, reports and summaries from government ministers and her representatives abroad.

These are sent to her by the private secretaries in the red boxes also used by government ministers to carry confidential documents.

All of the papers have to be read and, where necessary, approved and signed.

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The photograph was taken on Wednesday during the Queen’s stay at her Sandringham estate where she has traditionally spent Accession Day.

It was published as the she was hailed for her “constancy and principle” in the “churn of world affairs” at a service marking the monarch’s historic Platinum Jubilee.

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Recorded for the landmark anniversary at Westminster Abbey, the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, paid tribute to the Queen’s duty and service.

He said she was “a constant reminder that we are never ruled by a mere idea”, in contrast to the “push and pull of conflicting opinion” and “the divided tribal loyalties of our age”.

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The Queen was thousands of miles away from home on a tour to Kenya when she acceded to the throne on 6 February 1952 following the death of her father George VI.

“No fanfare marked Accession Day for the Queen who was, that morning, in the foothills of Mount Kenya,” the dean said.

“There was no job description and no strategy to deliver.

“Shaped and informed by the father she succeeded, she began what she has continued ever since, a life of duty and service.

“A life, her life at the heart of nation and Commonwealth – relationship, constancy and principle in the churn of world affairs.”

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The dean added: “For 70 years, our queen has lived our monarchy.

“News reports which have now passed into history have recorded national and international politics…

“We note and record the facts, the rise and fall of fame, the manifestos and policies.

“At the heart of our nation, however, there has been one for whom this has been relationship and lived experience.

“Amidst the push and pull of conflicting opinion, the divided tribal loyalties of our age, we have in Her Majesty the Queen, a constant reminder that we are never ruled by a mere idea.

“We share a humanity that can reach across division, share joy, overcome grief.”

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