Queen's secret photo of Harry and Meghan spotted in Buckingham Palace

A previously unseen photograph of Prince Harry and his new bride Meghan Markle has been spotted at Buckingham Palace.

The touching portrait of the newlyweds is on display in the audience room of the Queen's London residence.

The portrait of the couple in a loving embrace can be seen on the right of the fireplace of the living room where she hosts her weekly audience, reported the Daily Mail.

It is the first photo of Meghan to appear in Buckingham Palace and it sits alongside Her Majesty's other treasured photographs of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Photo / Getty

The photograph takes pride of place at the front of the table. It shows Harry dressed in a blue suit facing Meghan who is wearing a figure-hugging dress.

It is unclear when and where the photo was taken, but Hello! reports it was likely taken by the couple's wedding photographer Alexi Lubomirski as part of their engagement shoot in December.

The photo of the couple replaces a portrait of the Queen's daughter Princess Anne and her husband Timothy Laurence.

That photograph, of the pair posing in their naval uniform, was last seen on the side table in April, a month before the wedding. It has now been moved to the left of the lamp.

Other portraits in the room show Zara and Mike Tindall on their wedding day and a picture of William and Harry in military uniform.

Photo / Getty

The Queen regularly shifts the photo frames around but these have been in place for years.

The photo was spotted as the Queen welcomed Honorable George Brandis, the Australian High Commissioner to the UK, during a private audience at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.

The audience room is where the Queen stores some of her most significant treasures, giving royal fans a rare glimpse into her personal life.

The room, on the palace's first floor, is peppered with photographs of toyals.

On the mantelpiece stands two 18th century English porcelain pheasants valued at £20,000 ($38,000), a white marble and gilt bronze clock, valued at £4000 ($7600), and an English gilt mirror, valued at £30,000 ($57,000).

In the fireplace is a two-bar electric heater, with only one bar lit up.

The royals are known to face the cold with fortitude, and the dated rooms in their various haunts are known for their draughts and difficulty to heat. The Queen has similar budget heaters in fireplaces in all of her residences.

At Buckingham Palace, audiences are either held in the Queen's Audience Room or in the 1844 Room.

The Queen gives a weekly audience to the Prime Minister and will also have a private audience with the Chancellor of the Exchequor before a new budget is announced, as well as with visiting heads of state who are not on an official state visit.

The Queen also chairs Privy Council meetings, which are held regularly throughout the year, usually around once a month.

This article was first published on Daily Mail and is republished here with permission.