Duchess of Edinburgh and Prince Edward recreate iconic photos of Queen Elizabeth II and Philip in Malta

Prince Phillip was serving as a Royal Navy officer at the time so was stationed on the island, and Elizabeth stayed with him in Malta during his stay.

Soon after their return to the UK, the Queen’s father, King George VI, died in 1952 and Elizabeth began her 70-year reign.

In 2015, the late Queen fondly remembered her “happy days” at the villa, adding: “Visiting Malta is always very special for me.”

As the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh walked around the six-bedroom house, they were informed about restoration work being carried out on the late monarch’s former residence.

They are the first members of the Royal Family to visit Villa Guardamangia since 1951.

Standing on the balcony, the couple recreated the late Queen and Philip’s iconic photo in the exact same spot some 70 years prior.

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Princess Elizabeth (later Queen ELizabeth II) smiling happily as, with the Duke of Edinburgh in Malta

PA

Edward looked dapper in a grey checked suit and red tie, whilst Sophie wore a white blouse with a pleated maxi-skirt with red flowers on the bottom.

The pair were also given a moment to themselves at the top of the garden near a derelict fountain, to take in the nostalgic property.

They also met Elizabeth Pule, whose mother Jessie was a housekeeper at the property during Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s stay.

“Your mother was very popular,” the Duke told Pule. “I know that my mother spotted her in the crowds several times [during visits to Malta], she never forgot her.”

The pair then waved from a balcony covered in both a Union Jack and Maltese flag to a small crowd below.

Speaking after the tour, assistant curator at Heritage Malta Giancarlo Azzopardi said there is an “attachment” between the villa and the Royal Family.

“Specifically with the older generation that remembers Malta as a British colony and later as a British base, there’s always that attachment,” he said.

“Obviously, there’s a nostalgic element and then you obviously have the celebrity status of the royal family, so there is that link.”