Top 23+ Rarely Seen Photos of the British Royal Family Through the Years

George V, the Prince Harry of his time

King George V, pictured here around 1885, when he would have been 20 and was still Prince George, was the second-born son of King Edward VII, making George the "Prince Harry" of his time. Like Harry, George grew up having no expectation of becoming king. Fate had different plans, however.

George V, with his older brother, Albert Victor

Sadly, George V's older brother, Albert Victor (the "Prince William" of his time), died in 1892 at the age of 28 after a sudden and brief illness. So when Edward VII ascended to the throne in 1901, George was the next in line and was crowned king in 1910 upon his father's death. In this photo, the brothers are still young boys.

George V's kids, including two future kings

The four eldest of King George V and his wife, Mary of Teck (known as Queen Mary) six children include David (usually known as "Edward,") George V's first-born son, who later became King Edward VIII in 1936 and then abdicated after only one year in order to marry American divorcée, Wallis Simpson, Albert (second-born son, who became King George VI after Edward VIII abdicated, and father of Queen Elizabeth II) Princess Mary, and Prince Henry.

Future (and now former) King Edward VIII, with his great-grandmum, Victoria

Here, Queen Victoria poses with her two-year-old great-grandson, Prince Edward. As a result of the death of his uncle, Albert Victor, in 1892, the little boy beside Queen Victoria, stood third in line to the throne (after his grandfather, Edward VII, and his father, George V).

Wallis Simpson, before she became the Duchess of Windsor

Wallis Simpson, the woman for whom King Edward VIII would abdicate the throne in 1936, just a year after ascending, is pictured here in 1928 when she was still married to her first husband, Naval Commander E. Winfield Spencer. She left her second husband, Ernest Simpson, to marry Edward, who had to renounce the throne in order to marry the twice-divorced American woman.

Baby Queen Elizabeth II with her parents

On Queen Elizabeth II's christening day in 1926, there was no reason for her parents to suspect their baby, Princess Elizabeth, would ever become queen—as her uncle, Edward, was next in line for the throne. That changed a decade later when King Edward VIII abdicated, and Elizabeth's father, Albert, became King George VI.

A big day for the future Queen Mum, the woman then known as the Duchess of York

This photo was taken on December 10, 1936, in the aftermath of the breaking of the news that King Edward VIII had abdicated the throne. Suddenly, the Duchess of York (first name Elizabeth) was about to become the Queen Consort of her husband Albert, who would soon be styled as King George VI. And eventually, she would become the Queen Mother, since her daughter, Princess Elizabeth, was now the next in line to the throne.

A rare swimsuit photo of Elizabeth II

This photo of then-Princess Elizabeth in a "swimming costume" (as it's called in England) was taken in 1938.

Lady Diana Spencer as a schoolteacher

Lady Diana Spencer was already in the public eye on this day in September 1980, as she was being courted by Prince Charles. "Shy Di," as she was known, is with two children from St. George's Square Kindergarten, where she was a teacher.

Princess Margaret with nephew, the Prince of Wales

Princess Margaret ended up in this candid shot of Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Prince Harry (in Diana's arms), and Prince William. The family is about to board the Britannia for a Western Isles tour in the summer of 1985.

A somber moment

A week after the sudden death of Diana, Princess of Wales on August 31, 1997, both William and Harry, wipe their eyes as they view tributes left in memory of their mum.

Grandmum's birthday

Prince William and Prince Harry pause as they leave St. George's Chapel in Windsor after a special Thanksgiving service celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's 80th birthday in 2006.

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie in Miami

This photo of the first cousins of Prince William and Prince Harry was taken in December 2017 in Miami, Florida.

Royally cute

Here are Princess Charlotte and Prince George, just before the wedding of their auntie, Princess Eugenie, to Jack Brooksbank, is about to begin on October 12.