Exclusive Royal Pictures: Rare pictures of Queen Elizabeth before she was crowned

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2/6 Elizabeth and Philip samba at a Navy ball in Malta in 1950. Her love affair with Malta began in 1949 when Prince Philip was made First Lieutenant on HMS Chequers.
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3/6 Elizabeth laughs as she joins Lady Pamela Hicks in an eightsome reel at a military dance in Malta.
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4/6 In what is thought to be one of the Queen's favourite photographs, Elizabeth arrives in Malta for the first time in 1949.
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5/6 The Princess in diamonds and fur for a night out at the Hotel Phoenicia. Lady Pamela, who was her confidante at the time, says the balls and dances would nearly always be held there.
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6/6 The Princess holds on to her hat on a blustery visit to a priory in the Maltese town of Rabat where she met Dominican friars.
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We just love this series of photographs, which have never been published before, of the Queen enjoying a genuinely carefree existence on Malta in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Away from the pressure of the watching public at home, Queen Elizabeth has described these as 'the happiest days of my life'.

The Queen's love affair with the island began in 1949 when Prince Philip was made First Lieutenant on HMS Chequers. Later that year, Elizabeth's father, King George VI, suggested she joined her husband on Malta. So after celebrating Prince Charles's first birthday, the Princess flew to the island arriving on her second wedding anniversary, November 20.

Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

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