A surgeon managed to snap a rare selfie with the Queen when she made a royal visit to the new Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge.
Jason Ali took the candid shot of himself and Her Majesty, who is looking directly at the camera and smiling, when she visited the hospital on Tuesday.
The surgeon, who is a specialist registrar in cardiothoracic surgery, said he ‘angled the camera’ for a selfie with the 93-year-old monarch but was stunned by the result.
Jason Ali managed to get rare selfie with the Queen when she visited the new Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire this week
He said: ‘I was on the ward when the Queen visited and took the opportunity to try and get a good picture of her.
‘I knew she would be walking towards me so I angled the camera for a selfie and amazingly she looked straight at the camera and smiled.’
Jason, who has worked at Papworth Hospital for three years, said there was a great atmosphere on the ward surrounding the Royal visit.
‘All the staff were very excited and there was a buzz around the place,’ he added.
The surgeon snapped a picture on his iPhone with himself and Her Majesty, who is looking directly at the camera and smiling
Jason, who is a specialist registrar in cardiothoracic surgery at the hospital, said he was stunned when he saw his selfie with the 93-year-old monarch (Pictured, other photographs Jason snapped of the monarch)
The Queen unveiled a plaque at the hospital, a specialist heart and lung centre, which has moved 16 miles from the village of Papworth to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
But this is far from the first time a member of the royal family has been caught in an unexpected selfie on a royal visit.
The Queen found herself on the end of another unscheduled photo opportunity while touring St George’s Market in Belfast in June 2014.
The monarch was walking through the market when Jack Surgenor, then 14, leaned into her path and snapped a photo – much to the horror of her security detail.
The Queen found herself on the end of another unscheduled photo opportunity while touring St George’s Market in Belfast in June 2014
The monarch was walking through the market when Jack Surgenor, then 14, leaned into her path and snapped a photo – much to the horror of her security detail
Luckily for the teenager, the Queen saw the funny side and carried on with the engagement, albeit after a slightly bemused glance at the teen.
Later that year, however, it was revealed that Her Majesty finds it ‘strange’ and ‘disconcerting’ to be confronted by a sea of phone screens rather than faces.
US ambassador Matthew Barzun said: ‘She was essentially saying: ‘”I miss eye contact.”
Builder Sam Wayne, from Redruth, went viral in 2016 when he captured a candid selfie with Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their official visit to Cornwall.
Builder Sam Wayne, from Redruth, went viral in 2016 when he captured a candid selfie with Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their official visit to Cornwall
The builder had also snapped a candid selfie with Prince Charles just two years earlier
Sam had been hard at work when the pair strolled past, and quickly unlocked his phone to snap the royal shot.
Amazingly, Kate and William weren’t the first blue-blooded subjects the builder been lucky enough to get a self-portrait with – having snapped himself with Prince Charles just two years earlier.
The prince was visiting Tregunnel Hill, a neighbourhood built on Duchy of Cornwall land in Newquay, when Sam approached and asked for a picture.
Much to Sam’s amazement, not only did the heir to the throne strike a pose, he stayed around to chat after the snap had been taken.
The Duchess of Cambridge was pictured high-fiving a youngster in Christchurch in 2014 in a selfie which was retweeted hundreds of times with the hashtag #besteverselfie
In July 2014, Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge found themselves trending on Twitter after agreeing to a selfie with internet entrepreneur Jamal Edwards
The Duchess of Cambridge, 37, also proved a popular choice for photos during her tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2014.
One selfie from the tour, of Kate high-fiving a youngster in Christchurch, was retweeted hundreds of times with the hashtag #besteverselfie.
In July 2014, Prince Harry and the Duke of Cambridge found themselves trending on Twitter after agreeing to a selfie with internet entrepreneur Jamal Edwards during a Buckingham Palace reception.
In what is believed to be the ‘first ever’ selfie for Harry, 34 and William, 37, the pair point jokingly at the camera as they took part in a live webchat for the launch of a new youth award called Queen’s Young Leaders.
The Duchess of Cornwall was spotted posing for selfies at a Buckingham Palace garden party held in honour of Barnardo’s 150th anniversary in 2016
While she posed for selfies with guests and chatted to old friend and couturier Bruce Oldfield, the 71-year-old conjured up her best grin
Even The Duchess of Cornwall was spotted taking selfies at a Buckingham Palace garden party held in honour of Barnardo’s 150th anniversary in 2016.
While she posed for selfies with guests and chatted to old friend and couturier Bruce Oldfield, the 71-year-old conjured up her best grin.
Camilla appeared more than happy to pose for photographs with guests, beaming in a photograph with one woman who was dressed to impress in a bold purple fascinator.